Family Meeting

“Family meeting tomorrow at 9:00 am” that’s what dad said as I was walking

to climb into bed.

My parents worked, both of them, and so these family meetings were designed to have discussions on how we could improve as children, particularly in keeping a clean house. It also allowed us to all get on the same page regarding extracurricular activities and who was doing what, when, and where.

I come from a big family, six siblings to be exact. No matter how big or small, your family should come together at least once a month for family meetings.

Saturday at 9:00 am, Dad made breakfast, and we all sat together to discuss where we had room for growth and opportunity as a family. The conversation wasn’t one-sided. We were allowed to share how we felt things were going, where we may have needed additional help with school work, or even be praised for how well we were doing.

It also included a review of the monthly calendar, which showed the alternating days of who was in charge of cleaning the kitchen, who had bathrooms on the weekends, who had to clean up the backyard, and who had to handle the kitty litter; all of this was written out on the calendar. In some ways, we were being groomed in how to manage a household and our personal responsibilities. It has helped me even in my adulthood with managing my time, my home, and my life.

If your family isn’t already having family meetings, maybe it’s about time you put one on the calendar. Talk as a unit about how things can be better, what is going well, and then consistently incorporate it into your household routine. Come back and share with us how it’s going.