How to conduct a Family Meeting

Moving from my ex is a jerk to co-parenting with freedom and ease.

Business Meeting

New Roles: Behave like board members discussing the most important assets your child’s life. Stick to a weekly time schedule. Take turns making the other parent feel understood. (21 times to break habit)

• One person talks at a time (Decide who goes first)
• Other parent listens intently, Asks questions, affirms feelings, and validates feelings.
• Check in “Do I understand you?” (Do not add anything your turn is next.)

Start your meeting with an appreciation. Thank the other parent for something they did. Clean up anything you did that you can be responsible for and share what structure you will put in place so it will not happen again.  You can even offer a make up. (DON'T say sorry and keep being late.) You could give the person a gift certificate to the movies or something they want regarding a schedule change. BE FLEXIBLE! Acts of kindness go along ways. REMEMBER you are MODELING the new BLUEPRINT

AGENDA

1. Appreciation, Say Something positive, Be curious, listen intently, affirm feelings, be polite, thank them for being flexible, say anything that set the tone for a peaceful conversation:  short less than a minute.

2. Clean up: I am responsible for____ I will  ______ .

3. Schedule Issues (BE FLEXIBLE)

4. Kid Issues and Concerns

5. Agreement

6. To be discussed next times (Don't try to solve your life problems in one meeting…baby steps)

7. Summary Recreate verbally and have one person take notes.

8. Agenda Keep the kids informed by having weekly meetings with the kids. Use same format.

REMEMBER YOU ARE WORKING TOWARDS IMPROVEMENT NOT PERFECTION I CONGRATULATE YOU ON CHOOSING A BETTER WAY TO RAISE YOUR CHILDREN SO THEY CAN THRIVE!

Copyright @2016 Sue Dockerill
www.lifeworksparentingtools.ccom