Regularly Setting Goals as a Family—And Keeping Them!

Regularly Setting Goals as a Family—And Keeping Them!

Setting regular goals as a family is a great way to bring everyone together under a common purpose, and if you do it right, it will also help everyone in the family feel more heard and understood.

Step One: Listen to Everyone’s Needs and Feelings

In a family, everyone should love and support one another, but the reality is that everyone’s goals are likely to be a little bit different. Your children are probably focused on different things than you are, but that doesn’t mean these things don’t matter. Listening to what their desires are is an important part of setting family goals that suit everyone. In addition, you and your partner may even have different priorities when it comes to family goals, so make sure everyone gets a chance to voice theirs.

Step Two: Set Short and Long-term Goals

My Time Management suggests setting both short and long-term goals so that you’re not striving toward one goal that seems extremely far away. You can set short-term goals that will help you reach your long-term goals also. For example, if you all decide that you want to go on a summer vacation as a family (long-term goal), your children will need to pass their classes so they don’t have to attend summer school (short-term goal), and you and your partner will need to put money aside each week in able to afford the vacation when the time comes (long-term goal).

Step Three: Make Adjustments

SPARK Parenting states it is important to dream big with your family goals—just not too big. But if your goals are starting to look unattainable, or if something isn’t working, you can make adjustments to your goals without giving up on them. Pushing ahead with something that doesn’t work isn’t a good way to reach your goals anyway, and it’s important to show your children that, in life, we sometimes have to be flexible in order to get what we want in the long run.

Step Four: Have Regular Family Meetings

It can help to have a meeting once a week that will allow you to discuss the success (or lack thereof) you’ve all found in reaching your goals, setting new goals, and of course, discussing how to celebrate goals reached. Because if you don’t celebrate a milestone like reaching an important goal together as a family, what’s the point?

Request Free Admissions Information

Step 1 of 3 - Your Contact Info

Written by Natalie

7 Jun, 2017

Recent Posts

Does Cost Impact the Quality of Troubled Teen Programs?

Does Cost Impact the Quality of Troubled Teen Programs?

Many factors come to mind when considering a treatment program for your teenager. From location and specialty to care provided and length of the program, it's vital to consider all the finite details before making a final selection on a behavioral school, military...

Teens and Sexting, How to Protect Your Teen

Teens and Sexting, How to Protect Your Teen

It may not be something that you want to think about your teen taking part in, but sexting is a very real issue that many are facing today. It’s uncomfortable for parents to think about and of course uncomfortable to discuss with teens. And, none of us think our teens...

Programs for Teens With Bad Behavior

Programs for Teens With Bad Behavior

Is your teen’s behavior out of control? If his behavior has progressed from what is considered the norm for a rebellious teenager, you may struggle with knowing the next step to take to help your teen get his behavior back on track. Timeouts worked when he was a...

Do Teen Military Boot Camps Really Work?

Do Teen Military Boot Camps Really Work?

How much do you know about teen boot camps? Are you curious about whether a military boot camp could be the right choice to help your teen work through the issues he’s struggling with? Boot camps for teens are often highlighted in a negative way when they pop up in...

Helping Teens Struggling With PTSD

Helping Teens Struggling With PTSD

Has your teen experienced trauma that he doesn’t know how to process and heal from? Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can leave long-lasting mental health issues that may follow your teen into adulthood. Without getting into a treatment program that addresses...

No One Likes Me, How Do I Fit In?

No One Likes Me, How Do I Fit In?

When you find it difficult to make friends, it can feel like you’re alone and no one likes you. While it’s true that not every person will click with you, it could just be that you’ve not yet found the best ways to connect with those around you. It’s hard to make...

You May Also Like…

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *