Think of a Something Thursday!

One of the tips I’ve picked up from daycare, summer camp, and other mommies is a focal point for herding children around. One kid, four kids, or more (especially if they are a leetle bit older). I used it just the other day herding a few five year olds and a two/three year old to the movies and park. I parked the car next to a tree that occupied a median, and had each get next to the tree and hug it once they left the car as I unbuckled them individually.

It worked in reverse, too - they stayed there as I unlocked the car and buckled them all back in, one by one by one.

But I’ve had the darnedest time getting them to stay back from the TV. It’s like herding cats as they get more drawn in to Signing Time or Dora or Magic School Bus and inch back. Until I invented the “no zone”.

The hub was suspicious when I abandoned my pursuit of our usual decorating style: late college years, early messy childhood. I asked to buy a rug for the living room. “Whyyyy …” he he trailed off cautiously.

I pointed out how the kids tended to migrate closer to the TV as I puttered in the kitchen, when we all watched something as a family, or played video games. In the heat of the moment or while juggling hot dishes, asking them to “back up” or “get out of the way” or “stop blocking us” didn’t work very well. They don’t quite get what “out of the way” means, or how far to back up.

I figured a nice rug directly in front of the TV would be a good target and solid delimiter. “Off of the rug, kids.” “Back off of the rug kids.” “Not the rug, please.” He wasn’t convinced. We thought about buying a big rug and limiting them to staying on the rug. Ehhh … no. Duct tape! Raggedy. Masking tape. Same.

Then a conversation with one of the school moms brought the solution out of the back of the clutter in my brain to the front. Window clings. I’ve got a number of them for the holidays or scrounged at clearance sales. We’ve got tiles. They’ll go great together.

I stuck the clings (Cat in the Hat seemed appropriate), one per tile, directly in the newly-designated “no zone”. When Wolfie wandered in during dinner preparation, he asked about them and learned their use. We explained it to Helvi but I expect she’ll need a few reminders now and then. And I’ll need to watch and keep her from peeling them up until she’s used to them.

But it’s perfect. We’ve got a designated “no zone” that has a measurable condition the kids can identify, and it peels up easily in case of guests. Any transferred ink can be scrubbed up. Easy peasy. Welcome to the “no zone”.

So how do you help set boundaries with your kids? How do you work towards giving them specific instructions, rather than vague notions that they have no cultural context for interpreting?