I’m taking part in The Daily Post’s one-word prompt for a blog post. Today’s word is “Noise.”
First thing to flash through my mind was the video toward the end of this post. 17-month grandson, Grasshopper, jabbers quietly, then raises his voice. He had a cute little routine going. Soft jabbering, then more loud vocals. It reminded me of some contestants auditioning for American Idol.
Perhaps he was curious about the range of his voice. Some folks might call it noise. Others (like grandmothers) might think it’s music to their ears. Probably only if it’s their grandchild.
As far as calling it noise, I guess it does qualify, but this is nothing compared to after his sister was born.
Sometimes I’d call my daughter and, as usual, the kids would take their cue to make NOISE whenever their mommy answered the phone. I have a feeling this is universal. Sometimes the two grandkids were so noisy when I called to talk to my daughter, it sounded like she was running a day care center.
Screaming laughter or hysterical crying mixed with various levels of noise from musical gadgets and talking toys, plus the TV playing in the background, it sounded like 20 kids were having a field day. It’s not like my daughter didn’t do her best to shush them. She did. Sometimes it worked. For about five seconds.
If one of the kids had a tummy ache, it was perfect timing to throw up when Mommy was on the phone. Sometimes the little rascals turned into dare devil circus clowns taking flying leaps from the coffee table to the couch. Occasionally one would miss their mark, landing in a face plant on the hard floor. *Shudders*
I’d be left hanging, heart pounding, trying to discern if it was a life threatening emergency or just a one-bandage owie. At times Ninja Doll cried so hard, she couldn’t catch her breath. Those were heart-stopping moments. Parenting and grand parenting is not for wimps.
Funny how history repeats itself. I went through the same scenarios when my kids were young, except I had four, so it must have sounded like a mob rioting in the background when people called our house.
Some parents can shoot “The Look” at their kids and magically silence the little darlings. I guess I got shorted in “The Look” department.
I love Erma Bombeck’s perspective on raising kids: “My mother phones daily to ask, ‘Did you just try to reach me?’ When I reply, ‘No’, she adds, ‘So, if you’re not too busy, call me while I’m still alive,’ and hangs up.
Yep, we get it, Erma! Thanks for the chuckles.
So, what are your thoughts? What do you think of when you hear the word ‘Noise’? Can you relate to the plights of talking on the phone with kids competing for your attention? Do you relish quiet moments?
I’d love to hear from you!
Funny post, Lynn. And I can sure relate even though my boys are adults now. The racket they would make every time I was on the phone. Now, when I talk to my friend, who is a young mother of two sons, I feel like I’m shouting into the phone, so she can hear what I’m trying to say. LOL! Love your Plights & Delights! 🙂
Thanks, Maria! Isn’t it something to be able to look back and breathe a sigh of relief that we don’t have to deal with that anymore. Instead, we get a taste of it from the other side. It’s irritating but amusing to wonder what went through people’s minds back in the day when they tried to talk to us on the phone with so much background noise! Thanks for stopping by!
That video of Grasshopper exercising his vocal chords is hilarious, and I like the way you compared him to Idol contestants…pretty funny.
When my kids were little, phones had cords, and I was tied to it and couldn’t control what was going on out of my view. Those were the days of not having caller ID…oh the dread of answering to the wrong (excessive talking) person. Young mothers these days don’t know how good they have it!!!
You make an excellent point, Pambelina, about the phones with cords that we had to deal with. Yep, we were stuck in one small area, and no caller ID to know who was calling. Amazing how some people would continue to talk and talk, despite all the commotion and chaos they had to listen to and we would lose our minds trying to hear every other word of what they said and try to think of a polite way to get off the phone! Haha!
Good blog Lynn! As a great grandmother, I will tell you the older you get, the more
you love “quiet” time! My husband has our TV on, all the time! “Quiet, I crave”!
Thanks, M! Yes, the older we get, the less we’re able to deal with a lot of noise and confusion. Quiet time rocks! Yes, TV on all the time sometimes gets old!
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