Our Home: Finale

Last but not least, to set up an environment conducive to spiritual mindedness, I believe you need

working systems

and a sense of order. 

“The art of progress is to preserve order amid change and to preserve change amid order.”  - - Alfred North Whitehead (English mathematician and philospher)

 

Systems are more than chore charts.  Chore charts in and of themselves do not create order, but might be effective within a working system.  A system is simply a way in which your family creates order but there's a feeling to it.  It's an unspoken statement that says "This is what our family does and how we do it together to keep order in our home."  

 

I am a very structured person.  BUT at the same time I cannot handle time deadlines.  The clock tends to stress me out (so I try to look at it as little as possible).  So, I've created a system in our home that is based on chunks of time.  There are not time restraints or limits on this chart, simply activities that follow one another.  

 

Back to chore charts.  Chore charts for us have actually been somewhat of a source of contention in our home, too.  For instance our "Family Work" chart we dont' really use anymore.  It's a kitchen jobs chart basically.  Well, it's fine because there's no arguing over who's going to do what, but I have also found that it limits the training of my children to think for themselves.  I want my kids to look around a room and see what needs to be done, not be told what to be done.   So, when they look and see, "Oh, I'm on set the table."  That's all they do, set the table.  Whether there is another need or not in the room at the time, that's all they do...and then they sit and watch the rest of the family do "their" jobs.  So, we're finding it's just best do do family work....TOGETHER.  And I've also noticed since doing that, the bickering has subsided...a little bit.  :-)

 

Another system to create would be a system on how you will discipline your children.  You can read what we do here (if you haven't already). 

 

And we also like to have a Family Nigth system.  This is a night when we have a gosple message and family activity.  It's a night we designate only for the family (with few exceptions) and try our hardest to plan nothing else on that night.  We love having a rotation of responsibilities for this night because it teaches children many different ways to teach and lead. 

 

If you'd like to read more about systems and want help in creating them, I suggest reading A Joyful Mother of Chidren by Linda Eyre.