Family rules

I worked with my boy on this social studies project on our family rules.  I don't know if these are the three most important, but they're what we came up with.  They were meant to be serious, and they are, but I just had to laugh at the examples when we were done... :)

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My family has some interesting rules and practices.  They are mostly taken from what we learn from church or the Bible, or from lessons which my parents learned when they were young.  Here are the three rules which I find the most valuable, and which make my family special to me.

Rule 1: Always tell the truth

This rule is important because the truth always comes to light.  My parents are lawyers and they always remind me that telling lies is like a house of cards.  Each lie needs to be supported by another lie, until the whole thing collapses.

Obeying this rule helps my family members to trust each other.  I am not allowed to cheat in any homework I am given, and this lets my parents know if I really understand my work.  Once, when I cheated to finish my work faster, my parents somehow found out, and banned me from computer games for a long time.  Then I had to do extra work anyway.  I learned my lesson the hard way.

I think this rule could be better if it was changed to “Always tell the truth if it is necessary or helpful”.  Once, when I was small, I told a neighbour that he looked fat.  This embarrassed my parents and made my neighbour feel hurt even though I did not mean to insult him.  I learned that I do not have to say everything I think, even if it is true, unless it is helpful.

Rule 2: If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well

This rule is important because doing something badly is a waste of time.  My sister is very good at doing things well the first time.  She often completes her homework faster than me because she does not have to re-do work that has not been done properly.

Obeying this rule helps me to make the most of my time, so that I can have free time left to enjoy after completing my work.  When I do my work carelessly, my parents make me do it again, so that I learn to do things properly and have pride in my work.  I am trying to learn from my sister’s example and I think I have improved.

I think this rule could be better if it was changed to “Do things well, unless it is something worthless”.  I am very good at computer games, but my parents sometimes remind me that being good at computer games is not very useful, even if it is fun, so I should not spend so much time trying to be good at them.

Rule 3: Love your neighbor as yourself

This rule is important because being selfish is a sad way to live.  It is more fun to do things with other people, like my family and friends.  I like my father’s story about the Dead Sea in Israel, where water and nutrients only flow in but do not flow out.  So nothing can live in the Dead Sea, which is full of salt.  In the same way, if I only receive and don’t give, my life will be empty like the Dead Sea.

Obeying this rule helps me to make friends and make my family feel appreciated.  When they are happy, I feel happy too.  I have accompanied my parents when they distribute bread to the poor every month or go overseas on mission trips.  I have not learned how to be useful yet, but I am proud of my parents and I can see that it makes them happy.

I think this rule could be better if it was changed to “Love your neighbor as yourself, even if you don’t like them”.  My parents tell me that it is easy to love those who love you.  The real test is to love those who hate you or can’t help you.  This is very difficult, but if I help people who don’t like me, they may feel sorry and be my friends.  This will make school life much happier.

Conclusion

Every family has rules and practices, including my own.  I have grown to appreciate my family’s rules and practices, because I believe that if I follow them, I will grow up to be someone my parents will be proud of.  Even more importantly, I can be proud of myself!

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