Last month, our family traveled to Orlando, Florida and spent a week at Disney World. If you’ve ever taken such a trip, you remember it takes a great deal of planning. In order to visit all the parks, ride the rides you like, and eat at the restaurants you enjoy, your family usually sits down and creates a schedule. Unlike a relaxing trip to the beach where you don’t have to be somewhere at a certain time, you must be intentional and take care in planning your Disney vacation to make the most out of it.

Just like planning a Disney vacation takes a good deal of intention and care, so does raising a family. The schedule we spent days creating for our trip kept us on track. That’s what a family mission statement can do. When your family sits down together, they draft a statement that expresses what they are all about, who they want to be, and the rules (spoken and unspoken) that govern your family life. Once it is created, you keep it where everyone can see it and refer to it often. That mission statement reminds your family–in black and white–who they are, the values they believe in, and what is important to them.

For tips on how to create a family mission statement, visit:

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/08/21/creating-a-family-culture-how-and-why-to-create-a-family-mission-statement/

http://www.familieswithpurpose.com/family-mission-statement/

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/articles/writing-a-family-mission-statement.aspx

You can find some examples of family mission statements at http://www.happyfamilyhappylife.com/examples-of-a-family-mission-statement/