Undisciplined children visiting your home...

by Dedee Libo
(ABQ, NM)

Last week, my husband and I invited our employee's wife and two young children into our home, because it was snowing outside and it was the polite thing to do.

My husband and I are in our fifties and we have expensive art on the walls as well pottery pieces and breakable nice home decor.

I welcomed this family into our home, offered food and drink and to turn cartoons on the TV to entertain the two little ones.

I should explain that my husband had his male employee helping him with winterizing our pool outside, while the wife and kids were inside with me for a while.

It wasn't long before the kids were jumping with their shoes on our expensive leather sofas, in the presence of their mother. Then they starting banging a car key inside an expensive bowl displayed on our coffee table. Then, they kicked over two ice cream cups that I had served them which splattered the coffee table and all over the spotless area rug.

I was so upset, but did not feel it my place to discipline them in front of their mother.
She would tell them " no" after each incident, but they would say " no" back to her.

The last straw was when she gave her son a small soft ball to play with and my husband told the child not to throw it in our house.... The child threw the ball and hit a piece of art on the wall. That was it for me.

The mother said that she would take the kid's for a drive and I said OK.

In the future, what would be a better way to handle that situation?
Thank you,
Dedee