The 7 Habits

I've been listening to The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families at work. I really have enjoyed it. I've learned a lot. There are a couple of ideas I got from the book that I really thought were good.

1. Write a Family Mission Statement. This way the whole family is working towards a single goal. The book has some great ideas on how to do this. There are also a couple websites that can help you get started. I don't think the sites are as insightful, but a good starting point.

www.ehow.com
www.christian-parent.com

2. Have weekly family meetings. In my family we have Family Home Evening (FHE) on Monday nights. But you can even have a meeting over a family dinner. Make it a special occasion. Make it consistent. Make it a time to share your feelings with each other and also you plans for the week known.

3. Have a Compliment Night. You can do this during you weekly family meeting if you would like. You pick one person for each Complement Night. Then everyone else in the family shares a positive thing about that person. The home should be a place to build each other up, not to tear them down.

It you get a chance to read the book (or listen to it like I have) I would hope you do. The great thing about reading books like this is you can take from it what you want and leave the rest behind.