Do your kids need some house rules?

It’s time to teach kids respect for their environment with some kids house rules. I’m going to be honest here, and tell you; my kids are ANIMALS!

They tear through the house at 100mph arguing, fighting, leaving a trail of toys, clothes, shoes, and food everywhere.

They still draw on the walls, jump on the sofa and flood the bathroom. By ten and eight you’d have thought this kind of carnage would be a thing of the past!

I catch them abandoning food wrappers on the living room floor; They don’t even do that on the street! (obviously, I have taught them that is a huge NO!) They are both like mini tornados and leave a mass of destruction where ever they go.

No family is perfect, right? We all understand that! Mine is most definitely no exception. Autism, anxiety and depression come with a price. That price is often anger, violence and loss of control. I know some people find this hard to acknowledge but its the truth. Living with kids on the spectrum can be devastating at times.

All this carnage drives me mad! I can block it out and ignore it for a while (they say ignorance is bliss, right?!) then “boom” like hitting a brick wall it’s there, I see EVERYTHING.

This kind of destruction often results in me having a massive meltdown, losing the plot and chucking things away. I suppose this is a clearing out process that I should probably be doing in my mind! However, a lot of things do get destroyed in this house, so what’s a girl to do?!

 

Kids need guidance; unmistakably there should be some house rules.

I think where I went wrong is not instilling these rule right from the start, but being so preoccupied with my depression and anxiety, I didn’t.

Kids should be seen for the little sponges they are. However, for them to absorb any information they need to be drip fed it first. With all this in mind, I got to work on the “KIDS HOUSE RULES”. No time like the present!

After a brainstorming session, I put together a somewhat extensive list of all the things that irritate me! ( which of course, I then had to condense into the main “good” behaviours I would like to see)! I didn’t want this to be an entirely negative exercise, so I reverse psychologised a couple of the rules!

Here’s the list of the Kids house rules I settled on:

• Eat in your seat – Save the endless food muck spreading everywhere
• Keep your hands to yourself – In other words, no WWE moves, please!
• Treat things with care – Less of the destruction of stuff
• Give big hugs – Everybody needs these anyway
• If you get it out, put it away – Fair enough in my eyes, not so sure about them though
• No climbing on the furniture – We have been through several sofas already
• Always be kind – After all, this is a quality we should all be instilling in our children. Teach your kids kindness with this printable game
• No tidal waves at bath time – Seriously it’s not fun, and “kinda” scary when there is water dripping from the ceiling light into the kitchen below
• Bad moods belong in your bedroom – My way of teaching them to take some time out to hopefully see things from a different perspective.
• No running in the house – Because I don’t appreciate being floored with a nice neatly ironed pile of clothes in my hands

I typed these up on my laptop, made them look pretty and framed it, voila wall art!

 

 

You can grab yourself a copy of the kids’ house rules from The Toolbox

Having some house rules will teach kids to have respect for their environment

Explain value

Help your kids understand what gives something its worth. For example, Lauren wanted to pick some daffodils from the grass the other day I explained to her we have to leave them where they are because somebody has worked hard to make the area look pretty so everyone can enjoy looking at it.

Think less is more

Children don’t need a tonne of stuff, and the more “things” they get, the less they’ll appreciate each item. Try rotating toys, so they have only a few at a time.

Make it clear

Before you hand over something you love, spell out the rules: “If you would like to use my I PAD, you must be willing to stay sat down, make sure you don’t drop it, take extra care and look after it.

In conclusion

If we teach our kids to treat belongings with respect, we’ll be helping them develop a sense of gratitude and consideration. It’ll help them grow up to be respectful and considerate adults.

Do you have any kids house rules? Let us know on Facebook!

Need the kids to cooperate in the morning? Of course, you do! Try these Ice cream routine printables and see if you can restore some order to your mornings.