Beyond the Case: Teaching Kids Boundary-Setting and Respect Through Your Collection
When your children are very small, it may feel like you have hardly any time to work on your collections. You open up the box or head into the hobby room, and the toddlers are fast behind you. This stage is a perfect time to teach your kids how to respect boundaries. By using your collection as a learning model, you can educate your children on the importance of mutual respect for each other’s belongings and individual interests.
Importance of Setting Boundaries
Kids need to understand boundaries, so they can stay safe and function reasonably in society. Children who don’t have a good understanding of boundaries are more likely to get in trouble when you take them out, or disregard your personal instructions to them at home. Setting boundaries early teaches kids that there are limits to their behaviors and that their actions have impacts outside themselves when they fail to respect them. As they move through school, they’ll have an easier time learning how to respect a wider range of people as a result.
How to Teach Mutual Respect Through Your Collection
Instill a Culture of Consent
If you want to teach mutual respect, it has to come from you first. Create a culture of consent in your home that demonstrates respect for your child’s time and belongings. Here are a few ways to start:
Knock on your kid’s door
Ask before interrupting them when they’re busy or trying to focus
Ask for permission when handling things in their room
Give them age-appropriate moments of privacy, especially once they reach school-age
These habits get children into the practice of asking before they do things, because they see you doing the same.
Establish Physical Boundaries
If you want your kids to respect your boundaries for your collection, you need to set them and make them clear. When your children are very young, consider keeping your collections unavailable to their hands. Putting boxes on high shelves or creating enclosed display cases can remove a child’s ability to access the collection without your permission, especially while you are working on their adherence to the boundary. When you get out your collection, be clear about what your kids are allowed to do.
Create Activity Zones Within Your Collection
Teaching mutual respect involves helping your children engage with your collection to some degree. You may choose to create a number of activity zones, such as:
Rooms where your kids can look but not touch
Items that your children can touch with your permission and supervision
Parts of your collection that your children can enjoy with less worry, like plushies or videos
Establishing varying zones can help your children to understand that there are boundaries that are off-limits to them, while keeping some room for them to engage.
Demonstrate Proper Item Care
Kids have to learn how to handle items, and they’ll do it better by following your lead. Encourage your children to participate in the act of collecting. When you get a new item, such as one from an autograph store, show how you carefully open the box and inspect the collectible without damaging it. When appropriate, demonstrate how to hold it and allow them to try.
Discuss the Value of Respecting Others’ Passions
As your children get a little older, you can explain your processes. Talk about your collection and how you started building it. Encourage them to show you their collectibles and talk about them. When you handle their collections, such as Pokémon cards or pull-back cars, demonstrate respect and care for each item. Explain the social advantages of being able to appreciate and share in another person’s passions.
Getting kids to respect your collections can be difficult, but it is a worthwhile endeavor. By working on building mutual respect and a culture of consent in your home, you can teach your children the importance of respecting boundaries and handling others’ belongings with care.
AUTHOR BIO: Tom Cathey is Co-founder of SWAU, a Houstonbased entertainment collectibles company that connects fans with celebrities via autograph signings, memorabilia auctions, and vibrant collector communities. Cathey has more than six years of experience in the industry, focusing on curating authentic autographic opportunities and fostering a tight-knit global collector community.
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