Wednesday, May 18, 2011

minor victories :: selective listening edition

Identifying as I do so strongly sometimes with Charlie Brown's teacher, I admit to letting the frustration of not being *heard* (as in, requested response or a reasonable facsimile given) get the better of me.  That's right: sometimes I yell.  I'm not proud of it, but there it is.  I almost always feel like a big meanie immediately after I yell, so I am continually employing proactive measures to prevent the outburst, including big deep breaths, distractionary tactics, sign language, and whispering.

I am happy to report another alternative to the ranting and raving that actually seems to work with a reasonable amount of frequency: singing.

Now, when I say "singing" I mean silly sing-song singing, a little bit Ethel Merman and a little bit overdone operatic caricature.  In the classical singing world, this "sung speech" has a name: sprechstimme.

I make my request in sprechstimme, and like some sort of magic, there is an appropriate (usually) response!  Better yet, sometimes the response is sung back to me: "why are you singing?"

I answer in sprechstimme: "because if I don't sing I might yell, and I really don't want to yell.  Do you like it when I sing to you?"

on pitch (!): "yes."

And then there are the beginnings of grins, laughter, compliance, and cooperation. 

It doesn't work every time or with every child, but it works enough of the time to be worth giving a try whenever conditions warrant -- which sometimes seems like all too often...

2 comments:

  1. Ok, I've been a Mom for nearly 19 years now and it has always bothered me that I often am reduced to yelling. I am definitely going to try the singing! I know a couple of my younger ones will respond to that. For the most part, as they enter their teen years, you'll find you won't end up yelling as much. Selective hearing is still a prob but my teens don't want tolose their privileges so they comply much more readily once I have their attention. Anyhoo, from an experienced mom of 7, thanks for the great parenting tip!

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  2. That is awesome, B! I am the yeller in the house which I turn feel like the big meanie at home. I can't stand that. I have tried everything preventative measures (many that you listed) with no avail. I just might try this next time. It will either get them to laugh or go do what they are supposed to do as long as I stop. : )

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