Our Family Rules

Last night I spoke about Cultivating Loyalty Between Siblings at a homeschool parents’ meeting. I was asked to post something on my blog about our family rules.

When my husband and I started dating, I didn’t handle conflict very well. We put some rules in place that would govern our words and actions. These rules have become our family rules. Everyone is expected to live by these rules. Here are some of them:

*No name calling

*No taking “cheap shots”

*No throwing things or physically intimidating gestures

*No walking out during an argument, no opting out of an argument before it has been brought to resolution

*No pouting

*No yelling

*No belittling remarks about one another’s siblings or parents

*No sarcastic joking

*No disrespectful words, tone of voice or eye-rolling

*Deal with conflict immediately…we don’t wait until just before the “sun goes down”.

We are not perfect and some of our rules were added as we learned from our mistakes. When everyone follows these family rules our relationships are usually warm and peaceful. When someone breaks the rules they have to apologize to everyone who witnessed them breaking our family rules.

We cannot live up to a standard of perfection, and neither can our children. Nevertheless, these rules have been a helpful guide for us. When we fail, as we all inevitably do, we repent and forgive one another, and start again.

Colossians 3: 8-9 “But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self…”

For more information about applying biblical principles in family relationships, please listen to my podcast on “Cultivating Loyalty Between Siblings”.

Two of my posts this week have been in response to questions I have received. While I cannot promise to blog about every request, I am open to questions, particularly questions that arise in light of things I have already written or spoken about.

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