Something that bugs the crap out of me is yelling across the house to someone instead of just walking to wherever they are and speaking in a nice, even, low voice.
It bugs me, but I do it all the time and annoy MYSELF. Despite my repeated self-reminders to STOP YELLING ACROSS THE HOUSE, I have such a hard time stopping. I’ll yell downstairs to Carson and Ella to say that dinner is ready, shake my head at myself in disgust, and promise myself to STOP. It’s just a few extra steps and those extra steps would really make for a much calmer and quieter house. The next evening I’ll remember not to yell and instead calmly go downstairs and tell Carson and Ella to come up for dinner. Such a sense of accomplishment! Such a sense of calm! So quiet! Until the next night when I yell again for them to come to dinner.
It’s a vicious, vicious cycle.
And I wonder why my children yell. Geez louise.
What category do you fit into? Are you a yell-across-the-house kind of person or a walk-across-the-house-to-get-their-attention kind of person?
**********
On a completely unrelated note, I just want to thank those of you who recommended that I read The Book Thief
Damn, I really need to stop yelling.
Sarah @ Ordinary Days
February 5, 2009 at 8:34 am
I’m in the same boat as you. I yell, I cringe. I walk and talk, I smile.
Sarah @ Ordinary Days´s lastest post..I’m Cushy!
lceel
February 5, 2009 at 8:51 am
I don’t yell. SWMBO does. But not at me. Mostly.
lceel´s lastest post..It wasn’t all drinking
Beth
February 5, 2009 at 9:04 am
Some days I yell…..and it makes me feel like a bad mom.
Devan
February 5, 2009 at 9:08 am
Yelling happens. I try not to, but I’m only human.
Devan´s lastest post..Really?
Marinka
February 5, 2009 at 9:13 am
I never start it, but when my kids yell at me across the apartment, I yell back “NO YELLING! IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY TO ME COME OVER HERE AND SAY IT!” For some strange reason, they’re not getting it.
Marinka´s lastest post..Are You Thinking What I’m Thinking?
Ness
February 5, 2009 at 9:13 am
OMG, I know what you mean. I hear myself being echoed back to me, by my 3yr old.
Ness´s lastest post..Has it really been 8 days since my last post?
Shanna
February 5, 2009 at 9:15 am
I struggle with this too. I feel so lazy when I do it so I try really hard not to. But, sometimes it just happens!!
Shanna´s lastest post..So so tired
Beth
February 5, 2009 at 9:16 am
I’m a yeller, too, and I hate it. The worst was when I yelled at William to stop yelling. Oy vey!
AndreAnna
February 5, 2009 at 9:19 am
Don’t worry. In a few years, you’ll be texting them to come up for dinner.
Our house is small enough that I really don’t have to yell but if it was, the geek of a husband I have would have intercoms all over the house
AndreAnna´s lastest post..Giving in
Domestic Extraordinaire
February 5, 2009 at 9:28 am
I am a yell across the house person, well not yell, but call loudly. The reason being my hips & my fibromyalgia. We live in a 3 story colonial with way too many steps and especially in the winter I try to limit the amount of steps I do so I don’t have issues walking later. (which happens when I get too fatigued)
On a side note, so totally excited to get to meet you in a little more than 24 hours!
Domestic Extraordinaire´s lastest post..It’s Tuesday again!
Carrie
February 5, 2009 at 9:35 am
Thanks for The Book Thief recommendation… I just got it for my Kindle and hopefully I’ll get some reading done on the road trip to BlissDom, see you there!
Carrie´s lastest post..[DIY] Add lashes, mascara, make-up to your portraits
Shelly
February 5, 2009 at 9:35 am
I try not to be a yeller b/c it annoys the shit out of me when I’m hollered at from across the house. & even I can hear perfectly, I will pretend I have no idea what was said b/c get off your ass and come talk to me already!
I’m totally going to check out that book!
Shelly´s lastest post..Random Letters
Bunny
February 5, 2009 at 9:54 am
My house is so small that I can talk in my normal voice and the kids will hear me anyway! I would so yell though…
Bunny´s lastest post..Pizza Testing
Scary Mommy
February 5, 2009 at 9:57 am
I do the same exact thing. I HATE the sound of Lily screaming “Beeee-eeen!!” at the top of her lungs, but it’s a total echo of what escapes my lips. I am so much more of a yeller in general than I ever wanted or thought I would be.
mandy
February 5, 2009 at 10:13 am
I’m a yeller cause I am too lazy to find someone. Mostly we are all in the same room though, so I rarely have to.
mandy´s lastest post..yesterday…
amy
February 5, 2009 at 10:13 am
I am a total hypocrite.
When my daughter yells for me, I will ignore her and then tell her it is because she was yelling. Then ten minutes later, I will yell for her to come up to eat.
Heather, Queen of Shake Shake
February 5, 2009 at 10:14 am
My house is so small I don’t have to yell.
Brigid
February 5, 2009 at 10:18 am
I am a total hypocrite too. I ignore yellers and then get ultra frustrated if they ignore me when I am “calling” them (read – yelling.) Though I find if I walk to the room they are in to call them for dinner, I get depressed at the messiness of said room. If I can stay where I am and pretend there are not 1,000 toys all over the floor I enjoy dinner more (especially when it’s not my horrible cooking.)
Brigid´s lastest post..lost and found
Stacey~ComfyMom
February 5, 2009 at 10:21 am
Our house is one level & not really big enough I need to yell, just raise my voice a bit.
Unless people are absorbed in the tv. Then I have to yell and block their view at the same time to get their attention.
Stacey~ComfyMom´s lastest post..Ancient technology
Barbara
February 5, 2009 at 10:32 am
We bought a bunch of business phones off of ebay that have an intercom system. So I do neither, and I love it!
Barbara´s lastest post..Treat Day Recipes
Rachel
February 5, 2009 at 10:41 am
Ugh, I do the same thing. I tell my kids not to yell across the house. It bugs the crap out of me. And, yet, I do it.
But, unlike you, I haven’t thought twice about doing it. Maybe that’s why they don’t listen?
Fairly Odd Mother
February 5, 2009 at 10:45 am
Yeller here. I hate it too. I’m beginning to think that my ass is getting bigger b/c I chose to yell instead of walking the stairs or across the house to talk like a civilized person. Maybe that’ll be my new exercise routine.
Fairly Odd Mother´s lastest post..Need to laugh about something?
Teri
February 5, 2009 at 10:51 am
I hate yelling and don’t want to be a yelling mom. I do fail at this sometimes (in the yelling down the stairs mostly), but try to truly keep it to a minimum.
Teri´s lastest post..Coming up for air
mpotter
February 5, 2009 at 11:03 am
we’re not typically yell-across-the-housers. but we do yell at each other from time to time (which is way worse).
not sure what’ll it’ll be like when baby girl isn’t 6months old and i need her to come to dinner.
mpotter´s lastest post..vividity
Angella
February 5, 2009 at 11:05 am
Oh, I am a yeller. The best is when I shout at the kids to “STOP YELLING!!!!”
I am awesome.
NGS
February 5, 2009 at 11:11 am
We live in a tiny apartment. If the television is not on (it rarely is) and you speak in a normal voice, you can hear everything the other person says anywhere in the apartment. No need for yelling.
Now, if we had actual space, it might be a different story!
NGS´s lastest post..45 x 365 #85
Bridge
February 5, 2009 at 11:20 am
I yell and hate it too. I just want to get an intercom system. That would solve the yelling problem.
/sigh
Maybe I should just walk as well. It sucks that there are stairs to go up or down.
Bridge´s lastest post..25 Random things about me… and Jess… and Al…
Sue @ My Party of 6
February 5, 2009 at 11:24 am
I refuse to talk to anyone in my house who is not in the same room as I am. Even if I can hear them, I just say, “Sorry, I CAN’T HEAR YOU!” But I do admit to the occassional yell when it’s time for dinner or bed and someone is a few rooms away. It’s usually because I have another kid pinned to a chair or bed and if I left the room, they would too!
Sue @ My Party of 6´s lastest post..I’m the Brownie snack mom
Megan
February 5, 2009 at 12:10 pm
I am a yeller. Since it is just my husband and I, I feel no remorse. I do get mad when he can’t hear me. The nerve!
Megan´s lastest post..Well that didn’t go so well.
Binks
February 5, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Oh, definitely a yeller. Mostly because my butt is permanently adhered to my recliner.
Binks´s lastest post..Who Knew
Angela
February 5, 2009 at 1:29 pm
I am such a Yell-Across-The-House person. I hate it. I’m trying to change. But damn, it’s hard. Made even harder by the fact that my children feel like I’m not serious if my voice isn’t raised.
Angela´s lastest post..The Learning Curve
Carrie
February 5, 2009 at 1:38 pm
I’m a Lazy-@$$ yeller. And then my husband gets on to me for it. I can’t help it! If I walk ALL THE WAY DOWNSTAIRS, then I just have to walk ALL THE WAY BACK UP. And frankly, I’m too exhausted for that. Maybe if hubby got off HIS butt and helped cook dinner or wash the dishes or do the laundry or put the groceries away or clean up the mess the 4-y.o. just left or clean the stinky bathroom or put his OWN freakin’ clothes away or walk his OWN BUTT downstairs to tell his chanting/yelling/playing/is-that-a-horde-of-Native-Americans? children that their dinner is ready….wait–where was I?
Oh yes. I yell.
Carrie´s lastest post..Getting It Together
Chris
February 5, 2009 at 1:56 pm
I’m totally like you. I yell and then think “no more yelling”
Chris´s lastest post..It’s Fabulous I Tell Ya
ali
February 5, 2009 at 2:01 pm
i’m a tell-whoever-is-closest-to-me-to-tell-the-others-that-dinner-is-ready kind of girl
ali´s lastest post..bubble girl
Sabrina
February 5, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Oooooh. I LOVED The Book Thief. One I plan to read again someday! I’ve tried yelling across the house but the hubby is half deaf and the kid doesn’t respond unless I’m in his face, so I had to give it up. I’m a reformed yeller, I guess.
Headless Mom
February 5, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Yeller. Much to my husband’s chagrin.
Anglophile Football Fanatic
February 5, 2009 at 3:38 pm
The hubby hates that I yell across the house, but it ain’t gonna stop me from doing it.
Have the T-shirt
February 5, 2009 at 8:22 pm
I’m like you, off and on with the yelling, BUT, I have a tiny house, so I shouldn’t have to yell ever.
Add that book to my list to read.
Have the T-shirt´s lastest post..Tropical Breezes
brittany
February 5, 2009 at 10:04 pm
I am a yeller, and it scares me to hear my kids doing it now.
brittany´s lastest post..Sometimes life only figuratively stinks.
Texan Mama
February 5, 2009 at 10:55 pm
YOU HAVE TO READ “THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN” BY GARTH STEIN. IT IS AN AWESOME BOOK. SERIOUSLY.
did you hear that?
Texan Mama´s lastest post..Staying Out Of Jail is as Easy as Taking Candy From a Baby
Twenty Four At Heart
February 5, 2009 at 11:03 pm
My kids are teens. We text. I know, we suck. But I’m too lazy to walk upstairs, blah, blah, blah. They have their ipods in their ears and wouldn’t hear if I yelled. I send a text “Dinner is ready” They show up a minute later with no fuss. Modern mothering of teenagers.
abdpbt
February 6, 2009 at 12:00 am
Uggh, that drives me bananas, too. I do yell sometimes, but I mostly stay quiet because I have a young son who is often napping, or going to bed early. My husband is the worst about that, though–his voice is very loud anyway.
The Book Thief is good! I read it about a year ago and liked it as well.
Jill
February 6, 2009 at 12:03 am
You are SO not alone…sometimes it’s just easier to “yell” that dinner is ready or whatever…my husband and I do not yell AT each other in anger (at least, not in the presence of the children!) but we must “yell” to each other…my 2-year old says to me one day “mommy, you screaming?” I felt SOOOOO bad…your thought is very good…try and take the extra steps up/downstairs to talk instead of mindlessly yelling…I will definitely make an effort to do that!!
Jill´s lastest post..Fashion!!!
Kelley
February 6, 2009 at 1:34 am
what I hate more is when I call my children and then they yell back ‘what?’
Sheesh. I am calling because I want you to come here…
drives me batty.
Kelley´s lastest post..Wanna pop my cherry?
jen
February 6, 2009 at 9:01 am
I just call out across the house. I don’t see what the big deal is or why I should strive to stop it or how NOT yelling across the house makes me a better person. Then again, my house is pretty loud and I don’t generally care.
Chelle
February 6, 2009 at 11:37 am
Yes! we’re yellers too!!!
In my neighborhood – we have to leave all the windows open during the summer. I suspect that our family’s tendancy to yell from 1st to 3rd floor is why we have been slow to make friends here….LOL
Oh well!
I LOVE that you read “The Book Thief”. Great book! Who knew that “death” had such a personality? Our librarian here in Germany,literally, requires every one she knows to read it. If you happen to be the next person in line to checkout after someone has brought it in? You WILL be taking it home!
Chelle´s lastest post..Sorry!
WM
February 6, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Yep, I’d fit in that yeller category…
But sometimes I will actually walk to the bottom of the stairs and yell up for the kids. That’s a little better then yelling from the kitchen, right?
Ok no, I’m guilty
WM´s lastest post..Things that should never be Tweeted
Trenches of Mommyhood
February 6, 2009 at 1:06 pm
All the males in the Trenches YELL from other rooms. Meaning I am the only person who doesn’t.
I don’t know how many times I’ve said, “If you want to speak to me, come into the room where I am.”
Even Hubby does this. Drives me NUTS!
Trenches of Mommyhood´s lastest post.."You’re my boy Blue! You’re my boy."
dr_iqmal
February 6, 2009 at 1:17 pm
hehehehe…
just save your voice for emergency…
thats better…
dr_iqmal´s lastest post..Did U Know…? (part 1)
Kristin
February 6, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Yep, I yell. Or,I pick up the phone, page the kids upstairs, and yell that way.
Kristin´s lastest post..Little Miss(es) Independent