Pooh's story on Rules Of The Game: The Goal Posts

A Story of Boundaries and Breakthroughs

While Mum and Dad soaked in the stunning seafront and vast desert landscapes just north of Muscat, Pooh Bear—ever the curious explorer—wandered down to the seashore. There, with the rhythmic waves as his backdrop, he cracked open a chapter titled ‘7 Keys to a Winning Team’ from Family Matters, So Does Business.

As he flipped through the pages, one particular concept grabbed his attention: the 5th Key—“Rules of the Game.”

Pooh read that these are your own, or your teams or your company’s rules that are non-negotiable for every one.? Pooh started reading the story about Michael and the rules that governed his life once Dad had drawn the ‘goal-posts’ on the fridge.?

Captivated, he read on about how Dad's had shown his son Michael an ingenious way using a simple fridge magnet and rugby field to illustrate life’s ‘goalposts & Boundaries,’ to Michael.

Michael’s Story: Lessons from the Field

A Game Plan for Life

Sport played such an integral part of Michael’s life. He was forever breaking something or losing a ball as a result of some mighty kick into the bushes, the ball being hurled over neighbours’ fences or smashing through a window.

He would often be late home from some sporting event or another. His mother and I were beside ourselves trying to come up with some way to let him know he was pushing the boundaries too far.

Each new incident and subsequent punishment led us to believe we’d cracked it, only for Michael to have that bewildered look on his face, wondering what he’d done wrong - again.

To him, it was just sport. The ball may be lost, but he’d find another one. It might have been late and dark when he came home caked in mud, but the game was so much fun he had just lost track of time. And there was always one more goal to score or try to be scored.

One day he asked me to explain the rules of rugby to him. He played football but his brother played rugby, and he wanted to understand what his brother was doing on the field. As I was a rugby referee at the time, he thought I might know a little bit about the laws of the game.

I was explaining the rules to him and had drawn a picture of two goal posts, one at each end of the paper. I was using a magnet to give him a visual reference of when the ball was in play, out of play and where the resulting scrum or line-out would be. He understood this completely. All of a sudden it dawned on me, a Blinding Flash of the Obvious. Here was our way of helping him to understand where on the ‘naughty’ chart he was.

So, a rugby field was drawn up on a blank piece of paper with the halfway line, goal line, 10m lines, 22m lines and the goal posts. This was placed on the fridge with a rugby ball magnet that I had used when I was explaining the laws of rugby.

“Here’s how it works,” Dad explained. “When the magnet is in the middle of the field, between the halfway and 22m lines, you’re doing great. Between the 22m and the goal line, you’re pushing your luck. And if the magnet’s near the dead ball line… well, you’re in serious trouble.”

If the ball was sailing over the goalposts, Michael was heading for the hills because he knew he was in serious trouble for some major infraction he had committed.

Michael’s eyes lit up. The rules were clear, tangible, and—best of all—fun. Each day, he’d check the magnet’s position. If it veered into the danger zone, he’d race to his parents to ask what he’d done and how he could fix it. It became a game—a visual, interactive guide to staying on track.

Throughout the day, Michael would come to the fridge and look at where the rugby ball magnet was. When it was out of the halfway and 22m quadrant, he would come and ask what he was doing wrong and what he needed to do to amend his ways. It was such a visual reference for him.

Family Tactics

Of course, his siblings couldn’t resist adding their own twists. Sometimes, they’d mischievously nudge the magnet into the ‘naughty’ quadrant, delighting in Michael’s startled reaction. Other times, they’d band together, shifting the magnet back to the safe zone with innocent grins, standing as a united front to ‘prove’ Michael’s good behavior. Through it all, an unspoken bond formed—a rule of the game they all understood: family looks out for each other.

Pooh’s Takeaway

As Pooh closed the book, he couldn’t help but smile. This simple system wasn’t just a clever parenting hack—it was a universal lesson in setting boundaries and building trust. Whether on a rugby field, a hockey rink, or an athletics track, this model could help kids (and adults!) navigate their own games with clarity and purpose.

Pooh’s Moral: Tailor the field to fit your child’s passion. Hockey, athletics, soccer—whatever their game, draw the lines and set the rules. With a clear framework, they’ll learn not just to play, but to win—both on and off the field.