How to Get your Kids' Attention

It's supper time, or time to get ready to go, or you just need to ask the kids something. Does this ever happen to you?

*crickets*

OK, they're carrying on somewhere, and your attempts to reach them have been futile.

What's next? Holler louder? Go upstairs from room to room until you locate them, whereupon you can get down to their level and lovingly "collect" them? Give up and decide you don't need to go anywhere ever again after all?

No! Don't waste time with any of those. Next time, try my fail-proof plan for collecting your kids.

Nothing beckons "come stand here" to a kid quite like a dirt pile. There's not a sweeping pile in our house that didn't end up with a kid in the middle of it, even if it's in the corner of the room. Even if the kid hadn't been in the room yet all day.


Incidentally, this is a tradition that goes back to my own childhood. Here is a cartoon I drew at 14 of my mom trying to sweep. I now feel her pain (and accept that it doesn't stop in the teen years-- that's me in the last panel. Sigh).

Click to Enlarge

Sorry, Ma.  

So, try it next time you want to save yourself the hassle of hollering or searching the house. If you find that doesn't work, however, you might also try my other strategy, which is to sit down with a cup of coffee. That always gets my children rolling toward me like bony tumbleweeds.