For us it's not about physical risk - DD can climb on her pay equipment and jump around all she likes outside. It's about respecting or furniture and our stuff. I don't want her jumping on other people's furniture and putting dirty shoes up there, so we don't stand on chairs or climb on couches because it will make them dirty.
She's pretty good about the rules, we tell her she can sit on the chair or stand on the floor. She has a choice, and if she continually chooses to stand on the chair then it goes away. That usually only happens when she's in a bit of a mood and she does get upset, but once she calms down we explain why the chair was taken away and she's good about only sitting on it when it comes back out.
I do get that... I guess I'm also following DD's example here in that she has generally been able to understand that different rules apply in different places (eg. Her Gran jumps on Gran's bed WITH them, where they're not allowed on the other grandmother's bed at all).
My kids don't wear shoes inside and I'm not that fussed about our furniture (which is not to say that you shouldn't aim to protect yours, just not my primary concern here). Maybe it's too much to ask of DS that he will also understand that just because he can leap around on our furniture, doesn't mean he can on others. Dunno. He's a pretty smart cookie. I suspect he'd get it.... just not necessarily care!
ETA... just saw yours Nickle. Again, not wanting to challenge or judge how you do things, just interested as I guess this wasn't my thinking. Why is standing on our family's furniture 'disrespectful'? I guess I kind of have a sense for why it is, without a real, articulated rationale and again, wonder whether I'd be applying this in a rigid 'because that's the rule' sense, or because it has real bearing on our values and what I'm teaching our kids?
Last edited by Santosha; August 4th, 2013 at 12:45 PM.
All my friends have told me that boys are really more into climbing and throwing themselves off furniture etc. so with that in mind I'm a little bit relaxed in our family room. He can climb and lay all over the couch, he can throw himself off onto his foam couch. I understand that there is a risk involved and yes at times it gives me palpitations but overall I'm happy that we have taught him that the rest of our home is off limits for that kind of behaviour- it's certainly not acceptable to go crazy in other people's homes either. Somehow, at 2 he seems to understand this and we don't really have any problems.
No balls inside.
No climbing on the furniture. We have a trampoline and a treehouse and there is a park nearby. If they need to climb and jump they can go outside and do it.
Our kids climb and jump on everything. Doesn't bother me at all and I think it's fun I don't let them stand on tables and benches but everything else is fine. They climb right to the top of the couch and do huge jumps off, trying to get as far across the floor as possible. We jump on the bed all the time. We never wear shoes inside and I tell them not to stand on furniture in other people's houses, if these points help?
I think the respect thing is that the furniture belongs to the family and they need to treat it like such. I feel it's important for children to learn to respect other people's belongings and treat things nicely.
Respect is so lacking nowadays whether it be for a persons own self or for other people and propety that DH and I believe it starts with the little things at home.
We're the same as Teeki. Dd has learnt she can stand herself up on her little plastic chair, but that's not the use for the chair and its dangerous so if she does it now it goes away.
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I don't let them stand on tables and benches but everything else is fine. They climb right to the top of the couch and do huge jumps off, trying to get as far across the floor as possible. We jump on the bed all the time. We never wear shoes inside and I tell them not to stand on furniture in other people's houses, if these points help? 
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