Rules or boundaries?

Rules were made to be broken - well, tested at the very least! Your little people will push the boundaries but usually it’s to ensure they are robust and won’t break at the slightest test. They want the security of knowing they are being ‘held’. The rules and family routines provide your little ones with a ‘boundary’ - their very own limits. They need them. We all have limits, so show them where yours are. It’s okay to say no or to reach the end of your patience; just let them know when you have got there, they will respect you for it. Once they see and understand the limits, they will relax.

Between 5-7pm (bedtime basically) believe they have absorbed the rules. They really do know they’re there even when the tears and tantrums have you believing they’ve forgotten each and every one of them!

Finally, everyone has different limits. However, just as there are wide varieties of dogs and cats, your child will recognise the differences. So when ‘Granny’ or ‘Grandad’, Step Mums or Dads set their own rules, don’t worry that they are different. Your rule book will not go out of the window, your children will simply absorb the new and alternative set being imposed.