Today was one of those days where one
wakes up smack in the middle of a cold. As it happens, my cold
decided to take my voice and replace it with... nothing.
The day went by just like any other
day, nothing too extraordinary. But the end of the day came
and I commented (via whispering and texting) to my husband that he
would have been so proud of J – he had been so good today.
Later on I was thinking about it, and
realized that the only REAL difference in the day was in MY behavior.
I didn't yell (because I couldn't). I was forced to calmly whisper
every request to J today, to get his attention by waving, or by
whispering his name.
You know what? He could hear me.
I learned that he doesn't need me to
yell, and that he has, in fact, learned to ignore me when I do.
Super effective parenting does NOT come from raising one's voice,
after all.
And I know he could hear me quite well.
He requested I read his bedtime story, even though it was a whisper.
He didn't complain, and he snuggled nice and close, maybe so he
could hear better, I don't know.
He heard me best when I couldn't talk
at all. And that is why every parent should contract laryngitis at least once in the course of toddlerhood.
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