Adrienne Gallagher

When I was 7 my family started having family meetings. We took turns running the meetings and being the secretary, following Robert’s Rules of Order, a book my parents thought was vital to our success in life.

Here’s an excerpt from a meeting of the A.L.I.S.A. Club (our initials) on July 10, 1958. My older sister was the secretary.

OLD BUSINESS: Steve said he should have a raise. We discussed. Mommy made the motion and Stephen didn’t get a raise. Les said the same thing. We discussed. Daddy made the motion. (It was defeated.) Ade said she wanted to go to bed later to catch lightning bugs. No.

“NEW BUSINESS: I said I wanted to wear lipstick every day in the summer. No, of course not. Mommy made the motion. It was tied. Will be carried until the next meeting.

The meetings continued. Can I quit piano? Can we go to bed later? Where should we go on vacation? Can we go to the circus? Can the person who knocks on the bathroom door wait before entering? This last one request actually got some traction. And also, we did agree to go to the circus. But generally, according to the meeting notes, there could be discussion, “but no arguments will be tolerated.” On February 9, 1960, my brother made a motion to stop having meetings. Motion defeated.