Signs have power. Did you ever notice that?
You can tell
someone, this is the rule… but until
they see it in writing, preferably on a sign, they don’t actually take you
seriously. Or maybe that’s just my house. We’re a family of readers (and
writers). We like to see things in print.
Some of my kids favorite signs of late include…..
And, even better….
(I place these signs above the toilet at 5:25 AM after the
schools auto-robot caller has woken me and crashed my day.)
But I’ve utilized signs to keep the laundry sorted….
The meals eaten….
And the bathroom clean….
My daughter uses a sign to keep out the riff-raff….
Sure, I’m mostly kidding, but sometimes putting up a sign is
much better than giving an order. I don’t know about you, but when someone
tells me to do something, my inner adolescent soul prickles. I don’t want to do
it. I’ll probably do it, but I might wait until you’re not looking or until it
feels like it’s my idea.
For better or worse, my kids have inherited many of my own
quirks. So I’ve learned they respond better to directions in writing than in
nag-form. I’ve begun leaving messages for them on their chore chart.
