Parenting
When I walked into my six-week postpartum check-up after welcoming my third child, I probably resembled a zombie. My midwife immediately recognized my exhaustion, saying, “You’re in the thick of it now. It’s tough, I know. Sometimes, I just want to tell my kids to be quiet. Just stop talking for a moment.” At that time, I was confused. With a six-week-old baby and two toddlers, I thought I had it under control—how could anyone feel that way? She mentioned that while she wouldn’t actually say those words, the thought crossed her mind daily. I silently judged her for it, convinced I’d never feel the same.
Looking back, I realize my perspective was limited back then—I only had one child who was babbling. Fast forward a few years, and my oldest now treats me like a walking encyclopedia, my middle child has perfected the art of saying “no” at every opportunity, and my youngest constantly tugs at my shirt, chanting, “Mommy, mommy, mommy.” Suddenly, I understood my midwife’s feelings all too well.
I found myself thinking, “Please, just be quiet for a minute. I need a moment of silence to recharge.” This thought raced through my mind daily—okay, more like five times a day. I learned that my midwife wasn’t terrible for her feelings; she was simply human, as we all are.
Initially, I felt guilty for judging her. But the truth is, kids can be loud and relentless. They have so much to say and don’t care if you’re in the middle of a conversation with someone else. If they have something on their mind, they are determined to share it, whether it’s a mundane detail or a dramatic story about their day.
And let’s not even start on the chaos that ensues when we’re trying to have a phone conversation. It’s like a signal for them to start a full-blown production, demanding your attention while you’re trying to discuss something important. No amount of side-eye or polite requests to be quiet seem to penetrate their excitement. They simply don’t get it.
We constantly teach our kids about waiting their turn to speak, yet they are often oblivious to the concept of timing. They don’t understand what it means to have just a moment of peace. After all, they’re just kids who want to be heard. We engage them in games to see who can stay quiet the longest, which, truthfully, feels like a victory for us as parents.
Let’s be real: we all wish our kids would quiet down from time to time—and by “time to time,” I mean quite often. And that’s perfectly okay.
If you’re interested in exploring more about parenting or family dynamics, check out some of our other posts, like this one on fertility insights, which can be found here. For more authoritative insights on pregnancy, visit this excellent resource. Additionally, you can read more on this subject here.
In summary, it’s natural for parents to crave moments of silence amidst the delightful chaos of family life. Recognizing this desire doesn’t make us bad parents; it simply makes us human.