Rules are Fun
A note to readers:
Rules are fun! Some people would have you believe that rulebooks are dry and dusty things best left in law libraries. But no! They make great coloring books. You can hang them on the wall as decorative posters, conversation starters, or things to point to when someone tramples your norms. But is that all? No, no–that is not all! Rules really start to get fun when you make them your own. For maximum delight, we suggest adding your own rules and illustrations. Are there some rules that don’t work for you? Delete or alter them! Have family conferences in which you evaluate the rules, talk about what your family needs from them and what they mean for you, make the changes you need, and add your own illustrations. And, most importantly, please share. We have made this little book because we love rules. They fascinate us, and the ones you find here are, in a true and deep way, a reflection of our ethical and parenting values. So tell us all about the changes you make, what you add or subtract, and the pictures you draw. We may share them on our website, unless you’d rather we didn’t, and that will make more fun for everyone. And, if you’d like to suggest a modification, a new rule, or an illustration that better reflects your sensibilities or experience, please send that to us too. These rules are a growing, changing part of our own family systems and we will share how they change for us too.
Enjoy!
Forrest and Matt
Matt Potter
Is happy that he has lots of kids that are the same age that he gets to spend time with. Triplets plus one is a fascinating blessing. He likes to teach his kids chess and math and reading. The kids need rules. Matt is a lawyer and stay at home dad.
Forrest Brinker
Forrest has fewer kids than Matt but is also happy to spend time with them as a stay at home dad. He finds himself making strange rules all of the time. He has taught other people’s children, Art, Math, History, Science, and Design for 17 years.
forrest@modelfamilyrules.com
Fine print:
If you choose to send things to us we are under no obligation read or reply. You are not owed any acknowledgement, or compensation of any sort for your ideas even if something similar, identical or derivative is published later, even if your idea is acknowledged as inspiration. If relevant you assign any and all creative control rights over what you have sent to us.
Copyright Ⓒ 2023 Matt Potter
Copyright Ⓒ 2023 Forrest Brinker
All rights reserved.
Except for brief passages quoted in a newspaper, magazine, television, or website review, no part of this may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from Matt Potter or Forrest Brinker
Model Family Rules 