Tag Archives: house rules

Implementing New Rules

As parents, we are perpetually evolving and trying to come up with new and better ways to do things. Our children change, our family dynamic change, and life in our household changes so we have to change along with it. Implementing new rules is inevitable, but not always easy. Our children may balk, we may have a hard time staying consistent, and it may take some time to get the new rules to “stick.” There are things you can do, however, to make the implementation of new rules go smoother: There needs to be some logic and obvious needs to … Continue reading →

Creating House Rules for Your Boomerang Child

It’s far too easy when a child boomerangs to let them move back in and resume old roles. You’ll start to look after them, your spouse will ask them to kick around the ball or give them some handy cash if they need it. In the worst case of scenarios, your boomerang will start sleeping late, forgetting to pick up after his or herself and make demands on the menu and much more. Create House Rules We discussed some house rules you need to set up with your child in Are Your Boomerang Children at Home? but there are other … Continue reading →

Should You Discipline Other People’s Children?

Should a parent discipline other people’s children? According to a Parenting/AOL Mom Debate poll, 67% of more than 150,000 respondents said it’s okay to do so. When I was a kid it was a given that any older adult in our neighborhood would chastise us kids for doing wrong. Not so much today. I think people are generally afraid of possible repercussions. There have been many times when I have wanted to say something to a kid who was doing something they should not have been doing but kept my mouth shut. Kids today are so quick to tell you … Continue reading →

Your Home—Shoes On… Or Shoes Off?

I grew up in Hawaii where it is customary to remove your shoes before entering a home. Many people in Hawaii don’t even wear shoes outside, so it really doesn’t stand to reason that they would inside, but that’s not the reason the tradition stands. Rather, the custom stems from the Japanese tradition of removing ones shoes before entering a person’s home. (Hawaii has a large Asian population.) In Japan, the genkan – or the entranceway just inside the front door where shoes are removed – is slightly lower than the hallway and the rooms of the house. To prevent … Continue reading →

House Rules

What kinds of rules do you have in your home? Every home has rules of personal behavior and things of that nature, but what about specific rules regarding how your home, furnishings, and particular spaces can be used? My husband and I always want our children to feel relaxed at home, but we finally had to set down some basic ground rules. One example is that the children are not allowed to eat in the living room. We were pretty flexible on this issue before, but kids tend to get a little careless, so we had to end it. We’re … Continue reading →