My girls are extremely loud. I mean glass shattering, blood curdling, horror movies, LOUD and they are always loud. They are loud when they' re mad, sad, happy, excited, surprised, and they are loud when they're fighting or playing nicely. My kids are constantly loud and I don't think they are the only kids that are boisterous. I say "Inside voices" a million times when we are in public to try and teach them to control the sound of their voices. However, at home we are obviously a little more lack because we want them to enjoy being kids. Normally this is not a problem but on Sunday I lost my voice.
I have three very vocal girls. This trait is inherited naturally from their mother's side. Constantly I was told that I was too loud as a kid. My voice naturally projected which is skill that has come in very handy as a singer and a mom. I never planned on being a mom that yells. However, in order to be heard over my gaggle of girls I must raise my voice. Sometimes I yell in frustration. Sometimes I yell in disappointment. Often I yell because it is literally the only way to be heard above the volume level of my little ladies. Since I am home with them all day I really don't notice the decibel level of their little voices. When my husband comes home from being at work all day I can tell that their piercing little screams hurt his ears. He has been in a quiet office all day and then had a quiet car ride home. The extreme differences in sound would be difficult for anyone to adjust to.
On most normal days my girls don't listen to me unless I am screaming like a crazy person. I have yet to determine if this is because they are ignoring me or literally can't hear me. Some days I think that it might be both reasons. I can say "Put your shoes on" in a calm normal voice twenty times. None of my sweet little ladies will budge an inch from what they are doing. However, if I scream the words at them they finally mosey on over to the shoe totes. It will still be another 5-10 minutes of finding matching shoes and getting them actually on their feet. Without working vocal chords I am starting to think my kids are going to go barefoot everywhere. I cannot conceive of a way to get my kids out the door with shoes on their feet. Snapping and whistling does not have the same effect on my children as speaking loudly.
Getting my kids where they need to be and keeping the house in relative order is going to be a challenge with limited speaking capabilities. If I am honest it is always a challenge even when I have a full voice. My toddler is a particularly interesting challenge. She is at that amazing age when she sneakily loves to get into everything that she is not authorized to get into. Often my husband and I have to clap, stomp, or yell at her to stop doing what she is getting ready to do. Sometimes I feel like we are treating her like a cat instead of a toddler. Telling her to get down from there or even yelling "Scat" when she tries to reach for certain things. I'm positive she is going to take full advantage of a no voice momma this week.
I love momma challenges. An opportunity to try new things with my girls is always something I cherish. Flexing my mom muscle makes me learn new things and be a better mom. I think it is good for them to see their mom in a different way too. Stepping out of my comfort zone and not using my naturally loud voice to correct behavior is going to be refreshing. Whispering, clapping, snapping, stomping, and whistling will have to be my main form of attention for the next week. They are going to need to learn to work together more because the referee is out of office. I am sure that it will make my girls pay more attention and get more creative. However, I am sure that more messes will be made while I am without a voice. Fighting among the girls will continue longer while I am silenced. Arriving later to all activities with less preparation without momma reminders will be a common occurrence during the next week. Without a yelling momma my girls will have to rely on themselves more. This momma will also have to learn to trust they can do more things on their own. At the end of this 2 weeks we will all appreciate each other a little more and hopefully be a little more confident in our own abilities. Let's hope my voice comes back soon.
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