Do you rush home to hear the six o’clock news only to find yourself bombarded with war, crime, mayhem, corruption, greed, and trouble?  What would happen if you listened to soft music instead?  Would you be able to hear your thoughts, your voice, [...]]]>

“Do you hear the noise?  Can you hear yourself think?  Are you speaking loudly?”

Do you rush home to hear the six o’clock news only to find yourself bombarded with war, crime, mayhem, corruption, greed, and trouble?  What would happen if you listened to soft music instead?  Would you be able to hear your thoughts, your voice, your children? 

Guess what.  The world will keep on spinning if you go on a news diet.  Must you hear every piece of horror that is happening in China? Russia?  Georgia?  Mexico?  New York?  Do you have to hear it before supper, before sleeping, before reading to the kids? 

Of course it’s important to know what’s going on in the world.  It’s even more important to know what’s going on in yours.  Who are the kids talking to, if not you?  Who is cleaning house, doing laundry, organizing activities, playing with the kids, helping them reach solutions, if not you?

You are important, screen the noise of the world, so you can respond to those around you.  Lower the volume of what comes in to your home, through media sources.  Talk less on the phone, watch less TV, let low volume, soft music and even silence soothe you.  Build moments of silence into your home life.  Kids respond with remarkable differences.

As a foster mom, we had kids of all ages in the home at the same time.  Noise was everywhere, and it was upsetting us all.  As parents, we had a meeting between us, designing the life we wanted at home.  It was unrealistic at first, so we had to make ammends.  Finally we settled on basic rules for a “comfort zone.” 

Our Comfort Zone involved eliminating noisy inside toys and games.  We put them in sealed containers on the outside patio.  Next, we decided on boom boxes NOT booming.  Music had to be at a personal listening level, with the exception of music in the family room, which was our decision.  We kept that music conducive to study, thought, conversation.  Another decision involved kid conversation.  Yelling was moved outdoors, conversations had to not interfere with someone else’s activity anywhere else in the house.  It was subjective, but they learned.  No studying in front of TV, no earphones during family time.

We gathered the kids, gave examples of what we expected and implemented it immediately.  We had to re-arrange some furniture, clean up some play areas, even compromise a bit.  Overall, the noise level dropped, with frequent reminders and family meetings to keep it smooth.  One girl in particular, is remembered for her sassy attitude and loud voice.  To help her, we whispered and talked very softly to her.  She imitated us almost by reflex. 

When I was in college, I was also a mom, a wife, an apartment manager, and a foster parent trainer for the state child welfare department.  My mind was like a spinning wheel, whirling tasks, duties, and places to be.  Every morning, I drove 22 miles one way to class.  With kids, a couple of jobs, and 4 hours of class everyday pushing me press for time, I was stressed.  However, I loved those drives.  At 5 in the morning, I would either listen to music in the car, or enjoy the silence. The quiet allowed me to mentally prepare for tests, write speech drafts, and create mental to-do lists for the day. 

Decide what’s too loud in your home.  You and your family need a place of refuge from a noisy world.  When you see kids and people coming into your house and almost sighing in relief, you’ll know you’ve hit the target.

Silence is golden, bring some of it’s sunshine into your life.  Shhhh, can you hear it?