House Rules

Jen, over at IHeart Organizing, is hosting a giveaway for a customizable Family Rules poster and it got me thinking about the house rules that Josh and I came up with after Jack entered our lives.  These are some of our "Family Rules"... maybe putting them out there for people to read will help us stick to them!

• We eat dinner together, at the dinner table, every night. This one is a work in progress, because keeping my kitchen table decluttered is a work in progress as we reorganize the family and dining room.
• We do NOT say "I can't" in our house.  If I am having a hard time opening the pickle jar, I am not allowed to say to Josh, "I can't get this open."  I have to say "I am having trouble getting this open."  Josh came up with this one and I really like it.
• No television while Jack is awake.  I read once that parents pay 20% less attention to their kids when the television is on in the home.  Also, the AAP recommends limiting television viewing for children under two years old.  They point out that any positive effects from television shows targeting children is still open to question, but the benefits of parent-child interaction are proven.  Studies have also suggested that early television viewing may be associated with decreased attention spans in children.  You can read that study here if you are interested.  I do realize that there is probably a lot of research out there to support the benefits of early television viewing, but, as a general rule, we choose not to have the television on when Jack is awake. (I have a small confession... I turn on the TV when I am clipping Jack's nails... he never sits still, so I put on Sports Center and he turns into a little statue.)

We are working on coming up with more rules and I will update this as we come up with more!  Do you have any house rules?