What would you guys do?

[trickman]

Unfortunately, there's not much you can do when it comes to someone else's kids. This is especially true with family. My sis-in-law, bro-in-law, niece and nephew were over a few weeks ago, and stayed overnight into the next day. The in-laws know I'm "anal" about my rec-room area and that it's not necessarily kid-friendly (b/c I don't have kids). There are too many temptations and things on shelves that are breakable and within reach of tiny hands. Knowing this, they kept the kids away from the downstairs the entire time until about an hour and a half before they had to leave.

My nephew is 2 yrs old, which I was reminded of constantly by his mother... "He's 2! You're lucky if he doesn't get into trouble and/or break something/knock something over," which he did...upstairs knocked over an end table with a plant on it. Plant dirt all over the wall and the carpet. Nothing some soap, water and a shop-vac couldn't fix, though.

My niece is 6 and has cerebral palsy (CP). She has trouble with some of her 'motor skills' and cannot walk or respond quickly with her movements.

Now, going back to the hour and a half in the rec-room area... I was able to occupy my nephew (who got bored of the arcade games quickly) with some games on the Wii. Nothing got broken and he was pretty content for the most part. Daddy stayed with daughter (my niece) the entire time, letting her get a feel for the games that were there and seeing if she would respond positively to any of them. She did best with my pinball machine and liked pushing the flipper buttons to make something "physically happen." The reason I mentioned that she has CP is that she also drools from time to time, and she can't help this. Some of it got on the machines, esp. pinball, but it didn't matter. I was prepped for this and it was just saliva. A little Windex and it was all gone.

All that to say, if it's someone else's kid(s) and some saliva gets on games, it's easy to clean, and a lot better than a rambunctious kid running around breaking things. At that point, it'd be time to explain that they can't be there if they won't behave.

 

[Big Arn]

These are all great replies, and some GREAT ideas!

But the thumb was definitely wet and shiny when touching everything, which is why I was bothered in the first place.

If I knew that one of my kids had that habit, I would certainly try my best to keep an eye on him if I was in someones house. But then again, we've had people come over with very young kids, who just want to "turn their kids loose" downstairs. Even my wife knows that's not going to fly.

I guess it's all just part of having an arcade.

And saliva is better than some other things kids could produce .....

 

[trickman]

These are all great replies, and some GREAT ideas!

But the thumb was definitely wet and shiny when touching everything, which is why I was bothered in the first place.

If I knew that one of my kids had that habit, I would certainly try my best to keep an eye on him if I was in someones house. But then again, we've had people come over with very young kids, who just want to "turn their kids loose" downstairs. Even my wife knows that's not going to fly.

I guess it's all just part of having an arcade.

And saliva is better than some other things kids could produce .....

Exactly. And beer and pop spills from "responsible adults" are much worse, IMO. I always clean my games before and after company comes anyway.

 

[JTVK]

If you know they are coming over.. polish and clean the games ahead of time... make sure there is a Pine-Sol scent in the air, and then say:

"I just cleaned my electronics, so if you want to play the games be careful not to put your hands anywhere near your face to avoid the chemicals"

The parents will thank you for being so thoughtful about their children's safety, and they will even help you in making sure their children avoid any hand-to-face contact.

I had to do things like this when I worked with kids in Sunday School.

 

[savit4l8r]

I'll take scratch that family off the invite list for $1000 Alex.

 

[TOK]

Every kid down there was probably digging in their nose or ass sometime during the day and you didn't see them. They are filthy little beasts. Just let them do their thing, then wipe down the games.