Family Mission Statements
 

Do any of you have a "family mission statement"? It is very similar to a company mission statement. It's basically a list of the core values of your family- things to keep in mind in daily life and to guide the decisions you make. (An individual could have his or her own as well). Families can develop them together (both adults and children) and come to an agreement as to what those values are.

My wife and I are both developing separate statements. Eventually, we will compare our statements and agree upon a family mission statement (Our daughter is only 9 months. She doesn't have much to say yet). We plan on posting it on our fridge so that we will look them over every once in awhile. (We also plan on adjusting it as time passes).

Some of the values that I think are important for my family (an abbreviated list):

Be positive
Don't worry too much
Strive to learn new things
Be involved in one another's lives
Support eachother's goals and activities
Open communication
Live within our means
Experiences over objects (less materialism)
No procastination
Respect eachother's space and time
Rational problem solving
Express love for one another
Eat dinner together

Most of these are shortened and a bit vague, but hopefully you get the idea.

Any ideas?

Can I suggest that you call it anything other than a "Mission Statement"? To me it sounds too corporate, a little too formal. Maybe "The <insert family name> Plan" or something. I like the list, though. How about something about being democratic, and respecting differing opinions?

Yeah, the reason why I called it "a family mission statement" was because that's what others have called it. If you type it in on google, you will find many sites devoted to the topic. You're right. It does sound corporate.

It's a good concept. I like the idea of having something to refer to, esp. if things start getting a little out of hand.

I can tell you for a fact----write it in pencil and keep a good eraser handy...it will probably be more of a diary of what we did, instead of a list of what we want to do...life is like that...

---and yes, that sounds just like the names we used for the 38 years I was in corporate management...

sounds like a great idea even for just couples.

I think this is a great idea, too!
I will put one together with my wife, and hopefully our 7mo old son can add to it throughout the years.

What a great idea. Maybe Lebell and I should discuss that as we work toward becoming a family.