In history this week we learned about the code of Hammurabi.  He came up with 300 interesting rules intended to help govern his highly developed, ancient civilization.  One of our assignments for the week was to write up our own family code of conduct.  I’m not sure what I expected exactly but this is what our kids came up with verbatim at the dinner table tonight as I took notes:

• don’t lie
• don’t tease
• don’t steal
• be appropriate-don’t do anything in the living room you shouldn’t
• don’t pull your underwears down or let people see your privates
• don’t say bad words or be rude
• listen
• don’t pee on the seat
• don’t get out of your seat till you’re done eating
• don’t read at the dinner table
• don’t run away from people
• no hair in your food
• don’t lie (this was listed twice by someone who has struggled with this issue lately!)
• don’t chew with your mouth open
• no gulping your water
• don’t pick your nose
• when you toot, say excuse me
• when you poop, flush and wipe your bottom
• we help clean up
• don’t break anything special unless it breaks on its’ own
• don’t kill someone unless it’s not in your family and it’s a bad guy

They asked me to read these back after we were done.  I wish I was mature enough to read words like poop without laughing, but alas, am not.  Maybe that comes with…turning 40?  I don’t know but I had tears streaming trying to recite their list back, which they’d made in all seriousness.