Every
Sunday afternoon we have a family meeting to discuss behaviour, roles and
responsibilities in the family and things like pocket money allowances for the
children and for George. There is very little embarrassment for George when his
allowance is discussed at the same time as the children’s. This is because the
children were much younger when these meetings started, so the discussion of how
much pocket money their father is to be allowed for the following week is now
seen as completely normal.
We
all sit down in the living room while I speak. For the last couple of weeks I
have required George to sit on the floor by my feet (see my previous post). My
husband has the freedom to speak at these meetings, but only to back up my
words with his own reassurances. The children listen and ask questions if they
wish further clarification, but generally they accept that what is being asked
of them is reasonable. We also review the previous week since our last meeting.
I
try to give the girls more responsibility or supervisory roles, and I give my
son tasks to improve his behaviour or demeanour. The purpose of these gender-specific
assignments is to develop self-confidence in my daughters and for my son to
develop a respect for women and female authority. In today’s changing
workplace, it is more and more likely that Ben will at some point be working
for a female manager. The more prepared he is now, the more comfortable he will
be when that situation arises. Many girls grow up not believing in their own
abilities and, in consequence, fail to reach their full potential in life. Conversely,
boys are naturally more confident, but too often this manifests itself through
aggression and conflict.
I
have found that the more responsibilities I give to 12-year-old Louise, the
more responsibilities she asks for! This is not always the case with Rachel, age
9, whose character is naturally more reserved. It is my hope that Rachel will
learn from Louise and come to see the benefits of responsibility as, in return
for this, Louise is given more freedoms.
Occasionally
silly things will disrupt the Sunday afternoon meeting. A couple of months ago,
for instance, Louise and Rachel had a quarrel over a borrowed blouse and hairbrush.
These are not issues to be brought up at these meetings! After this squabble, I
spoke to both of them quietly and in private and told them that by arguing with
one another, they were not setting a good example for their father and brother.
I explained to them that if they wanted to take on more responsibilities,
especially supervisory roles, they must learn not to argue between themselves.
Since that discussion, things are definitely improving between the two girls.
Teaching children can sometimes be a very slow process—but what a rewarding one
when important lessons are learned!
One
of the topics at a recent family meeting was Ben’s tardiness in the mornings.
It was causing problems for the rest of the family, delaying his siblings who
had to wait for him before setting off to school. Nine-year-old Ben is not as
organised as his sisters and could never seem to find the right shoes, socks,
shirt or tie, etc., for his school uniform in the morning. This frustrated him,
and the rest of family had to put up with his frequent tantrums.
Therefore
I decided to put the girls in charge of making sure that Ben would always have
the correct clothes for his uniform. I suggested this to the family group, and
Rachel’s first comment was “but that’s just more work for us!” I explained that
she would not be sorting out Ben’s clothes herself, but supervising him. I went
on to say that, in return, Ben could do something to help his sisters. We
discussed this for no more than a minute before Louise came up with the answer.
She said, “If we supervise Ben to get his clothes ready, could he collect our
dirty clothes and take them to the laundry room for us?” This was agreed to by
all of us, including Ben, who received a reassuring smile and nod from his
father.
After
the meeting, the girls and Ben went up to his bedroom. Louise and Rachel spent more
than two hours showing Ben how to sort his clothes into different drawers, how
to use hangers properly in the wardrobe and where to put his shoes, and so on.
The
girls then came up with their own action plan, which is still in use now
several weeks after the initial meeting. Louise and Rachel take turns going
into Ben’s room the night before a school day and supervising him, while he
gathers each item of clothing that he will need the next day. He is instructed
to lay them out on his bed to ensure nothing is missed. Once all of the clothes
are there, he is told to lay them carefully over the back of his chair before
he goes to bed.
In
return for the girls’ supervision, Ben now collects their soiled clothes on
Wednesdays and Saturdays (these are the designated days on which my husband does
the household laundry). Ben will knock on his sisters’ bedroom doors and ask to
collect their clothes and take them to the laundry room along with his own.
The
outcome of all this is that Ben’s tardiness has now stopped completely. We used
to be delayed by him nearly every day before this system was introduced. Now
everyone sets off on time in the mornings, and, believe me, this creates a much
more harmonious household.
In
this way all of my children learn the benefits of female authority. My son
learns that taking instructions from girls and doing tasks for them are completely
normal things for a boy to do, while my daughters learn that the supervision of
boys has benefits (laundry collection in this case) as well as being fun,
especially for bossy Louise! Typically, although they were going to take it in
turns, it is Louise who is doing far more of Ben’s uniform inspections than
Rachel. It is quite obvious to everyone that she enjoys this supervisory role
over her brother.
One
thing that I would like to mention here is a rule that I implemented quite some
time ago. It relates to my experience with my brothers when I was a teenager
(see my earlier post). I have relaxed the rule a little for my own family, as I
used to give my brothers no warning at all before entering their rooms.
The
rule is that my daughters are allowed to enter Ben’s bedroom after a quick
knock on the door and announcing themselves as they enter. However, if my son wishes
to visit either of his sister’s room, he must always knock and then wait for
permission to enter. He is never to enter without permission or supervision.
Implementing
this rule had always been in the back of my mind because of my teenage
experiences. However, events overtook me a couple of years ago, making me put
the rule into place much earlier than I had expected.
At
the age of 7, Ben was going through a silly stage. He wanted to play hide and
seek with the rest of the family, and always, it seemed, at the most
inappropriate times. Even though he was told that no one else was playing, or
wanted to, he would hide all over the house, including the girls’ and our
bedrooms. He hid in wardrobes, under beds, inside closets, that sort of thing.
If he was hiding in his own room, he would not answer a knock on the door.
Likewise, if he was called for lunch or dinner or to go out, he would not
answer. The whole family had to waste time searching for him. Then, when we were
all on the verge of screaming, he would jump out and scare a family member, to
his own vast amusement, and end up having a fit of giggles on the floor.
Thankfully,
after a few exasperating months, Ben grew out of this phase, but the rule instituted
then still stands today. Girls are far more sensible and deserve the extra
trust we give them.
In
the next post I will continue to write about different aspects of my family
life, including Louise’s limited supervision of her father in certain tasks.
End
of Part 2
Ms. Amanda