Lynda Loveland: Stop yelling!

I’m not proud of it, but it’s loud at our house. With three kids ages 3, 5 and 7, all with selective hearing, sometimes it takes a raised voice to be heard. But you know how that works, loudness begets loudness. Factor in the two dogs, one of which is a pup and before you know it, we’ve surpassed the allowable decibel limit in Cary. (Those guinea pigs can work themselves into a frenzy too!)

My son is the worst. He yells EVERYTHING. I keep telling him to keep it down but it just doesn’t sink in. My daughter turns up the TV way too loud. You’d think she was hard of hearing. Oh wait, she is. And I’m not referring to an actual physical condition. My youngest is the loudest whiner/cryer you’ve ever heard.

I’ve seen those shows, like Supernanny, where the parents complain how loud the kids are, but it’s the parents who start it. Well, I’m here to tell you, our house was just a low rumble BTK (before the kids).

I’ve decided to try a little experiment. I’m going to stop yelling for one week. Instead of yelling for/at the kids from across the room, I’m going to walk up to them. If they’re talking loudly, I’m going to talk normally. I’m really going to try my best to keep it on the down low.

Are you with me? We’ll compare notes next week.