Whispering Sanity

As the boys get older, I realize more and more how little they listen. Not hear, LISTEN. It's an amazing thing that selective hearing. I'm not even sure I could do it. To intentionally hear but not hear someone...well that's a true gift.

Anyway, as time has gone on, I've tried a few things to get this bad habit to stop. If I was yelling firmly telling the boys something, I'd make sure they were looking me straight in the eye. Well, eventually they were looking through me. Then I'd have them repeat what I said, and that was like playing Operator when you're about 10, it's never the same the second time around. But then, then I figured it out. Hush.

No, not you hush, me. I simply whispered. It not only confused the hell out of them, but made them think I was so nutty they just had to hear what I had to say. Sure, just because I said something, they didn't always follow the directions, but they heard me. Yay for no ear doctor appointments, THEY HEAR ME!!

Then to take that to the next level, I tried it with the television. Volume on the tv wasn't always overly loud, but as they try to talk/yell over each other, laugh at the show, or of course ignore me, volume would gradually go up. So, I used the same concept as the whisper, and lowered the volume considerably. Almost to the volume I watch the news on at 5am while everyone is sleeping. Know what the result was? LISTENING! Listening to the show...really listening. There's no give room if it's a show they are really interested in, because if they start to argue or yelp they won't hear it. So not only did it quiet the tv, but it quieted them. They focused.

So next time things seem to be escalating around the house and everyone/everything's volume starts to rise, try some quiet time. Not silent, just quiet. It will drive them crazy, but it will make you sane. :)

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