How to use Supernanny's House Rules   by Anna Daubin

How many adults can put their hands on their heart and say they love living by rules?

But as restrictive as it might sound, putting some House Rules in place for your children could make your home environment more relaxing - at last the kids will know exactly what is expected of them, with no more 'that's not fair!' or 'but dad lets us do it!'

House Rules can be pretty general, such as 'no shouting' or 'no swearing', what's important is that everyone in the house agrees to stick to them. Individual discipline problems, such as bad behavior at mealtimes, might be better dealt with in a Reward Chart, which tailors a program of rules more to the child or children.

Giving House Rules a try in your home

- Decide on ten realistic rules which you and your child agree you can stick to.

- Write the rules out and stick them on your fridge for all to see, near the Reward Chart. Use pictures or symbols to indicate 'no hitting' or 'no biting' for younger children.

- Refer to these rules when you're going about your daily routine, and remember to praise your child when they do follow the House Rules.

- Be consistent, if you change the rules your child may feel cheated and break them.

- If a rule is broken, remind your child "remember, 'no swearing' is one of our house rules", or you might consider some form of discipline, for example the Naughty Step Technique. .

- By using this technique you are sending a message loud and clear to all the family: these are the boundaries, don't cross them!

Learn more Supernanny parenting techniques at the Supernanny website.

About the Author

Anna Daubin is a parenting expert with the Supernanny team and is currently based in London, UK. Supernanny started life as a top-rating television program, and the show consistently receives 10 million viewers in the USA alone. It has now moved online to provide Moms and Dads with a huge range of parenting advice, parenting forums and blogs, as well as TV clips from the Supernanny show.

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