My daughter screams
You read the title right. This is devoted to my oldest daughter and her newly-formed habit of screaming. I'm not talking about the kind of screaming that comes with fit-pitching or throwing a tantrum that requires discipline. I'm simply talking about screaming for no reason. Or, at least that's what I thought.
The girl has a set of lungs like I've never seen on another human being. She can quiet a crowded restaurant and wake her little sister from the dead of sleep in a heartbeat. There's nothing else in the world quite like it. At first, it bothered me. Then, during our recent trip to Texas to see Mamaw and Papaw, I began to realize just why Aubrey felt the need to scream. All. The. Time.
Getting breakfast matters. Being exhausted to the point of tears matters. Chocolate matters. Seeing her grandparents matters. Singing at the top of her lungs matters. Finding a baby calf and getting to pet the cows both matter. I promise we're working on other ways to express herself, but for now this is the most convenient form of expression for a 22-month-old.
When I realized the reason for her screaming, I got over it. The truth is, it never really bothered me in the first place. It's just that I, like all other parents trying to do the "right" thing, immediately thought about what others would think of my parenting skills. "She lets her daughter scream in public?" "I wonder what else she gets by with at home?" I can't believe she would let her daughter behave that way!"
To people we will meet in public, be warned. My daughter will scream when she runs out of Goldfish snacks and she will have a come apart when we go get the mail and I won't let her play chicken with speeding motorcycles on the highway. I understand she's loud and I know at times it can be a tad overwhelming. But my daughter is finding her voice. If I silence her now, she will never learn to speak up about things that matter in the future.
So, the next time you're having your peaceful Wal-Mart outing or romantic dinner at McDonald's (words that do not belong in the same sentence by the way) please keep the unsolicited advice to yourself and smile at me instead. Odds are I've noticed the smoke coming from your ears and fiery darts being shot from your eyes. I'm just choosing to ignore you.
The girl has a set of lungs like I've never seen on another human being. She can quiet a crowded restaurant and wake her little sister from the dead of sleep in a heartbeat. There's nothing else in the world quite like it. At first, it bothered me. Then, during our recent trip to Texas to see Mamaw and Papaw, I began to realize just why Aubrey felt the need to scream. All. The. Time.
Aubrey screams because things matter.
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| It's okay, Baby Girl - Mama didn't want to leave Texas either! |
When I realized the reason for her screaming, I got over it. The truth is, it never really bothered me in the first place. It's just that I, like all other parents trying to do the "right" thing, immediately thought about what others would think of my parenting skills. "She lets her daughter scream in public?" "I wonder what else she gets by with at home?" I can't believe she would let her daughter behave that way!"
To people we will meet in public, be warned. My daughter will scream when she runs out of Goldfish snacks and she will have a come apart when we go get the mail and I won't let her play chicken with speeding motorcycles on the highway. I understand she's loud and I know at times it can be a tad overwhelming. But my daughter is finding her voice. If I silence her now, she will never learn to speak up about things that matter in the future.
So, the next time you're having your peaceful Wal-Mart outing or romantic dinner at McDonald's (words that do not belong in the same sentence by the way) please keep the unsolicited advice to yourself and smile at me instead. Odds are I've noticed the smoke coming from your ears and fiery darts being shot from your eyes. I'm just choosing to ignore you.
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