#Adulting

Happy homes need rules to function well. You’d be surprised – children love them.

Every family is unique, but all families need rules to live by. What those rules are exactly should be decided on by the adults, with input from the littlies for sure. Children thrive when there is order in their home. Rules are meant to provide this, not be a punishment unto themselves. We’ve got some ideas from typical families that can help you to get the conversation about rules started in your own home. Some rules should be hard – like wearing seatbelts – and some can be soft, like snacks on weekends, but everyone needs to agree upfront.

TIP: It works best to state a rule as a positive, not a negative. The rules are there to describe what you want your family life to look like. Choose rules that really matter to you. If you don’t care about regular bedtime, then don’t make rules about that, for instance. The idea is to keep the list short and easy to stick to.

FOOD RULES

1 When it comes to weekday mealtimes, everyone eats what is served, or you can skip the meal. No second meals are made. 2 No sweets and treats during the week; these are for weekends only.

3 We drink water, not cooldrink, in our home.

4 We don’t snack at the television.

5 We eat together at the table as a family. 6 Everybody helps to set and clear the table.

7 We wash our hands before mealtimes.

BEDTIME RULES

1 Bedtime is at 7:30. You go to sleep in your own bed. You don’t have to sleep, but you have to stay in bed after storytime with the light off. If you wake up in the night, you are allowed to come to the big bed.

2 From 8pm it is adult time.

SCREENTIME

1 We don’t watch television in the mornings.

2 Cell phones and tablets are not allowed at the table during mealtimes.

3 On weekdays one children’s programme per day is allowed, and 15 minutes of games on the tablet. On weekends we watch family-friendly movies together.

4 If siblings fight about the tablet, it gets taken away for 48 hours. They must take turns and be fair.

PEACE IN THE HOME

1 We use gentle voices.

2 We say please and thank you.

3 We don’t tell lies.

4 Don’t do anything to your sibling you wouldn’t like done to you.

5 After one warning, you will be punished.

6 We don’t interrupt each other.

7 We all live here, so we all tidy up.

8 We say ”good morning” and ”good night” every day, and greet with eye contact when we see each other after school or work.

9 Dirty clothes belong in the laundry basket.

10 No ball games in the house.

11 We always wear our seatbelts.

12 We recycle. ●