Hit me with that ruler, please

I read in some child development rag about setting up rules for your family. It is a tribute to the article that I got through it, because I don't place much stock in rules. Although it doesn't always show, at heart I am something of a libertarian. Rules don't allow for flexibility, they don't fit with the infinite complexity of life. Better to sit and observe your surroundings and come up with a solution that seems right for you, right for the moment, when problems arrive than to live blindly by rules. (Is it a wonder I'm always pinging all over the place?)

This article about rules hit me right where I live, though. It suggested taking a minute to sit down and think about your most cherished values: self-nourishment, thankfulness, empathy, whatever, and come up with 5 simple rules for your household that are centered around those values. That way, you can weave them into all your explanations to your child about why we do or do not do such-and-such in this house. And you get to teach them your value system. And your rules are grounded in things that actually matter to you. This is so much more appealing than reminding Anonybabe to arbitrarily say "please" and "thank you".