Top 10 Places Your Kids Hide Things

Can't find your child's homework or report card? Looking for your television remote? In the "Huffington Post," Jessica Margolin explains that children hide things for the same reasons anyone does. Sometimes they hide items they're ashamed of. Sometimes they hide things they shouldn't have. Other times, they just want to watch parents or siblings search. Before you purchase another copy of your book or a second cell phone, think like your child, and you might find what you're looking for in one of 10 popular hiding spots.

Your Child's Room

The first place to check for a missing item is in your child's room. Children see their rooms, whether private or shared with a sibling, as a sanctuary away from parents. It's a favorite spot to hide things, like an object they've been told not to play with, a game taken away after poor behavior or a snack they shouldn't eat before dinner. If the object is not lying out on the floor, check under the bed. Here you may find something that isn't negative at all. Perhaps it's a surprise birthday present for you or a personal diary, which you should not open. A third hiding spot is inside a drawer. Children hide items they feel may bring disciplinary action more carefully. In a dresser drawer, you might find a failed test or a video game you wouldn't approve of.

Closets

Closets offer a variety of secret locations for hiding objects. This fourth common hiding place could be a closet anywhere in the home. Some children hide objects just inside the closet door. Others are more crafty. Check a fifth spot, which is inside a box in the closet, or a sixth spot, on a high shelf. Look behind other objects and toward the back wall. The deeper the object is hidden, the more likely your child does not want you to find it. Move things around and don't doubt that your child climbed up on something to reach a higher place! Since hiding often accompanies lying, talk to your children about honesty and encourage them to confide in you.

Inside Other Objects

The seventh hiding place works with smaller items. Children may stash away small items inside other objects. Younger children may choose obvious places like bags. Search in purses, shopping bags or backpacks. Open suitcases and plastic containers. If your child is very young, you can explain why he shouldn't hide things, but punishment may not be effective. As explained by Juliette Guilbert at the "Parenting" magazine's website, toddlers don't always understand that what they're doing is wrong. Older children do know and may think more strategically about objects you wouldn't consider checking. Try old, unworn shoes, dirty socks, hampers and the pockets of off-season clothing packed away in the attic.

Under and Inside Furniture

Hiding spots eight, nine and 10 are all furniture locations. Children's small hands can reach places where adult hands can't. Hiding place eight is under a couch or armchair. Children may plant your keys here when they don't want you to leave! Spot nine is behind heavy furniture such as a dresser, desk or headboard. You may need to move the furniture away from a wall to find what you're looking for. The 10th hiding place to check is under a mattress or stuffed behind or under pillows and cushions. If you feel your child is regularly hoarding objects, this could be a sign of obsessive-compulsive disorder, according to PsychCentral 2. In this case, seek professional guidance.