Our General House Rules

The Super Nanny would be sooooo proud!  My husband and I sat down one night and hammered out a list of General House Rules we felt best suited our faith, personal convictions, as well as our family. 

One of the criteria for our list was that we wanted them to be Biblically accurate, realistic and something were willing to hold ourselves accountable to as well (Titus 2:7-8).  If we don’t model this for our children, then how can we possibly expect them to follow suit? 

I will admit, I’ve broken more than a few of the rules myself… like ‘Interupting’ (I’m the Queen of Interrupting and it’s a nasty habit I hope doesn’t get passed on).  I’ve also been known to eat breakfast standing up while checking my email AND talking on my cell phone at the same time!  And since I’m being honest here… I do grumble and complain far more than I’d care to admit.

So without further ado…here they are!  Feel free to copy and use them for your family – most of ours are just copied right out of the Bible anyway. 

GENERAL HOUSE RULES

JOY! = Jesus First, Others Second, Yourself Last

Order of Authority = Jesus & the Bible > Daddy > Mommy > Respected Elders > The Law (Ephesians 6:1-4 & Colossians 3:18-21)

• Love & Forgive Each Other (Colossians 3:13)
• Treat Everyone with Gentleness & Kindness (Galatians 5:22-23)
• No Interrupting – Use Interrupt Rule (Child and/or adult place hand gently on person’s arm they’d like to say something to – waiting for the person to signal their turn to speak.  This is a ‘Baby Wise/Growing Kids God’s Way’  idea that we love!)
• No Back Talking, Sassing or Disrespectful Tones – Respond Respectfully
• No Bad / Naughty Words (Ephesians 4:29 & Ephesians 5:4)
• No Lying, Cheating, Stealing (See all 10 Commandments – Exodus 20)
• No Hitting, Pinching, Biting or Hurtful Physical Contact (Matthew 5:38-45 & Luke 6:27-31)
• Even if You’re Just Playing, If Someone Asks You To Stop – Stop!
• No Whining, Grumbling or Complaining (Philippians 2:14-15)
• No Yelling, Screaming or Angry Loud Talking (Colossians 3:8 & Proverbs 14:29)
• No Ball Throwing or Rough Play Inside House
• All Food is to be Eaten at the Kitchen Table or Sitting Down
• No Toys, Computers, Phones, Games, Etc… While Eating as a Family (Deuteronomy 11:19)
• Always Clean-Up After Yourself and Return Things Where They Belong, In as Good or Better Condition than You Found It (Matthew 7:12)

I’m sure we’ve forgotten a couple of important rules… What kind of house rules to you use?  Where do you post them (ours is on the fridge)?  I’d love to hear your wisdom on this.

~ Erika

Category: Children, Discipline, Family, House Rules