Red light, Green light

In these modern times, I can't believe I still can't turn my doorbell on and off. I'm sure someone has already invented this but why isn't readily available to consumers? We can turn our home phones off, set our cell phones to silent or vibrate, have our emails automatically respond that we're unavailable but we can't stop our doorbells from ringing.

We're lucky to live on a great street with lots of kids. Unfortunately, our street is a through street that serves as a speedway for many cars. After requests were denied for speed bumps, I've decided that I'm just not comfortable letting my 6-year-old play in the front yard unattended. It is rare that I have time to sit outside while my kids play so they usually end up in the back yard or in the playroom. Many of my son's friends do play outside and ask if he can come out.

One day, my doorbell rang 6 times... yes 6 times. Luckily I didn't have a sleeping baby upstairs but I was starting to go a little "ringy dingy" myself. It's not that I don't want kids asking to play with my son. It's fun to watch him develop friendships with kids on our street. However, I really do need a way to organize my time and set up playtimes with his friends. I think I've finally found a solution and I hope it works for you as well.

I made a two-sided card that hangs in the front window near my door. One side is green and the other is red. I explained to my son's friends that when the card is red that he can't come outside and not to ring the doorbell except in case of an emergency. When the card is green, he can play and it's okay to ring the doorbell. Until summer hits, this card will likely stay red most of the time but it really is working for our family. It's always so hard when a friend comes over, rings the bell and I have to tell him that we can't play. My kids get so disappointed and I feel guilty that I don't drop whatever I'm doing and rush outside for a play date. I think it's better for our friends too because they don't have to come all the way up to our front door only to be told "no" again. I find that this system works better than "do not ring bell" because I may still want my vendors and other people to ring the bell.