As much as I would love to put the word "rebel" after my name, if I'm going to be honest I have to admit that I am much more comfortable in a world where everyone follows the rules. I just don't think that I have a future as a part of Hell's Angels.
As a mom, it is a challenge for me not to fill our lives so full of rules that my kids might actually have more freedom in a prison than they do at home.
To try to reign in my control freak behavior, we have developed a "number one rule" system. This means that for the various areas of our lives, we just have one "number one rule."
This means that at any given moment I can ask my kids, "What's the number one rule for [fill-in-the-blank]?" and they will know the answer.
Here are just a few examples:
The number one rule for the car: Buckle up!
The number one rule for going to the bathroom: Flush and wash your hands!
The number one rule for the playground: Stay where I can see you!
The number one rule for suppertime: Don't complain about the food!
How about you? What are some of the "number one rules" for your family?
Melanie is a Shine Parenting Guru. You can find more of her attempts to think about breaking rules at her blog, tales from the crib.
