What are your rules?

[Einsty]

I have a feisty 4yo DD and think I need a clearer sense of what our family rules are. Should be straightforward, right? But somewhere between those parenting essentials of 'being consistent' and 'picking your battles' it all seems to have got a bit blurred. What were the really key rules in your house, that worked at home and out in the world and stood the test of time? (And what are the stupid ones I can forget)

My dd is littler than yours (20 months) but we have

No hitting/kicking/biting.
Be kind/gentle to the dog.
Say please and thank you.
No climbing on the table/rocking horse/other hazardous items.
You have to wear your shoes to go outside.

We're quite rules-light as a family I think.

no hitting
be kind

the family is a team-we need to work together as a team
be polite...

that's about it really

my sons are 12 and 9 and really easy and delightful[winces while waiting for karma to bite on bum]

Our non-negotiables are:

No hitting/pushing/biting etc
No name-calling
Say please/thank you
Take turns/share nicely
Sit up at the table to eat

Some of these are a work in progress! But they seem to work for us.

Gymboywalton, love be kind. Covers a lot! And is part of a family (or team) identity, IYSWIM.

Rubyrubyruby, good tip re rules becoming part of normal behavior. That's helpful

We used to have House Rules up on the wall when the dc were smaller, this was partly because we looked after other children regularly and we wanted to be quite clear about some behaviour.

Quite a lot of the rules were about mealtimes and food. No eating til the cook's sat down. No food throwing (that was particularly for visiting children). Ask before you get down and put your plates etc in the dishwasher.

other rules:
No hitting or physical violence of any type.
Only 1 hr of tv/computer a day (relaxed since they got older).
Put one toy/game away before getting out another (we fail to implement this).
No one person is more important than the others (adults or dc, each gets an equal say where possible).

I don't have a pick your battles rule, I like to fight every battle!

Our house rules are ( with apologies to anyone who's heard them before) are

Don't be a Dingbat
and

It's Good to Know Stuff.

Covers evything!

Seeker, love it!