Establishing Family Rules: How and Why to Involve Your Kids in the Process

I don’t want “Because you said so” to be a regular chorus in our household. It’s OK when the kids are two or three, don’t understand why it’s wrong to play with the electrical socket or touch the hot stove, but need to avoid it “because we say so”. In the said situation, we are fulfilling our role as parents – protecting and teaching our kids, and they are doing what they are capable of doing at that age: learning to respect our “no”.

But I don’t buy it for kids older than that. Even why my three year old makes reference to doing something “because we said so”, I try to focus him on the cause and consequence of his action.

Don’t get me wrong – I am NOT advocating for less respect or letting your kids do whatever as long as they give a reason for it. The bottom line is, we ARE their parents, and they DO have to respect what we tell them to as long as we are responsible for them.

Head over to Eyes On Heaven to read more about how to help your child make a connection between what you believe as a family and how you behave by involving them in your family rule making process.