Getting Started

“I was just wondering, when trying to set up this type of family government for the first time, does it take several family meetings before you can actually implement it? You talk about how each meeting shouldn’t be longer than 20 minutes, but if I’m understanding properly, to begin we need to talk about a family vision, come up with a mission statement, teach everyone the four basic skills (and practice them), and create a family standard…all the things seem to build on each other, so it sounds like it would take longer than twenty minutes to go through all of it properly before you could really start implementing the whole thing. Or do you think all of it could/should be done in one meeting?”

Keeping the meetings to 20 minutes keeps everyone liking the meetings.

I would decide upon a family vision as a couple. Then, tell the vision to the family as a story sometime. Then at each family meeting refer to the vision in some way.

At the first family meeting I would start putting together a family mission statement, and then address what the family wants to do for a family activity. This is a good way to let the children know that family meetings are supposed to make home a fun/happy place. At the next meeting I would start bringing up topics about how to fix things at home. In the beginning you may want to have multiple family meetings per week. After a while you will get to the point where your meetings will mostly be about the next family activity.

I would not teach the four basics in a family meeting, because these are not up for debate. I would teach them some morning after family devotional (or some other time when Dad is also there.) When I teach them to children for the first time, I make them as fun as possible. You could even teach them like a game. Don’t forget to have them give you instructions and no answers etc. Be sure to also teach them what happens in your house during the rule of three.

Have a full day where your main focus is on praising and correcting the four basics. If your children don’t deal with change well, and don’t really like to govern their own behaviors, then you may want to set up a reward, or positive consequence,for the family for effectively using the new economy for a whole day. (Maybe make cookies or something.) Make sure to point out at the end of the day how well everyone did at choosing to govern their own behaviors.(use specifice examples from the day.)

I hope this helps! 🙂