FAMILY life is extremely busy these days, and it pays dividends to have a regular time when all family members sit together and have a family meeting.

This might sound rather onerous and put a lot of parents off, though it doesn’t have to be!

Family meetings can be introduced into the routine positively - for instance, you could start by discussing plans for holidays. Meetings can be fun, they allow all family voices to be heard and help to foresee any problems which may arise during busy and high-risk family times. They can also be used to explore and resolve an issue when family life isn’t going as smoothly as you would like.

When thinking about having a family meeting here are some suggestions:

- Family meetings should include everyone.

- Avoid using mealtimes.

Be time sensitive (no longer than 15 minutes especially for younger children).

- An agenda (of sorts) should be agreed upon.

- Minimise interruptions; phones, tablets, and TVs should be switched off.

- Everyone should be given the opportunity to have their say.

- After the meeting do something nice together i.e. go to the park, watch a film, or do some baking.

Assign different jobs such as timekeeper or note writer. Have a ‘talking stick’ (which the children can design) which is held by the person who is speaking.

If during a meeting a family member is disruptive, give them the opportunity to contribute positively. If the behaviour continues, stop the meeting, deal with the behaviour away from the meeting, and reschedule; otherwise continue the meeting without them.

See www.parentandbabycoach.co.uk

Next week: Agreeing family rules