Family Meetings: 3 Behaviors That Don't Work
There are 3 behaviors that can upset any Family Meeting.
As a kid, I had all three. In fact, my grandmother called me a
"Butinski". I've never seen it spelled but it sounds like:
But-in-ski. I was always butting in on the conversations between
my mother and grandmother. I thought I'd have to wait forever if
I didn't speak up. Of course, I didn't care for my cranky
grandma and she didn't care for my interrupting.
How about your family, do these 3 behaviors get in the way
of your communication?
1. Do your kids interrupt you?
Do you interrupt them?
2. Do any of your kids talk too much?
Do you talk too much?
3. Do your kids all talk at the same time?
Do you talk when
your kids have the floor?
If any of the above behaviors interfere with your family
communication, your family needs to change. Discuss speaking
skills at the next Family Meeting. You might consider
these:
3 Speaking Skills to Choose:
1.Interrupters have to wait.
2.Only one person gets to
speaks at a time.
3.Set a time limit on speaking so that no
one "over-talks" and everyone gets a turn.
As the parent, you are the leader. You have the privilege and
the responsibility to model good communication. You have the
privilege to teach your interrupters and "over-talkers" to wait
their turn. You have the privilege and the responsibility to
make sure your quiet children speak up too.
Good communication considers others feelings. This is not
natural to most children yet all children can learn to
communicate well. Just think how pleasant the family meetings
will become. You'll be teaching your children speaking tools
that work and your children will be learning skills for life.
How's that for building character in kids?