Originally Posted by coloradoprovider:
"Coats go here." When they walk in the door, say "Good morning, coats go here." Speak before he acts. Repeat as necessary. Don't over explain, don't apologize or feel badly about speaking up. So over worrying about what people think. Keep it simple, short and to the point. Works for children AND adults!
Question though - is your front door unlocked so people can come in right away? I keep my front door locked so I can "head them off at the pass!" (and for safety reasons) Shoes are off after my entryway.
I keep my front door locked all the time. Since it's got 3 different ways to go there (into the kitchen, down the hall to the playroom or into the living room) there are kids going through there all day and I don't want anyone to get nailed with unexpected openings of the door. Plus, just for safety I keep it locked. I think this dad gets it. I made a point of showing him where his daughters coat was when he picked up and said isn't that nice my husband bought me there to keep everything neat and tidy. He said oh that is nice. So I think it will be good now. Hopefully. I can see him trying to put hat and mittens there though so I'll have to tell him tuck the mittens and hats into her coat sleeve. Honestly I like to do that anyway because I'm sure everyone can relate when you have hats and mittens just floating around, they get lost easily.