On Monday's, I'm going to introduce a topic I'm having trouble with, and I want you to give me ideas on what you think will help. If you have an issue you'd like some feedback, ideas, suggestions, or help on, email me the topic and I'll include it on the next Mothering Forum.
Notice I did not say 'Mother's' Forum. You don't need to be a mother to leave comments. Any helpful suggestions are welcome.
I started college planning on being an early childhood special education teacher, majoring in Marriage, Family, and Human Development. My junior year, I changed my mind, and moved that major to my minor. Though I had more than enough credits already than needed for just a minor, I thought all those early childhood and parenting classes would help me have all the answers as a parent someday... Ha Ha, I wish.
So, here we are today.
Monday's Mothering Forum Topic:
My kids are LOUD. Most kids are loud, but my kids are LOUD. They are loud playing, they are loud eating, they are loud talking, they are just plain loud; early in the morning when they wake up (we're talking six AM people), at the breakfast table, while Jonah's trying to fall asleep, in public, at the dinner table, in the car, in the living room, in the kitchen, brushing their teeth... you get the idea.
Some might say, "They can't be that loud all the time..." To those some, I would say, "Do you enjoy listening to someone scrape their fingernails down a chalkboard 95% of a day?" That's the equivalent to me. SERIOUSLY.
We do the: "Use your inside voice." "Can you make your voice sound soft like mine?"
We shut the door to their room while they play so their loudness might be contained, but it still is VERY loud. (This is especially a problem at six AM, or when Jonah is trying to go to sleep.)
We've done time outs, and "Be quiets," but eventually fall back on, "STOP YELLING!"
So, they are yelling at me, and eventually I yell at them to 'stop yelling.' Productive, yes? No. I love those moments when Mallary is yelling at me, and then right back at her I say in a LOUD voice, "You do not yell at mommy!" You've heard, "a soft voice turneth away wrath," right? I've taken that whole moment to pause, to calm my rising frustration, and force myself not to raise my voice, and well, it doesn't seem to work when I try it...
So...
Any tips? Ideas? Suggestions? Things you've tried that did or didn't work? Please share!
Or, are your children quiet all the time and you've never had this issue?
(If they are, could we maybe do a child swap a few times a week?)
