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tends to be the reaction from many parents when they hear the M word mentioned. Parents tend to associate meetings with the workplace rather than families. Even at work Giants Darius Slayton Jersey , meetings tend to be tolerated rather than keenly anticipated.


My research and my anecdotal evidence suggest that families that have a process to share decisions and to resolve conflict have more cooperative kids and less open sibling disputes. To be truthful, I stopped talking about family meetings in my presentations some years ago as people's eyes tended to glaze over when I mentioned the M word.


But I am now 'talking up? the concept as many parents I have worked with in the past have remarked how useful they were in turning their families around from Me-centred to We-centred groups.


Family meetings are a useful way of unifying a family and developing a shared approach to its organization. They are based on the management principle that children like a say in how their family operates and that they are more likely to stick to rules and decisions that they have had a say in making rather than those imposed from above. In many ways Giants Julian Love Jersey , this is stating the bleeding obvious but we need a process to make this happen. That is where family meetings come in.


Following are ten basic keys for conducting family meetings:


1. They must be regular. Weekly or fortnightly meetings are ideal. If a parent calls a meeting when he or she wants then meetings just become a vehicle for mum or dad to get their point across rather than a means for children to participate in family-life.


2. Start when at least one child is five years of age. Children need the verbal and cognitive skills to participate. This varies but maybe around five years of age seems to be a good age to start.


3. Have an agenda. All good meetings need a chairperson and an agenda. Meetings are usually for one or more of four purposes:


a) Plan for family fun
b) Allocation of chores
c) Resolving conflicts between people
d) Discussion of family issues, procedures and routines. Parents need to be the initial chairperson but share the job around as children become more skilled.


4. Avoid overloading the agenda. You don't have to slavishly work through all these areas. Two or three items may be enough and avoid the meeting from becoming a whinge session.


5. Have a talk sock. Have an object such as a sock or doll that the children must hold if they are going to speak Giants Oshane Ximines Jersey , which teaches them how to take turns. The speaker, whether adult or child Giants Deandre Baker Jersey , must be holding the special talk sock.


6. Start each meeting with encouragement. Parents can model this initially by saying things like, ?Thanks Marta for cleaning your toys away after playing with them this week. It was great have the family room so clean.? This helps set a positive tone and teaches kids how to encourage.