For some reason, my children decided that randomly screaming a high-pitched yell at the top of their lungs is fun. Maybe it’s the look on my face when my ear drums burst or how the crystal glasses vibrate, but it has become a frequent occurrence.
Luckily, it hasn’t left the home, so the in-laws and random people at Denny’s haven’t heard the siren wail of my little ones, but I think it’s imperative to nip it in the bud before it gets out of control. I tried to figure out why they did it and ran the gamut from attention-seeking behavior to just plain curiosity of exactly how loud they can get. Whatever the reason, my sanity and hearing were in jeopardy.
The quiet conditioning began with a mandatory quiet time following an outburst. There was the traditional double warning before the quiet time, but once that third scream erupted, it was time they appreciated silence. I took my son (or, more often, sons) to the living room, turned off the radio, television and anything else that made noise and sat him down for five minutes.
I explained to them why we were there and the purpose of the quiet time. I sat with them and enjoyed the silence. Sure, they were bored silly and hated it, but I think it made the point. One thing that a parent wanting to get their child to be quiet should never do is yell at them.
Raising your voice to a child and being loud does the opposite of appreciating quiet. It shows them that if you want to be noticed, then you have to raise your voice. It took about two or three weeks of quiet time before the yelling stopped. It still rears its high pitched, ugly head every once in a while, but giving them “the look” stops them in their tracks.
Being loud is a natural part of being a child and I don’t give them a hard time about it unless the volume starts getting excessive. There’s the old saying that children should be seen, but not heard. I don’t agree with that. Children deserve to be heard and their opinions should matter. I think the saying should be revised to, children should be seen and not heard…across town.
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