Most frequently mentioned in children’s interviews were rules relating to social conventional
behaviours. For younger children, these rules prohibited them from ‘doing bold things’ such as
kicking a ball or skateboarding in the house, or breaking and damaging toys and fragile objects
in the home. A number of children in the younger age groups also mentioned rules prohibiting
‘bad manners’, with specific reference to behaviours such as shouting at parents, snatching things,
answering back and using bad language. Social conventional rules for older age groups were linked
to behaviours such as not eating in front of the television, keeping rooms tidy and adhering to
agreed bedtime arrangements.