Day Twelve: Creating Home (Mission Statements)

I'm a list maker,
a note taker,
and a check mark marker!

I like to write down what I want to do,
make a plan of attack and
mark it off when I accomplish my goal!

A lot of years ago, a very wise and dear man

my hubby!

decided that the best Mothers Day gift he could give me
was a class at the local University, to get back to finishing
my degree.
I had taken a break from school to have my babies and he said,
"You need a Personal Statement. Make a list of everything
you love to do or want to love to do and we will
find a degree that fits the list."
I made the list,
and we found the degree!!
A perfect degree for me :)

So with three babies under the age of four,
we did the same thing- I said to my husband,
"We need a Parenting Statement, let's make
a list of everything that is important to us in raising
our family, and we will set our priorities on that path."
We made our list and focused our goals and choices on
staying true to that statement.

We haven't wavered much from that list in 16 years!

Later, when we had five kids, we decided to make a bit of a
Family Mission Statement, and we said to the kids,
"Make a list of everything that helps you feel loved and safe,
and we will work together to maintain those practices in our home."
Everyone signed our STATEMENT and we posted it proudly
where we could all see our unified goals.

Now, with six kids in our family,

kids moving away for college,
children serving church missions and all sorts of sports and
activities- not to mention this crazy, upcoming relocation,
we have decided it is time for another Family Statement!

I love that these Family Mission Statements help us stay
unified, supportive and selfless.

Having a common goal,
or several common goals,
helps establish priorities with finances, time management
and activities we participate in.

These statements help us to pay attention to what
behaviors we accept and what we want to avoid!
And to be honest,
these statements, make parenting a wee bit easier!!

 Because we come up with and agree upon the lists in
a family council, it is easy to maintain support and
understanding when difficult choices need to be made.

What would be on your...
Personal Mission Statement?
Family Mission Statement?