WITHOUT A VISION, PEOPLE PERISH: How to have a Kick Ass Family

If you want to avoid conflict early on in your marriage, you and your wife need to get on the same page when it comes to values, goals, and role expectations. Creating a family mission statement will help you do just that. Instead of living by the family scripts you saw as a child, you and your wife can create your own.

Below are some questions geared towards families of two to help you figure out what sort of family culture you want to create together:

• What kind of marriage partners do we want to be?
• What is the purpose of our marriage?
• How do we want to treat each other?
• How do we want to resolve our differences?
• How can we both support each other in our respective goals?
• How do we want to handle finances?
• What kind of parents do we want to be?
• What principles do we want to teach our children to help them prepare for adulthood and lead responsible, caring lives?
• What roles will each of us have?
• How can we best relate to each other’s families?
• What traditions do we bring with us from the families in which we were raised?
• What traditions do want to keep and create?
• How do we want to give back?
• Are there things from our respective family histories that we’re happy or unhappy with? How can we change them if we’re unhappy?

Questions to Ask for Families of Three or More

• What is the purpose of our family?
• What kind of family do we want to be?
• What kinds of things do we want to do?
• What kind of feeling do we want to have in our home?
• What kind of home would you like to invite your friends to?
• What embarrasses you about our family?
• What makes you want to come home?
• What do we want to be remembered by?
• What kind of relationships do we want to have with one another?
• How do we want to treat one another and speak to one another?
• What things are truly important to us as a family?
• What are the unique talents, gifts, and abilities of family members?
• What are our responsibilities as family members?
• What are the principles and guidelines we want our family to follow?
• Who are our heroes? What it is about them that we like and would like to emulate?
• What families inspire us and why do we admire them?
• How can we contribute to society as a family and become more service-oriented?

Read more at artofmanliness.com