The last week I have been pretty much voiceless. I don't know what exactly has ailed me, but I have been unable to speak much higher than a whisper this entire week. In the mean time I have also been struggling with my dear 3 year-old and his antics. He has been in the most defiant of moods these last several weeks. Anything I tell him, he plainly tells me the contrary. Example #1:
We are in the kitchen making pancakes. Cade is standing on a chair so he can oversee the action taking place on the counter.
"Careful of the griddle, Cade. It's hot," I warn him.
He responded matter of factly,"No, it's not hot. It's berry, berry cold."
Example #2:
We were in the airport waiting in line to get our boarding passes.
"Cade, be a good boy and listen to Mommy," Dad says as Cade is swirving in and out of line and under the railings.
"I'm not a boy. I'm a girl!"
That was news to me.
I swear, one day someone went inside his control panel and reprogrammed him. I have had a difficult time remaining patient during this new phase. Patience is difficult to have when you are living on little sleep. I've read and heard that it is helpful to whisper when you are really upset with your children, as that keeps you from losing your cool and raising your voice to them when it's not a life or death situation (ie. STOP!!!! Get out of the road!!!!). I kind of laughed at that thinking Cade just wouldn't take me seriously if I was whispering and he'd just ignore me.
I was wrong.
I haven't been able to discipline him in anything more than a whisper and it is amazing. He listens BETTER when I am talking softly than if I were to use my normal, end-of-the-day, exhausted, hungry, don't cross me again voice. He minds me and he himself has been found whispering throughout the house.
This has been a fine lesson of how much my attitude, tone of voice and body language impacts the spirit of our home.
3 comments:
I'm sorry you aren't feeling well but isn't it wonderful to learn these small insights into a different world that you would probably never have experienced otherwise? "He whispers through out the house." LOL
You gave him a whole new perspective on life... whispers.
This is hilarious--because this same exact thing happened to me at the beginning of March! I lost my voice for about a week and Avril kept telling me "Mommy, don't be ky-et (quiet)". At times it was frustrating not to be able to raise my voice, but it was also oddly effective.
Oh, and Avril is very contrariwise as well... ;) The joys of motherhood...
any secrets to turn the "frown upside down and smile that frown away??" I'm desperate these days.
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