My house is always LOUD. I mean, I’m an introvert living in an extrovert’s world. My kids and my husband are talkers. Our dog is a barker. The TV, a device, or Amazon Music is always on. Sometimes, all of that is on. I don’t know about you, but sometimes, I long for silence.
Don’t get me wrong: I love jammin’ to Hamilton as we get ready in the mornings. I love hearing my kids happily scream as Daddy Monster comes to get them. I love that Bella works hard to alert us to any Amazon, FedEx, or UPS truck that dares drive by our house. I know she’s a dog that cares for her family. But dang, it’s loud in this house. To quote the Grinch: Oh the noise, noise, noise, NOISE!!!
So how does a quiet-loving, introverted mama stay sane? I don’t a lot of the time. But I sure do try!
1.Get out of the house.
Seriously. Leave the kids with a trusted adult (or send them to grandma’s) and take time away. Go on a walk or a run. Go get a manicure. Finally get those roots done. I don’t know what you’ll do, but do something to have a little time for yourself, away from the noise.
2. Use technology.
It’s okay to let the TV or a device watch the kids for a few minutes while you escape to your bedroom for silence. I’ll set my kids up and then take a load of laundry with me to fold while I enjoy the quiet. It won’t last long before the kids start to fight, but I’ll enjoy those precious moments guilt-free.
3. Implement Quiet Time
One of the BEST things we ever did was initiate Quiet Time after Harlyn stopped napping. Quiet Time is 2 hours after lunch where the only rule is to stay in your room and do something that you don’t need a parent for. Maverick still naps those 2 hours. But Harlyn is six years old and still accepts Quiet Time because we’ve never given her an option. She does Quiet Time on weekends, holidays, and any other days we happen to be at home. The house is basically on mute for TWO GLORIOUS HOURS.
4. Ask for what you need.
There are moments when I just can’t take it any longer. Those are the times where I yell above all the noise, “ALEXA, OFF!!” and beg everyone to stop running around like hooligans. Once they are aware that I’ve met my noise limit, everyone does a good job of being at least a little bit quieter. We put aside the running/tickling/throwing on the bed type stuff and transition to lower key activities.
5. Adjust bedtimes.
If your kids are still at the stage where you can control bedtimes (and I’d assume they are or you likely wouldn’t have read this whole blog post!), then consider adjusting bed times to allow you some time where they are asleep but you are awake. We calm things down at 7 PM and we have the kids in their rooms to read to them by 7:45. We try to have them attempting to sleep at 8 PM. This gives us time at the end of our day, child-free, before we have to go to bed ourselves. We get to decompress, hang out, finish any work, and relax without loud children running amuck! 😉
Hopefully these tips are helpful for those of you like me–just longing for a bit of peace and quiet when everyone else seems to enjoy being as loud as humanly possible at all times!
