Happy New Year! Are you busy making resolutions? I always like to choose just one or two things to work on—more than that and I get overwhelmed. But today I wanted to share a simple habit we established with our kids that has been blessing our family for years.
When my two oldest were pretty young, I saw just a blip of a 60 Minutes segment showing a mom driving her kids to school. On the way, they were reciting a family motto. At the time, my oldest was having considerable behavioral issues, and I was starving for any positive ways to encourage harmony at home.
So the boys helped me draft what we call our family-team motto. We shamelessly stole the first few lines from the mom in the 60 Minutes special, but the rest we came up with based on our family values:
I’m a Pyper
I am smart
I always finish
What I start.
I tell the truth
Show love to others
And look out for
My sister and brothers.
I exercise
My imagination
And show respect
For our great nation.
I use my manners
And pleasant voices
And always strive
To make good choices.
Every day when we drive to school, we recite the motto. It’s been a good daily reminder of what kind of behavior is expected of Pypers, and when someone messes up, correction is sometimes easier because I can reference the motto by saying something like, “Oh, remember we use pleasant voices.”
What small things have you tried in your own homes to establish a family culture? I’m always eager to hear what’s working for other parents. •
Boulevard West 
I love your family motto idea Rebecca. Could Robert share this in our stake conference and give you credit for it of course. 😊
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Sure—I’m very flattered! Thanks for asking, Renee.
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Okay totally stealing this exact motto.
For us the family rule is “We are Kellys and Kellys follow the rule.” Thus if we ever need to implement a new rule it’s and open statement.
So one big rule in our house is “we are Kellys and Kellys share.” It’s helped us.
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I like how your family fule is so open ended; then as your kids get older, you can just tack on whatever needs to be addressed at that stage. So smart!
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