Family Decision Making

This week we are learning more about councils.  We have learned about how the apostles do their councils every week and then incorporating them into our own families.  They begin by sharing appreciation for one another, then they say an opening prayer.  They then review their agendas that they have been given the night before.  Sometimes they may have many ideas about that issue and can't resolve it immediately.  Usually they will go home and study it out in their minds, then come back together.  If it is something that is meant to be, then they all come back with a unanimous vote.  I think that is amazing.  They will close their meetings with prayer asking for the Lord's help in following through with the things they have discussed.  Then they usually have some refreshments together.  This is a great bonding time for them as well.  They can talk more one on one and maybe get some fresh ideas.  I also think this is a little humerus because they would all be in white clothes in the Salt Lake Temple.  I sure hope they don't spill on the them.  Not to mention it seems a little strange to have refreshments in the temple.  I think that is awesome though.  And the brotherhood that they share with one another.   So tonight we tried having a family council.  With young children it isn't such a peaceful experience. We literally had children bouncing off the walls and having a hard time staying focused.  But a couple of months ago we had a great family council.  My husband and I have made a rule that the black bag comes out every night and collects anything left on the floor and then it is taken off to Goodwill.  Whenever we have done this, the kids feverishly work at collecting their things or have a big melt down that something got taken away.  We had just had an ugly black bag experience so we decided it was time for a family council.  I thought this was the best experience that we have had so far.  We decided to still have the black bag, which is mom and dad's rule.  My daughter decided that we needed to put whatever was picked up in the black bag into the family store and then would need to be bought back with tickets.  This was a great idea because it didn't make the black bag so FINAL!  And then my son added his part to the plan by saying however many things got picked up that night, that is how many tickets would be needed to buy it back.  That was a great idea.  The hard part about me is consistency.  I even put a reminder on my phone so that it would ring every night at a certain time.  Well the idea has worked so far, expect I've never actually black bagged anything, nor have they had to buy anything back yet.  This is where my inconsistencies come in.  And then I'm just tired some nights and don't want to worry about it.  I need to get out of inconsistent rut and just do.  It would mean more to my kids especially because they all helped in making the rules.  I felt like this was a great council.  A success story.  I just need to be consistent in following through.    Councils must be a subject matter of late within the church.  We just had Stake Conference last week and that was the only subject covered in the adult meeting.  While it was a good meeting, it was hard to pay any more attention because they had stretched the topic through the whole night.  In spite of it being hard to listen, it is very important to have councils.  It is a great time for us to voice our opinions.  As the 3 Muskateers say, "All for one, one for all!!"  This is a great motto to have in our families.