How to Build Boundaries & Expectations

Family Boundaries

Family has clear rules and consequences and monitors the young person's whereabouts.

1. Leaving Your Child Home Alone
2. Info:  Teaching Your Child Self Control
3. Info:  Positive Discipline
4. Info:  Provide Clear Rules
5. Info:  Make Your Position Clear
6. Activity:  Rule of the Day - Learning About Rules
7. Activity:  Developing Family Rules
8. Info:  Consistent Boundaries Make Discipline Easier
9. Info:  Setting Rules For Teen Dating
10. Idea:  Negotiate family rules and consequences for breaking those rules.
11. Idea:  Make it a family expectation to know each other's whereabouts.  Establish a system for keeping track of each other (such as a message board, family calendar, cell phones, pagers, etc.).
12. Idea:  If young people are unhappy with a rule, help them explore options for changing it.

School Boundaries

1. Ridge High School - Policies and Procedures
2. William Annin Middle School - Policies and Procedures
3. Cedar Hill School - Policies and Procedures
4. Liberty Corner School - Policies and Procedures
5. Mt. Prospect School - Policies and Procedures
6. Oak Street School - Policies and Procedures
7. Idea:  Review school policies and procedures with your children.

Neighborhood Boundaries

1. Info:  Forming Neighborhood Safety Nets
2. Info:  Involving Neighborhood Kids
3. Idea:  Host a neighborhood party.  Get to know your neighbors.
4. Idea:  Start a neighborhood watch.
5. Idea:  Organize all of the dog owners to take a walk together with their dogs once a week.
6. Idea:  Ask a neighbor for a favor.  Once you've done this, it may be easier for him/her to ask for your help with it's needed.

Adult Role Models

1. Info:  Set A Good Example
2. Info:  Role Models - Someone Is Watching You
3. Info:  Be A Good Role Model
4. Idea:  Have your child read a book on a famous person and discuss the book with them.
5. Idea:  Get to know the parents of the children your child associates with.  See if they exhibit role model behaviors.

Positive Peer Influence

1. Info:  Teach Kids To Choose Friends Wisely
2. Info:  Preparing Youth For Peer Pressure
3. Info:  Avoiding Peer Pressure
4. Info:  Bullies
5. Info:  Help With Peer Pressure
6. Info:  How to Protect Your Child From Peer Cruelty
7. Info:  Helping Your Teen Find a Positive Peer Group
8. Info:  When Your Kids Are Popular With The Wrong Crowd
9. Idea:  Get to know your children's friends.  Point our things you like about them and talk with your children when you have concerns about their friends' behavior.

High Expectations

1. Info:  Words of Encouragement and Praise
2. Info:  Great Expectations: What's the Best Way for Parents to Help Children Be Their Best
3. Info:  Raising Expectations and Opening Doors to Opportunity
4. Info:  Catch A Kid Doing Good
5. Idea:  Talk with young people about their expectations of themselves.  Encourage them to maintain a healthy balance between achievement and high levels of stress.