Family House Rules from different families

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What's a "house rule" in your family (growing up or current) that you really like and why? Some of the best responses:

• You can be mad. You can’t be mean. I repeat this a lot with our two toddlers.

 

• My family growing up had/has a rule that if we are picking a restaurant, movie, etc., in order to give a valid veto to someone else's suggestion, you MUST provide a serious alternative suggestion. Cuts out so many potential conflicts or frustrating situations.

 

• We respect each other’s 30-minute decompression time when we get home from work or school. If we don’t have anything immediate, you can have up to an hour, but everyone gets at least 30 minutes to decompress before moving into “home” mode.

 

• My dad, grandpa, and I had a "walk every night" rule. We talked, the dog had a good time, we stayed active, we got to know our neighbors. It was great. My husband and I continued it, and now that my dad lives nearby, he's joining us too with his new puppy.

 

• No phones at the dinner table. We talk to each other.

 

• You're required to leave a space in the same condition that you found it. Boils down to clean up after yourself. 

 

• My husband and I have a rule that if you critique someone doing a chore without the intention of actually helping, then you have to drop everything and take over that chore now. It helps to stop micromanaging and reminds us to be grateful that chores are even getting done lol.

 

• My parents didn’t believe in toys or electronics in the bedroom. Bedrooms were for sleeping only. It’s a rule I still adhere to and I’m asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow most nights.

 

• If you cook dinner, someone else does the dishes and puts away the leftovers. 

 

• Snarky comment rule: If you said something under your breath, you had to be willing to repeat it at a normal volume if asked.

 

• “Whatever is said at the table, stays at the table.” Sounds kinda crazy but it made us feel more comfortable to open up and speak freely about our day and how we are feeling, knowing that we have each other’s confidence.

 

• We have a crying chair for the grandkids to sit in when they are trying to regulate their emotions. All crying happens in that chair. No one else sits there while someone is crying or trying to not cry unless they are invited.

 

• What’s been cooked is what’s for dinner. What happened? We didn’t become “picky eaters” because that was not an option, and my mother saved her money and sanity by not trying to cater to everybody. 

 

• Tiny house with poor ventilation and one bathroom here: we are strong believers in the “courtesy flush.”

(AskWomen)

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