family mission statement

Simple Mom has inspired me to start work on a family mission statement, which I have thought we should do since reading 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families, by Stephen R. Covey. There are many good reasons for having a family mission statement, but for us right now, the primary reason we need one is to clarify why we are disciplining our older son (and if we know why, that should help us find the best how for the situation).

We are only just getting started with the discussion, using the questions from Simple Mom, the 7 Habits book and also Our Busy Family Life. The most relevant questions for us seem to have been -

What kind of family do we want to be?

What kind of feeling do we want to have in our home?

What kind of relationships do we want to have with one another?

How do we want to treat and speak to one another?

What kind of strengths and abilities do we think our children need to have?

What are the top four priorities we want our family to value?

Here are some my thoughts (my husband still needs more time for his input – he hasn’t been thinking about it in the background like me).

We want our home to be

• joyful, comfortable and welcoming.
• a place where family members feel supported and encouraged to develop their talents and follow their passions.

Our family priorities

• to play and have fun
• take responsibility
• lifelong learning
• solve problems
• respect for ourselves, for others and for our environment
• resilient to setbacks

See what other people are saying about their family mission statements at Simple Mom.