Daily Tips for Families

Today's Tip for Families

06-02-2021

Review Your Rules to See How They Fit

Think of the things your child has outgrown this year—a pair of shoes, a jacket, jeans. When kids outgrow clothing, you need to replace it with items that fit.

How about the limits you set for your child? Those can be outgrown, too. But many parents never realize the importance of checking regularly to see whether the limits they’ve established still "fit."

The same bedtime that works for a first grader won’t work for a sixth grader who needs less sleep (and has more homework). Rules about cell phones, screen time and seeing friends also have to be changed as your child grows and matures.

There’s no book to tell you what limits are appropriate for your child. In fact, within the same family, you might have to do things a little differently for each child.

Keep in mind that if you relax a rule and your child doesn’t respond positively, you can always return to the way things were. You might have to say, "We tried letting you choose your own time for schoolwork, but that’s the second time this week that you didn’t finish an assignment. I guess we’ll have to go back to our old rules for a while. Maybe we can try again in a few months."

Some families review the limits they set for their children on each child’s birthday. Others choose the start or finish of a school year as the best time to make adjustments. If you haven’t made any changes in your family’s rules for a while, now might be a good opportunity to review them and see how they fit.

Brought to you by:

Nye County Schools
Pahrump, NV

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