A savvy mum has been hailed a 'genius' after installing doorbells inside her home - so she can call her children down from the kitchen or even boot her teen son out of the shower if he's taking too long. Kelly Smith installed doorbells inside her kitchen cupboard that are connected to each of her children's bedroom doors to save her voice competing with loud films and music.
The handy hack means the support worker can get the attention of Xavier, 13, Isla, eight, and six-year-old Cohen, six, simply by pressing a button instead of yelling up the stairs. The savvy 39-year-old said it's proved the perfect tool to get everyone round the dinner table - and Xavier even takes the bell in with him when he showers so his mum can warn him when he's been too long.
Kelly said: "They don't ignore me if I shout and they are pretty good but my eldest has just discovered Green Day. He was being really polite at first and playing it quietly but I told him it's Green Day and he needs to play it with a bit of volume. Then my other two watch films so it saves me from standing at the bottom of the stairs fighting with music and films - I can just press the bell."
Not only does Kelly ring the bell to get the kids down to the table, but she also uses it when hygiene-conscious Xavier's taking a little too long in the shower. Kelly said: "Xavier's hygiene routine is important to him so when he's showering he takes the bell with him and if he's taking too long, I can buzz him to let him know it's time to get out. The mistake I made at first was putting them in the living room where they had access to them.
"My six-year-old thought it was hilarious to ring his brother's bell but Xavier takes things very literally so he was [constantly] up and down. I thought it would be best to put them in the kitchen cupboard out of sight, which stops them from pranking each other."
Kelly, who bought two doorbells from Wilko for £5.50 each, shared the hack on social media where parents praised her as a 'genius' and some said they 'can't wait' to try it out on their own children. Kelly, from Taunton, Somerset, said: "It's insane how it's taken off. The comments have all been really positive apart from one who said 'I wouldn't treat my dog like that'.
"I thought that was really interesting that someone would go out of their way to say that. Lots of people say they've been doing it for years. People have been calling me a genius, I wouldn't claim that crown myself but it is nice to read."
Kelly decided to use the 'game changer' doorbells to attract the children's attention as she doesn't allow Wi-Fi in their bedrooms. Kelly rings the bells at least three times a day including at meal times and claims her kids 'love' the idea. She said: "We use them for breakfast, lunch and dinner but also if we have guests or a call to come and collect their laundry piles or if we are heading out. The kids fell in love with them instantly, we've been using it for a few days and it's a game-changer.
"I've seen on social media that people use Alexa but it wouldn't work for us. It's not a one size fits all, what works for my family wouldn't work for someone else's."
Creative Kelly picked the doorbells up on a whim last week but says they've changed the whole atmosphere in the house and the kids respond to them immediately. She said: "My children are really good and independent, fantastic and they have their chores. I don't allow the internet in their rooms because I'm very big on safeguarding, which is my personal choice, but it means no Alexas or anything like that. On this particular day, we'd run into Wilko to shelter from the bad weather and they had doorbells on the till.
"Something in me made me stop to have a look and my son said 'what do you want a doorbell for mummy?' I picked up two and just said I had an idea that I thought might not work but I wanted to try it. Shouting in the house is stressful for the parent and it's stressful for the child. Everyone is so much calmer because there's none of that stress. Life is stressful enough as it is."
After sharing her handy hack on Facebook, the post went viral racking up more than 23,000 likes, shares and comments. Inspired social media users flooded the post with praise, hailing her idea.
