Spring Training...Mommy-Style

It's hard for kids to follow directions.  At least, it seems hard for my kids.  It feels like they never listen and forget half of what I say.

There are distractions, and short attention spans, all of which lead to selective forgetfulness. I've been working on different methods of getting them to listen and follow through. I've discovered that eye contact is key during the "instruction" period, and having them repeat the instructions back to me reinforces it.

We try not to wear shoes in the house.  We have an overflowing shoe rack in the garage, which is a mess. But when shoes do come in the house, we usually keep them by the front door, under a little bench.

The other day when we got in the house, I very casually instructed Grant to take off his shoes and put them by the door.  He was chatting away about his own little world, and I did not expect him to have heard me, let alone actually follow my instructions.

I came around the corner, and this is what I saw:

They couldn't be any closer to the front door.  Seems my spring training is working.