Did they learn the lesson the hard way? not sure if I should laugh or cry

[imagine]

So you know how you will tell them to stop something or they will break it? Well...

Our 1915 house has no lock on the bathroom door.
So there have been many lessons on "knock first and respect privacy?" For years this had worked for the most part

Once in a while a child will want to ignore this kindness of the "knock and respect" normally with a sibling. Who then guards the door handle and there is a struggle of wills with tugging and twisting of the door knob to see who "wins"

I have mentioned time and time again that it will break the door handle and there will be even less privacy.

That did happen yesterday. The door latch broke. Now the door will not only not lock but it won't stay shut. It swings open a crack So even less privacy and more of a need for "Knock and respect"

Lesson learned the hard way. I'm very upset as 1915 houses are hard to fix.

Hubby tries to fix it with the children helping. It is completely broken and a fix will not be soon. So little privacy for a while. I think "good" the lesson will drive home as the lesson
as the natural consequences will be harder to deal with.

Then today I notice one child kept the door shut by placing a towel between the door and the jam thus maintaining his privacy.

I don't know if I should smile at the ingenuity of the towel as a way to keep the door shut or cry as the lesson wasn't so hard ( no privacy lost) The natural consequences were avoided

I just only time will tell if the lesson of "knock and respect" and definitely don't fit over the door knob will stick.

[nuisance26]

~Ahh kids. Things like this are a daily occurrence around here. I don't know whether to be proud of my kids' curiosity or mad that they didn't believe me when I cautioned about breakage/burns/getting hurt. Of course I do get mad when they're being disobedient. *sigh*~

[Ceashels]

Just take the door off, that will teach them ! LOL

It is nice to see Necessity being the Mother of Invention.

[imagine]

Just take the door off, that will teach them ! LOL

It is nice to see Necessity being the Mother of Invention.

It is the only bathroom in the house. I would like to have at least an illusion of privacy when I'm in the shower and on the toilet. Oh and I will definitely be stealing the towel in the door jam trick. LOL


Your post reminded me of this song
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8wuGRlRZqk"]YouTube - School house Rock - Mother Necessity[/ame]

[Nishu]

Just take the door off, that will teach them ! LOL

It is nice to see Necessity being the Mother of Invention.

I've heard of people doing this to bedroom doors when they get slammed.

Sorry about your door, Imagine.

[LynnLC]

Can you just use a slide lock?

[imagine]

I've heard of people doing this to bedroom doors when they get slammed.

Sorry about your door, Imagine.

Hubby is planning on fixing it. He has figured out that the spring in the latch snapped.

He is going to look for one. If he can't find one that will work he is going to "cannibalize" the extra doors that are stored for the parts.

I'm not worried it will be fixed. I just hope the lesson as been learned.

[imagine]

Can you just use a slide lock?

I personally like the idea of doors not locking. Shutting and staying shut on the other hand I do like.

Hubby is planning on fixing the door.
And hopefully the children have learned the lesson.

[krbshappy71]

We had a bathroom door that didn't latch well. We hung a sign on the doorknob that said, "OCCUPIED" on one side. When in use, you had to flip the sign to display OCCUPIED and then flip it back to blank when done.

It worked well.

[mndtrp]

Honestly, the story didn't go where I thought it would. When you said you told them to "stop something, or it's going to break", and then brought up privacy, I had a feeling the story would lead into a "self-help" discussion.