Family Meetings

A family meeting consists of all members of the family being present at the same time to discuss family issues. Topics can be serious or can be light such as discussing chore completion, planning a family outing, etc.

Whatever the topic, family meetings can be effective in that they:

  1. Allow for open communication among family members.
  2. Provide opportunity for all members to learn to work as a group.
  3. Allow children to take part in the responsibilities of their daily lives.

Guidelines should be followed at each meeting:

  • All members should be present (excluding young toddlers and infants).
  • Meetings should be short - about 15-30 minutes.
  • Meetings should be held in a room of the house with the least distractions (mealtime or in a room with the television on are not good settings for a family meeting).
  • Meetings should be at the same time each week to provide consistency.
  • An agenda should be prepared at the end of each meeting so that the next meeting runs smoothly.
  • Ground rules should be set to avoid confusion or ( i.e., not moving on to another topic until all members agree, not talking out of turn, etc.).
  • One person at the end of each meeting should be elected chairperson for the upcoming meeting.
  • When making decisions a consensus from all family members should be reached before moving on to the next topic.