Family rules are an essential part of parenting. Rules should apply to each and every member. The main aim is not just to teach children to follow rules but to understand why these rules are important in order to have harmony in the home. It’s important for parents to adhere to these rules too so children are more encouraged to stick to them. Otherwise, children will not respect parents or the rules.
Here are a few suggestions we have for you to help children respect and follow family rules:
Child participation in rulemaking: When children are involved in discussing and creating rules in the house, they will feel a sense of ownership and responsibility. They are less likely to break the rules as they have been involved in creating them. When parents set the rules and enforce them without any consultation, there can be rebellion.
Natural and Logical Consequences: As part of the discussion on setting household rules, talk about any consequences for breaking the rules with your children. As much as possible, allow the consequences to be logical and natural rather than thinking up unrelated punishments.
Be firm and kind: When rules are broken make sure that your communication is firm, fair loving, and kind. Explain that a rule has been broken and that the agreed consequence will apply. Following through with any consequences means that children will take them more seriously as well as you, the parent.
Same rules for all: Family rules must apply to everyone so make sure you have only a small number of rules, otherwise it can be very tricky to monitor and follow through. These rules must apply to everyone, no matter the age so they need to be meaningful and make sense to everyone. Don’t have lots of rules for the sake of it.
Review Rules: Make sure that you have an ongoing discussion about rules. Are they working and if they are not, why not? If someone is finding it hard to stick to a rule, talk about the reasons for this and be supportive. Maybe they need to be adjusted. As children get older, the rules will need to be reviewed and modified.
At Full Circle Hypnotherapy, we help mums who are at their wits end because their children refuse to listen to them and are constantly having melt downs. Often mums are also filled with feelings of failure, guilt and shame. Our hypnotherapists in Manchester have two decades worth of experience in working with parents and guiding with parenting plan.
If you are willing to know the parenting responsibilities, visit https://www.fullcirclehypnotherapy.co.uk
