Why are they critical to the well-being of your child?

Kids need boundaries and rules to give them a sense of security.  Although they would never tell you that they like them, a child who has rules feels more secure.  Having rules and enforcing them also helps you to be consistent in your parenting.  A household without rules can be chaotic, which can lead to misbehavior.
 
Parents need to be parents and take control!  Your children are your most important life long investment – take control and protect that investment now.  If you do not establish control when your children are young, can you imagine how hard it will be to retain control when they are teenagers?  There are so many challenges and pressures that will face your child in their teenage years.  You will want to be in control at that point in their life!   If you don’t take the time or make the effort to take control while they are young, you may be in for some very difficult years ahead.
 
Children first learn about respect in the home.  If you are in control, your children will respect you.  If they respect you, that will carry over into their everyday life and they will respect teachers, other authority figures, and eventually, they will respect their employers. Children who respect their parents are also more likely to adopt the family’s value system later in life.  Gain their respect by having rules and enforcing those rules.  

 

Love and Rules

To have a peaceful home, you need love and rules.  One important way to help your children feel loved is to spend time with them!  Have fun together!  Laugh together!  Show them you love them by showing them that they are worth your time!  This simple act will help your kids be less likely to act out.  See all of our great Family Fun Ideas for ways to spend time with your children.  It is also critical to create and enforce household rules.  And make sure to worship and pray together giving your child the gift of a lifetime.

Creating Household Rules

First, as parents, you should think about what household rules you would like to put in place. For younger children, there may be only a few rules, but as your children get older, you should add rules according to what they can handle.  
 
Second, discuss as a family why it is important to have rules.  Ask your children, “Why do you think we have rules?”  Explain to your children that the rules are in place because you love them and want to protect them.  Let them know that there are some rules they may not like, but as the parent, it is your job to do what you think is best for them.  Explain to them that you will provide them with love and protection in your home, but that they need to follow the rules.
 
Third, hold a family meeting to brainstorm what the rules should be.  Be sure to write down everybody’s ideas.  You can guide the brainstorming session with your children so that they come up with some of the same rules you did, but it is important that you let your kids feel like they are participating and helping to set some of the rules.   If a child feels that they have had input in the rule-making process, then they will have a sense of ownership in the rules and they will be more apt to follow them.  It is also a good way to show your children that you value their opinion.
 
Fourth, decide on the rules based on the brainstorming session and what you feel will be the best for your family.  You should jot down the rules and review them with every member of the family.  It should be explained that the rules are effective when your children are at home and when they are away from your home. 
 
Household rules are unique to each family.   Below are some sample rules for you to use as a guideline when creating your own family rules.  
 

• Treat one another as you’d like to be treated

• Respect your parents

• Make good choices at school and in public

• Be forgiving

• Do your chores with a positive attitude

• Do as you are told

• Respect property (picking up, turning lights off, taking care of things in the house)

• Talk in a pleasant voice

• Be polite

• Each child should have a designated bedtime

• Set Curfews for older children

• TV, Video Games, Technology, Phone – You might want to have rules regarding when and how often.  You may want your child to ask permission.  Depending on your child’s age, you may want to provide your child direction on whether they can play a video game or watch TV. There may be other activities you want them to do and you may want to reserve these activities for rewards. You may also want to monitor the time that they spend doing these activities.

Need help carrying out the rules?   Begin reinforcing rules and good character now!