How To Establish Rules For Your Child

How do I establish rules for my child?

If the parents are imposing rules on children, they're likely to get some rebellious response. Think about this. Do you like it when someone controls you? I never had anybody in my classes say they liked it. We like to be in a sense of choice about our life. And children are no different than we are. They want to be in a sense of choice too. So for one thing, your children as infants and toddlers and so on are learning the rules, basic rules as they grow. That's one thing. But once they're in elementary school, where the number one developmental task in elementary school is what is fair. Now, what is fair is determined by rules. Therefore, at that point, you want to engage your children in deciding what the rules are to be. And you do that with participation. You say, "Well, I want to know what you think our household rules are to be."