Family Meetings: 3 Behaviors That Don't Work
By Jean Tracy

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?

Jean Tracy, MSS, Edmonds, WA, USA
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