Golden Rules for the Family — printable

The Family Golden Rules

click the link for a printable PDF version of the golden rules for your use –steph

The Family’s Golden Rules

Summer is coming, and I plan on having the kids home with me. I don’t like having the kids at camps and try not to have a lot of structured activities planned during the summer months. It’s a little old-school, I know, but I just really like having them home with me and I like the uninterrupted free time and play that occurs when we don’t have something we HAVE to do.

And I’m kind of lazy.

And I’m terribly cheap.

That said, I do have things that I need to accomplish this summer, and in order for me to get my work done, the kids need to find a way to fend for themselves and not run completely feral.

We have chore charts, and we do follow The Daily 7 as much as we can to keep the house in somewhat decent order. I try to let them work out their own squabbles (my kids are currently 12, 9, and 4) and choose to not intervene unless truly necessary.

(see above. I’m kind of lazy…)

AND? I am not going to always be here. I need these kids to grow up to be responsible members of society, and in order for that to happen, I can’t swoop in and fix every last thing. They’ve got to figure it out on their own.

I’ve gotten a few emails about chores, and responsibility charts, and decided to use those emails as a springboard to make up a list of Golden Rules for the house. These are certainly not the *only* rules in our house, but these are the ones that I expect to be drummed into their heads before embarking out into the Wild Wild World.

Feel free to print these out and hang them up in the play room or family room.

I hope you’re having a wonderful day!!

Learn the Exact Strategies I use to Keep The House and Family Running Smoothly

(without losing my marbles!) by downloading this Free Cheat Sheet for Moms.

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10 Comments

  1. I love that you have rules for your children. I have a little problem with #6 however. These days it doesn’t seem safe for a child to answer the home phone and announce his/her name. You don’t know who is on the other end and it just might be an invitation for some pervert to pretend to know the child since they now know their name. I would have never felt this way 20 years ago but today…things are sadly different and we can never be too careful in protecting our children. Just a thought.

  2. I love that, Pat. great, great thinking. yikes. We do have caller ID and they aren’t supposed to answer the phone unless they know the person on the other end — but you are absolutely correct — other family’s might not have caller ID. [on a side note, this particular rule is mostly for my oldest who sounds so much like me that my mom and friends start talking to her as if she is me. 😉 ]

  3. Um… Little spelling error ‘napkin STAYS in lap’ … Not SAYS in in lap ??

    Otherwise I like it! 🙂

  4. Stephanie, I applaud you. This is exactly how all children should be raised. I am disgusted at the teens and tweens I see walking down the street who have no regard to anyone but themselves.

    The golden rule is how I was raised, how my children were raised, and how I hope to High Heaven my grandchildren will be raised.

  5. Stephanie,
    I applaud your perseverance of family values in a time when your position is anything but popular, and could be subject to ridicule, or worse at the hands of CPS.
    What really irks my ire is how we kowtow to kids today. Everything needs to be “Kid Approved.” In my day, a kid approved meal meant the difference between going to bed full or going to bed hungry. Today, sadly, this could be construed as child abuse. Stick with it.
    Keep up the good work. God bless.

  6. Hi Stephanie
    I think your golden rulles are excellent but would agree over No 6. My boys are grown up & compared to other Mums I was quite strict but they have turned out to be kind caring men with strong work ethics. My grandaughter is 20 & she’s a lovely polite girl & definitely takes after her Daddy!
    I really do sympathise with parents bringing up children in these times with so much commercialism & peer pressure. Its a tough job but Mum’s rule!!

  7. Hey Stephanie – I ran across your website looking for homemade yogurt recipes. I’m 67 and this post brought back a flood of memories. This is the way I was raised.
    On my 50th birthday I thanked my parents for the way they raised me. Your kids will thank you someday.

    Paul

  8. stephanie – youre a star! kids raised with these rules will turn out to be warm, loving members of society who care about their fellow man. xx

  9. I would add to 2 a corollary:

    2A – If it’s not a genuine emergency (house on fire, person bleeding seriously) but is genuinely important (the baby needs changing, the dog REALLY has to go out), then turning to the child and saying to the child, ‘Excuse me,’ ‘Excuse me,’ ‘Excuse me,’ ‘Excuse me,’ until the child realizes that there is a proper way to interrupt an adult conversation.

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