We are going thru divorce–we've had several years if separation. A few years ago, I tried implementing teaching self-government in our family but my husband used it abusively. I put it on hold until recently and we're starting to try it again now he's been out if the house for a while.
He did a few things that strongly affected our family culture. 1) We'd agree to family rules and then not honor them himself. 2) One of his addictions was electronics. He allowed the children to gather around him when he was home and watch what he was doing–even when his use was violating our family rules. 3) He had the attitude that whenever he was home, it was his "time off" or vacation–therefore he didn't need to help. This made it hard to get the children to do Their responsibilities. 4) He would also actively undermine and criticize my attempts to teach work ethic and responsibility. He now lives with his parents.
I have been working hard with my children to change the influences his behavior has had on our family and recently started working to implement TSG again.
Soon after graduating high-school, my oldest daughter moved in with him and his grandparents. She's lived there now for at least 3 years. Overall, she's a sweet and thoughtful girl. She comes to visit Sunday afternoons, and although she knows the family rules, she is behaving just like her dad did–bringing electronics (we don't do electronics on Sunday at all–but all the other children gather to watch what she's doing), not helping when it's time to for everyone to help get the meal on or cleanup afterward–as decided together as a family (she was there for that family meeting), and she openly criticizes when I am doing corrections with the other children. It's frustrating to me because the main reason I'm having to correct is because the other children are sucked in by her electronics use and, though they hear me, they aren't pulling themselves away to complete their instructions.
Overall, I feel like our family is making a lot of progress, but when she comes over, it feels like everything reverts back to when their dad lived here.
I feel my daughter now views herself as a guest in the home, therefore the family rules no longer apply to her.
I want her to come and feel welcome in my home, however I am concerned I might address this in a way with her that might make it so she doesn't want to be here anymore.
I would appreciate your thoughts and suggestions.