Nae Nae in North Carolina

Monday, November 17, 2008

Family Meeting

Last night, we held our first official "Family Meeting." Did anyone else have these growing up? You know...the ones where the s**t has hit the fan, and everyone has to sit down around the dinner table to talk about it? I'm not sure I ever thought I would actually have one of these as a parent - but the time came last night, and so far, it has worked wonders.

You see - I have a 6 (almost 7) year old. The attitude and talking back has just started to blossom. Here lately, it seems any request or comment is answered with a disrespectful tone of voice or argument. Combine that with whining and constant fighting between siblings - and you have yourself a reason to drink yourself to sleep by the end of the day! Last night, Kevin and I were both ready to send some kids packing! That's when we decided it was time for a "Family Meeting." As a family, we came up with 4 rules to follow:

Listen the first time.
No whining or arguing.
Be kind to your sister.
Clean up after yourself.

We discussed acceptable consequences, made a poster, and posted the rules in the house. At this point, we've had 4 "Time Outs" and one privilege taken away. I have to say, there hasn't been as much drama with the "Time Outs." Normally, I hear a lot of crying or arguing when "Time Outs" are given. Today, they were given and accepted. When I questioned K-Bugg about the sudden change in behavior, her answer was simple. "We've never had rules before. Now I know I have to follow them." (Just for the record - we've always had the same rules. They were never written down.)

permalink | posted by NaeNae at 8:28 PM

8 Comments:

Angelle had this to say:: And being a teacher enters into the family home again. An excellent solution and I am glad it seems to be working. Thanks for giving my a glimpse of my future. :); 7:08 AM
Shelly had this to say:: I need to follow suit and try that. Haley has had a horrible attitude lately.; 9:22 AM
Jack and Molly's Mom had this to say:: Hmm...if Jack could read the rules this would be awesome to try in my house - maybe I'll draw pictures instead and see where that gets us? Marc and I are searching for ANY ideas for dicipline with a 2.5 year old who just had his world turned around with a new baby in the house. Thanks for the tip!; 11:06 AM
Casey had this to say:: It is amazing how kids view rules once they are written down. They act as if they have never seen them before.; 11:25 AM
soapbox.SUPERSTAR had this to say:: So I need to write them down, huh? I'm on it!

Love you! Miss you!; 12:08 PM
NaeNae had this to say:: Jack's Mom (Kate) - I'm not sure how well the rules will help with a 2.5 year old. Maybe the pictures are a good start. Ella pays them no attention - but I'm hoping that hearing them over and over will help for when she is ready.; 5:56 PM
Kelly in NC had this to say:: I'll make a mental note of this idea for my use in about 3 years! Too funny! "We never had rules before"...; 7:09 PM
Jacqueline had this to say:: I could see Sam saying that too, "We never had rules before." So maybe I need to make up a poster of rules. I would have a hard time limiting it down to 4. Down run in the house, don't interupt others, be nice to your brother, don't sneak food out of the kitchen, don't talk back, do your homework, don't try to make a deal when your parents ask you to do something, don't act like you can't hear them when they tell you something to do ... oh and that just covers the oldest -- the younger one would probably have a list just as long or longer.... HELP!; 3:54 PM