Parents Menu
| Try family meetings to teach responsibility, communication |
 |
 |
 |
|
Now that your child is in elementary school, he's probably ready to participate in family meetings. Led properly, family meetings can teach your child about responsibility, communication, negotiation and cooperation.
Here are some tips for your family meetings: * Meet once every week or two. Since you're the parent, all final decisions will be yours. But be open to your child's views and let him request meetings when he wants to discuss important issues. * Make an agenda. Each family member may bring one problem to the table. Make a list of topics to be addressed. Leave time for each concern, although the meeting should take less than an hour. * Put someone in charge. The meeting "chairperson" will probably be an adult, but some older children are mature enough for the job. The chairperson must stick to the agenda and give everyone a fair, uninterrupted say. This might not be easy! * Take turns. After one person describes a problem, everyone else can explain how they feel about it. Brainstorm solutions, giving each person time to contribute. Choose an idea--or a combination of ideas--to try, with parents having the final say. * Write down decisions. As each problem is solved, record the family's plan. Keep notes in a journal or post them as a reminder. Remember, however, that many solutions will need more work, and you can always revise them at the next meeting. Reprinted with permission from the March 2010 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2010 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Source: Thomas W. Phelan, Ph.D., 1-2-3 Magic, 3rd Edition, ISBN: 1-889140-16-3 (ParentMagic, Inc., www.parentmagic.com). |