Article: Once you have spent some time thinking about your personal values, it's time to figure out how to integrate them with the rest of your family. In order to do that, you all need to effectively communicate with each other. Begin the process by asking questions. Ask your family to join you for a discussion about values. Begin by asking open ended questions such as, "What is most important to our family?" You can also try, "What brings you happiness? How does that affect our family?" Other good questions to ask include, "What makes you most proud about our family?" or "What do you look forward to when you come home?" You could also try "What embarrasses you about our family?" and "What does our family provide for you that you don't get from friends?" Consider having each family member answer these questions individually. Then you can openly and honestly compare answers. Encourage your family members to ask questions, too. During your family discussion, it is important that you all practice good listening skills. To indicate that you are listening, ask follow up questions. For example, if your partner says he values honesty, ask him how that can become more of a focus for the family. You can also use non-verbal cues to indicate that you are listening. Nod your head when someone is speaking, and smile to indicate you appreciate what is being said. Try to limit interruptions. Ask everyone to put away their cell phones and turn off the tv while you are having this important conversation. Once you have spent some time discussing your family values and enjoying quality time together, you can begin the process of more clearly defining your family values. Take some time to sit down together and make a list of the values that are most important. You can think of these values as firm guidelines that your family is agreeing to live by. Writing things down can help your family gain mental clarity about shared values. Try writing down items such as "help society" or "religion/spirituality" or "honest communication with family members". Try having each family member choose 3-4 values that they feel are most important. Combined, this will give you a manageable number of values to put on your permanent list. For example, you could choose "Safety" as one of the primary values for your family. Each family member could then indicate how they will stick to this value. You could pledge to always drive the speed limit. Your daughter could promise to always wear a helmet when riding her bike. Treat defining your family values as a family decision. If your children are a little older, such as teenagers, make sure they feel like they are an important part of the process. Say things such as, "We value your input. How do you feel about including education as one of our primary family values?" You can also encourage your kids to explain their opinions. Try saying, "What do you like about this choice? Why do you think adding humor as a family value is the best option?" If your children are still pretty young, you can find other ways to get them involved. Try having them draw a picture of the things they love about your family. Once you have reflected on your values and discussed them with your family, you should have a good idea of how to define your family values. One way to solidify them is to write a mission statement. This is a document that indicates what your family values and can also include goals. The mission statement is a formal declaration of the values you share as a family. Write down what the purpose of your family is and a strategy for making sure that you remain focused on that purpose. Try writing an introduction that states why your family is choosing these particular values. You can talk about how your family is committed to these values in order to help promote good life choices. The introduction doesn't have to be long, just a paragraph will do. List the values. You can organize them by categories such as Health, Happiness, Balance, and Stability. Then, you can indicate your family strategy for sticking to each of these values. You can print the mission statement and have it framed. Having it hang in your home is a good way to remind each of you of what is truly important to your family.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Ask questions. Be a good listener. Solidify your family values. Make sure your children are involved. Write a mission statement.

It's possible that the caller is unaware that they are bothering you by calling you every day or multiple times a day. Tell them honestly that you would prefer they don't call you so often. If this is someone you would like to continue to talk to, just not so frequently, be prepared to reassure the person that you still like them and would like to talk to them regularly. You could say, "Susie, I really value your friendship, but you're calling me way too frequently. It's not that I don't enjoy talking to you. I just have a lot of other things going on and don't have time to talk to you every day." Depending on the frequency and timing of the calls, you may be experiencing an increase in stress, a loss of focus, or even poor sleeping patterns. All of these things can have a negative impact on your life. Express this to the caller without judgement or blame. They may be unaware of the impact their constant calling is having on you and hearing your perspective can help clear things up. Establish healthy boundaries with clear communication. Tell the caller that you care about them and enjoy talking to them, but too many frequent calls cut into other demands on your schedule, such as time at work and with family and other friends. Be clear about how many calls per day or week you find acceptable and what times should be off-limit. You may decide, for example, that you cannot answer calls during your work shift or after your bedtime. Tell the caller, "If you call me while I'm at work, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., I will not be able to answer the phone. I go to bed at 10 p.m., so please do not call me past that time unless it's a life-or-death emergency." Stick to the boundaries that you set. If you constantly make exceptions to the rules you've set, the caller will quickly learn that the boundaries are meaningless and will not respect your rules. Only deviate from your set boundaries in cases of emergency, such as when the person's car breaks down and they are stranded on the highway or if there is a medical emergency with them or someone they are close to. If the person continues to call for non-emergency situations, simply answer the phone and promptly say, "I'm at work right now and can't talk on the phone. I will call you back once I get home around 6 p.m." and then hang up. Don't tell someone you will call them back if you have no intention of calling them back. This will only create heightened anticipation and anxiety at not hearing from you. Such anxiety may actually increase the amount that the person calls. Schedule a regular time that works best for both of you to have a check-in call. This may be once a week or multiple times a week depending on what works best for your situation. Even though this may seem too formal, having a set schedule can relieve a lot of anxiety for someone who is clingy, insecure, or worried about you. Furthermore, it will let the person know that you are willing to make time for them because you value your relationship with them, while also making it clear that there is a limit to the amount of time you can give them.
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One-sentence summary --
Ask the caller to stop calling you so frequently. Tell the caller how you are being affected by their frequent calling. Set boundaries for calls. Stick to your boundaries. Set a schedule.