Friday, August 10, 2012

House Rules


I have been joining in on a parenting group here in the valley.  It is called Parenting in the Park and it has been a wonderful way to get out of the house this summer and connect with other parents.  Last week we had a discussion on Loving Discipline.  

One of things we discussed was house rules.  Rules that are set and therefore not a battle to enforce.  That said depending on the age of the child there will be some daily struggle to teach and remind them of the rules.  The following is a quick format of what has been working for us right now.  Please let me know if you have any questions in the comments.


1.       Feeling are ok
a.       Hurting people because of feeling is not
b.      You may stomp your feet or go outside to yell or punch your pillow.
2.       Use your words to have a better day
a.       Use calm pleasant voice when asking for things (no whining or yelling)
b.      Phrases to encourage
                                                               i.      I need some help
                                                             ii.      Please stop
                                                            iii.      No thank you
3.       If words aren’t working take a deep breath and try again or walk away
4.       Respect others turn/wait your turn
This is just a general idea for what we do around our house. 
One of the things that help us the most is to talk things through before the situations happen ie: We are going to walk to the park to day.  I need you to listen to me and stay close because we will be crossing streets with cars and bikes and we want to stay safe.   We are going to have some friends over and they are going to want to share your toys.  Remember when you were at Ella’s house and she shared her toys with you.