We allow jumping on the bed, kids jump off the couch and run up & down it. This is the lounge in the play room.. the leather lounge in the loungeroom they're not allowed to. They ride a trike (the one you push with your feed) and a scooter around the house. We throw a beachball around and have plenty of other balls that get bounced around. Makes it sound chaotic, but it's not.. they don't run wild LOL.. we just allow these things.
Are we unusual?
Mum & I were talking a little while ago about kids that seem to be accident prone and we laughed and said maybe our kids have good gross motor skills because we let them climb and jump and run around! hehehe. We deliberately taught DD to jump off the lounge! Tallon's been in a top bunk since he was 2 1/2, yet I know a lot of people that would gasp in horror at that. It's funny when we're at the park, one mum I was with was having heart attacks watching my kids climb up a couple of steps and jump off... I wasn't worried at all?? I must say that her kids (who are older now) are always the ones having accidents.. probably because they were never allowed to climb & jump! They were constantly warned to be careful on the steps etc etc.
I will say that the kids are not just left to do this stuff.. we take the time to teach them how to do it (like teaching him to climb up & down to bed, we teach them how to jump on the bed safely etc.. so I guess there are house rules surrounding what we allow.. )
So do you have lots of rules at your house? or are you pretty easy going?
I wouldn't say I have lots of rules as such, if DS is happy then I'm happy IYKWIM. So often I may see him doing something I think he prob shouldn't, but if he's not hurting anyone or anything then I let it go. I'm a "let it go" type of person perhaps LOL. But I do try & teach him what is & is not appropriate by saying "sit at the table to eat that please" etc. As in all honesty my house is fine, but I think there is nothing worse than having to watch them 24/7 & stop what they are doing at someone else house. Like for example the jumping on the couch, (just using the example as it came up here last weekend). DS often jumps/dances on the couch when a fav show comes on in the morn. I don't take much notice as I'm having a coffee or getting ready for the day & he is happy. Then we went out to a friends place that arvo & they had Thomas DVD on & he started to jump from couch to couch. I stopped him right away but he was a little like "why, I do at home".....made me stop & think & now we don't jump on the couch at home either.
We have a lot of house rules, but then we have things that are ok.
We don't jump on our beds because they are slats and as a kid I saw my cousin get trapped under a bed when the slats broke.
We don't put shoes on tables (I'm superstitious what can I say!)
No umbrellas open inside (see above).
We do not hurt each other with words or with violence.
You do not under and circumstances open the door to a stranger, you get an adult.
Adults and Children respect each other equally, no matter what...
No drinks in the loungeroom unless its water.
Everyone chips in with their own set chores.
Thats about it!
But what do we do:
Slurp our drinks through straws as loud as possible and make bubbles if so desired.
Dance on the coffee table (no shoes) till late at night
All hop into mum & dad's bed and watch tv till late on weekends
Belching is something I cannot stop in this house, they take after DH's side and you could probably hear it from next door.
The most important thing is to have FUN! Which can be done with some boundaries
And I must be doing something right, because last night I had 2 in my bed watching teev with me both listing all the reason we are so awesome as parents And I just tell them its easy to be awesome when we have such awesome kids... hehehehe... everyone's egos got a good going over last night!
1. We keep our hands to ourselves. No hitting or pushing
2. We say please and thank you
3. We eat at the table only
4. We all take our plates to the kitchen when finished a meal
5. DD1 puts her pj's under her pillow after getting dressed
6. We have wind down time between 1pm and 3pm and before bed at night
I personally don't like jumping on the lounge but I do turn a blind eye, same goes with the beds.
Liz - We have always encouraged our girls to climb and jump and our girls seems to be very co-ordinated in that area. We too have family that are over protective and their kids are always getting hurt...usually trying to follow our kids
Most of my house rules are about safety and respect for others:
1. Listen to adult instructions
2. Keep your hands and feet to yourself unless giving gentle touches
3. Look after your own things and respect the belongings of other people
4. If you have a problem, use your words
5. It is okay to be angry, upset and frustrated but these feelings have to shown appropriately.
6. Speak nicely to other people including please and thank-you.
I also have a few other rules about cupboards and doors not being played with (our cupboards are mirrors and DD opened it vigoursly one day and it slid of it's hinges. Thank goodness it didn't land on her. She also slid it over DS's fingers one day and sliced them open). I am paranoid about them slamming each others fingers in the door.
We don't let kids climb on the furniture because I am worried they will fall off - DS likes to sit on the very back of the couch but doesn't have the balance to stay there and is likely to topple backwards.
I don't let the kids in the kitchen because I think it is too dangerous but they do come and bring our dining room chairs to a kitchen bench and they can stand there and help us cook. Because I carry knives and hot water around the kitchen at times, I really don't like them underneath my feet where I could trip on them or spill or drop something on them.
Our kids have free reign of our house apart from those things. They can play anywhere they like (except the toilet) as long as they clean up their toys when they are done, they ride bikes and ride ons around the house, they can operate the TV and DVD player, they can eat morning and afternoon tea on the lounge while we watch Playschool (sometimes) - usually I let them choose so we sometimes go outside and sit on a picnic rug in the backyard or they sit at their little table or they sit at our big table. Meals are generally eaten at the kitchen table all together.
Going to Grandmas can be a whole other story though ... my kids own the place and they know it
Well if we include using manners and things then yeah.. we have a number of rules
Opening the door to strangers - we have to work on this one now coz DS can unlock the front door.
Eating at the table - gosh, my kids would spend the day at the table LOL. We eat wherever, except for on the bed. We do try to eat together at the table for the evening meal. We do have the rule that bowls and plates have to be returned to the kitchen and rubbish into the bin. Otherwise we'd have it strewn all over the house.
We do have rules that if DS crashes his bike or scooter into anything, or into Kayla! then it goes outside.
Jumping on the bed, it's only on our bed because we have an older mattress. Bunk beds obviously don't cater to jumping! hehe. Eventually we'll get a new mattress and it will become a no-no.
hmm... I spose we do have a lot of rules if I think about it.
Gosh not a huge amount of rules here and that probably explains some of the chaos. Would like to have a few more, but that would mean battling DH and I just don't have that energy.
House rules..
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