Every household needs house rules. It will be insane if there are no house rules. House rules, also known as the code of conduct for some families, is a set of rule that is to be adhered by the family living under the same roof.
A company has company rules
A school has school rules
A house will definitely have house rules.
Why do we need house rules?
Establishing and enforcing house rules is the responsibility of the parents and the purpose for that is to
– protect our family
– making sure the family live in harmony
– making sure the home runs smoothly
– to instil responsibility and accountability
When do we have house rules?
The moment you have a home, you have house rules. House rules do not need to be the same all the time. As children grow, our house rules change. When they were young, they need to learn to keep the toys after play. When they started having a phone, they need to put the phone away during mealtime with the family.
How do we set house rules?
Every household has its own set of house rules. It is a no-brainer because, naturally, you will set the rules to protect your children and keep them safe.
Look right and left when you cross the road.
Don’t talk to strangers.
House rules depend on your family’s lifestyle and needs, where you stay, and how old are your children. Many other factors affect your decision as well. As children grow older, get them involved during the rulemaking process so that they understand where you are coming from and why they need to stick to it and what are the consequences if they do not follow. Getting them involved will indirectly make them follow and behave as expected.
What to do when rules are broken?
Face it! Rules will be broken at times and punishment will be given. During the rulemaking process, make known what the consequences will be so that everyone is aware. Once the rule is broken, one has to accept the consequences.
If your child couldn’t accept the rule at some point or the punishment and shouted, “I hate you!”. You don’t have to feel upset or retaliate by shouting back. DON’T PUNISH WHEN YOU ARE ANGRY!
Allow your child to let it out if he/she needs to. Once both of you have cooled down, explain to them the reason and get your child to apologize to you for screaming at you because that’s disrespect. Bad behaviour cannot be tolerated at home and it has to be dealt with in order to establish good behaviour in a child and it all starts at home.
Always be consistent when comes to family house rules and punishments so that the children won’t get confused and will follow them strictly.
A practical and realistic source for healthy boundaries and discipline. Consistency is the key!!
So agree with you. Consistency definitely the way to go!
I absolutely agree! We have a decent amount of rules although we are working on adding in some new ones that include more responsibilities now that the kids are older! I think it makes sense for cohesion of the unit anyway!
Can’t agree more! House rules change whenever there’s a change in the family. Regardless, house rules stay! 🙂
Yes absolutely agree! We have a family of 8 and if we didn’t have house rules and organization we would have not have been a functional family.
Yes! I supposed the bigger the family, the more rules there will be, am I right?
House rules definitely needed to function properly at home.
I think having rules is good for little ones!!
True and is good for older kids too! 😉
I totally agree! My kids are only 1 & 2 but my husband and I are already implementing rules so that they get used to them from a young age. Very important!
*hi-5* Rules are best to start when they are young so that they know and understand how the home runs, how they should behave and keep you sane 😉
We don’t have house rules yet . But it’s interesting to know how they can be benificial.
It definitely keep the house in place 😉