10 Ways to Get Your Kids' Attention

Parents everywhere throw their hands up when they think that they are finally going to get five minutes of peace, only to have it interrupted.  Here are 10 surefire ways to get your kids' attention...

1.  Pick up a phone.  You don't even have to start to talk.  Inevitably, just your hand against the receiver sets off a tiny alarm in their brains that says that they MUST tell you about the caterpillar they saw a week ago and they MUST tell you RIGHT NOW!

2.  Close a door.  The sound of a door closing to a kid is like the sound of a cheese wrapper to a dog.

3.  Speaking of wrappers.... open a bag of chips or candy.  Your kids can be watching Netflix with headphones on and still hear you open a Snickers.

4.  Try to sit down on the toilet.  I wish I knew who the manufacture was that created this cruel joke.  There HAS to be an alarm that sounds when kids know that you're pooping.  They will yell to you through the door if you're lucky.  If you're not, they'll barge right in.  Ah the memories you'll create.

5.  Try to have a conversation with ANY other adult.  You can have spent the WHOLE day with your kid, talking to them non stop...for a month....and they'll STILL incessantly interrupt when you're trying to talk.

6.  Try to take a nap.  Seriously...try it.  It will get their attention every time.

7.  Use trigger words like "money", "cake" or "McDonald's".  Even whispered across the house with fans on and TVs blaring, kids can hear these words.

8.  Attempt to shower without interruption.  Your kids can be dead asleep at 3 AM and you can start a shower in a completely different part of the house and they'll STILL think they need to talk to you right now.  Oddly, half the time, they groan when THEY have to shower.

9.  Answer the door.  It could be a Jehovah's Witness and they STILL want to know who's at the door.

10.  Try to watch a TV show.  Phew, all the kids are busy reading or doing something else, I can FINALLY catch up on the episodes I've missed throughout the week running kids to activities....wrong.

BONUS:  Pour a cup of coffee.  It can and will wake them from a sound sleep