By Alison | Leave A Comment
I’m sure you’ve heard yourself saying this to your children more than once. But how do your kids know what the rules are?
Make the House Rules Clear for Everyone
Do you have them written out for everyone to see?
You should. Writing your family rules out makes it clear that there are certain behaviors in your home that are unacceptable.
Sitting down as a family to write these will make sure that everyone knows what they are.
Make Family Rules Short and Easy to Remember
Keep the list short, this will make the rules easier to remember. Just having a rule that says “be nice” or “respect your family members” really encompasses a lot and eliminates the need for individual rules detailing specific behaviors you want to discourage.
You should review the rules often.
Everyone in the Family Should Keep the Rules
The rules should apply to everyone, including the parents. If the kids need to keep their rooms clean, mom and dad do too.
Try to keep the rules on the positive side, if possible. For example, “use a quiet voice inside” as opposed to “no yelling”. If you haven’t already, why not sit down sometime soon to discuss your family’s rules?
photo by alexmuse
ABOUT Alison
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I’m not really into rules as I love the freedom that goes around my personality. I’m just not sure how I’m going to handle this when my son gets bigger.
I’m sure there maybe rules but all I know is, my children’s gonna have a great time being with us.
Funny that I should read this today…we’ve just finished revising our rules for our teenaged girls who are 18 and 19 and still live at home. It’s like a contract of what is and isn’t acceptable. It’s like a lease. Although we don’t get paid for their living here, many times if we don’t have these rules in place, I personally feel taken for granted by my family. We all begin to bicker and it’s because everyone has forgotten the “rules”. If you keep them current and everyone signs them – keep them posted and they’re hard to forget.
I work with kids and I think writing down the basic rules would work wonders. Thanks for reminding me that sometimes the most obvious ideas are the absolute best ones.
i was just thinking last night that I needed to post the house rules. Not so much for my girls (They are only 2 and can’t read) but for dh and I. Now I know what to work on tonight!