I like your question: how do we deal with un/intentionally distracting people?

I have two small children (9 & 12), well, not so small anymore. I have had to teach them over the years to respect my boundaries when it comes to work. Until last month, I was a practicing classical musician. Many times, the kids would walk into my practice room and even sing! Kids are persistant, so gentle ‘let daddy practice now, sweetie’ exhortations hardly had any effect. Shouting always resulted in getting them out of the room, but the feelings left on both sides were low. That happened enough times for the children to understand the boundaries involved.

With adults, I don’t recommend shouting. But if they ignore gentleness, then it becomes imperative to be firm. If they still persist, at work there may be procedures to stop them; at home the problem is more complex. I try to nurture love in the family to the highest degree possible when we are together. Then the apart times are more bearable. What other strategies can we employ?