When she was nine, my daughter brought this weighty issue to our
biweekly family meeting. She explained we usually bought an eight-
pack of soda pop, and there were four people in the family. The
problem was that she wasn’t getting her two bottles. There was never
any left! We all listened to our daughter’s description of the problem,
then Brother, Mom, and Dad all threw in their opinions.
After some jockeying around, we found a solution. When the
eight-pack of pop entered the house, all eight bottles would be
initialed with a marker: two for Mom, two for Dad, two for Sister, and
two for Brother. If you drank your two bottles, you were done until
the next eight-pack arrived. If you still wanted more pop, you first
had to check the eight-pack to see if there were any full bottles left. If
there was a full one, you could purchase it for a certain amount from
the person who “owned” it. If the person declined to sell, no testing
and manipulation was allowed. This agreement was posted on the
refrigerator, and it worked like a charm.
Quik TipMany parents agree that the family meeting is one of the most aggravating and
one of the most effective things you can do with your children. Don’t ever expect
anyone to want to come!How to Do a One-on-One Meeting