Tips to help you stop the neighborhood kids from moving in

Do you remember the commercial from many years ago with the smiling mom serving her son or daughter and the entire neighborhood of kids a pitcher of Kool-Aid? Sure that’s nice, but what happens when some Kool-Aid smiles turn into meal times and more?

I admit, I was that mom, where I thought that it was better to have the children at my home than any place else, and I still am. I was the mom that other kids called “Mom” and I was the mom that even when they went to college many of my oldest son’s friends still called and asked for relationship, career or college advice. These are wonderful memories. But unfortunately I was also a single mom, working, going to school and trying to figure out how to make my small budget and meals go further as we often had unexpected “guests” that just never went home. Now that I’m doing the mom thing all over again, and as we start to see visitors to our house I have to wonder, “How can I avoid letting the neighborhood kids move in?”

Answer your own door. There are many good reasons why the children should not answer the door, such as safety, dogs running wild or even a delivery you don’t want them to see yet. By making it a rule, at least until your children are in the upper tween/teen years, that only adults answer the door, you can make sure the dilemma of when to send the neighborhood child home is not even encountered. You can simply tell them at the door that now is not a good time.

Ask first, avoid questions later. Continue reading “Stop the neighborhood kids from moving in“