My house is loud. We have three noisy, joyful, wonderful children who know how to work my Alexa’s. On top of that, our home has hard flooring everywhere (on purpose – I like being able to really clean them) and I don’t believe in wall art without function or purposeful joy, so our walls echo if you hit the right decibel. As I’m typing this column, my children are yelling “GHOSTBUSTERS!” every time the song calls for it.
I’m sure this noise level would appall many other parents and grandparents out there. But here’s the thing – noise is only overwhelming if you equate them with someone being angry or hurt. If I can take a deep breath and back away from those initial assumptions, I can hear what the loud noise really is ninety percent of the time:
-the kids using their imaginations (*insert siren sounds and wolf howling*)
-games being played (“my turn! good roll, Rex!”)
-kids trying to make sure their voice is heard (this is mainly Emma)
-memories being made & sibling relationships being strengthened (“GHOSTBUSTERS!”)
-feelings being expressed & conflicts being resolved (“I don’t want to play like that! I want to be the mommy this time!!!”)
None of those are bad when really examined. The next time your house feels overwhelmingly loud, take a few deep breaths and then reevaluate to see if the noise is something you need to address or something you should be grateful for. The kids being happy and loud is not the same as whoever you heard yelling in anger when you were little. You get to distinguish the difference. Hang in there, Mama.
Disclaimer/Reality Check: You’re allowed to want some silence, too. You are human, even as a mom. The phrase I use when it’s simply too much is “hey! look up! see the ceiling?” Which my kids then do & answer yes and know to lower it a bit for their inside voices. This column will be about motherhood, parenting, and homemaking for the most part. Somedays you’ll patient and tolerate the noise, others you’ll lose your ish and send them all outside. We all do it. Most importantly, I don’t ever want this column to make another mama think she’s not doing enough. If you’re reading this, I want you to know that you are, you’re doing great, keep it up. Sing it with me: no-one is doing it allllll!
