If you ask anyone to tell you what surprised them most about becoming a parent I’m fairly certain that the list of unexpected realities will be long and varied. It doesn’t matter how much you think you know about being a parent or which books you read, which shows you watch or how many parent friends you have, the experience of being Mom or Dad (like many life experiences) has to lived to be truly appreciated. One of my top ‘I never expected that’ scenarios is that having kids is loud. I don’t mean loud as in ‘my baby is crying’ loud, I mean loud as in kids who are full of energy, laughing, yelling, talking all at the same time, ‘can’t-get-a-word-in-edgeways-and-even-if-you-could-you-won’t-be-heard’ loud.
If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em
My method for overcoming this phenomenon is to attempt to beat them at their own game and be the loudest by far. Possibly not the smartest approach but what else can a mom do, right? The truth is that when I resort to raising my voice (even when I’m not cross) in a bid to be heard, it tends to make very little difference and, if anything, only adds to the hullabaloo and mayhem, which is completely counterproductive. I then found an article online in which another loud-house Mama decided to change the status quo and whisper at her kids instead of yelling above the din. I was inspired! So I sent it to my husband and together we’ve decided to bring down the decibels and reverse the trend of ‘he who speaks loudest wins’. I can’t say that we managed to win this battle as yet but there is certainly something about lowering your voice that changes the atmosphere and commands a different type of attention.
A different approach
It never ceases to amaze me how when I try to make myself heard above the other voices, by employing the method those voices are using, I am completely ignored, but when I buck convention and do things differently, suddenly my words cut through and are considered noteworthy. There are many voices clambering to be heard in the world. They may be loud, opinionated, controversial, harsh and enticing, but each one is screaming for your attention. Yet there is another voice which calls in a different way. The Bible talks about the fact that God whispers to us:
“I hear this most gentle whisper from One
I never guessed would speak to me” – Psalm 81:5 (the Message)
In another place it tells us that God isn’t in the noise and drama but He is found in the stillness and calm. Whereas man may try to get your attention with loud noises and flashy images, God is less about booming voices and neon signs but tends to speak to our hearts with general promptings and a still, small whisper that invites us to pay attention and draws us in.
If you feel like God is whispering to your heart or you would like to know more, please leave a comment or click on the link