Family · Family of Origin
Family Rules Worksheet
The spoken and unspoken rules that governed everything
Family rules are the unspoken agreements that governed what could be said, felt, or done growing up. Naming them is the first step in choosing which ones stay.
The spoken rules (things adults actually said out loud)
The unspoken rules (things you learned by watching)
Examples: don't talk about mom's drinking · big feelings aren't safe · dad's mood sets the weather · we don't ask for help · achievement is love · never embarrass the family.
Which rules I've carried into adulthood
Rule
Where it shows up now
Keep / revise / retire
A rule I'm giving myself explicit permission to break this month
Rules survive because no one questioned them
Say the rule out loud, in adult words. Most rules that ran your childhood cannot survive being spoken plainly.