An irreverent, inclusive, alternative parenting community
Constant Narration:
Has anyone else dealt with the stage of constant narration with their kids? I swear it seems like from the minute NB's feet hit the floor in the morning until she falls asleep at night her mouth is constantly working. She narrates every little thing she is doing while doing it. It's a fight to get her to eat anything because she is too busy talking, talking, talking to chew anything. Between the never ending spouting about what she is doing and what she is thinking, and the "remember when" conversations, and the animal noises....the only time the child is quiet is when she is asleep. (unless she is having a particularly vivid dream, then she sleep talks too)
I'm at the end of my rope. I hate to just tell her to hush. I know that in a few years I will have to pry her jaws open to get her to tell me about her day at school... but seriously? How do you deal? How do you get a few moments of quiet in which you yourself can concentrate or think? Telling her that "mommy is trying to concentrate right now" only deters her as long as it takes me to say it and then she is off and running again.
I guess more than anything, I just want to know if other kids do this too. Do they grow out of it? *laughs*
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by wookie on -
You are fully within your rights to require and enforce a quiet period at some point in the day. For us it was the early afternoon, the "nap time" period. It's important to learn that it is possible to resist one's natural urge to chatter ceaselessly, even if only to respect those around you.
My oldest still has days like this. It is partly phase, partly personality, partly just needing to fill empty space with the sound of her own voice.
-
Permalink Reply by ks on -
We have quiet time for a couple of hours after lunch when the kids are home (weekends and non-camp days in the summer). They can play quietly in their rooms or outside and activities are restful--like books or legos or something like that. But they must leave us alone except in case of emergency for that time.
It's just as much for my sanity as anything else.
-
Permalink Reply by Gumbo Momma on -
I wonder if doing it at the same time everyday will work? Both of you suggested it, so I will have to try it.
-
Permalink Reply by mcglory13 on -
Same here. There is a quiet time, where he either naps or spends an hour or so in his room reading books. I stress that he AND mama need this quiet time.
-
Permalink Reply by wookie on
-
My cousins play, with their three kids, a game called "1-2-3 zip it!" where you count to three, yell zip it and the first kid to talk looses the game. They didn't say what the winner got, but I'd probably auction off something like 'winner gets chocolate milk instead of white' or something.
It's bought them a few minutes here and there.
Gumbo Momma said:I wonder if doing it at the same time everyday will work? Both of you suggested it, so I will have to try it.
-
Permalink Reply by mightyninjamom on -
Both of my kids indulge in unnecessary chatter. Since I am home with them all day, I have moments where I feel like I will go insane. Especially when they start to nitpick at each other. I don't tell them to be quiet, I just put my ipod in the dock and turn it all the way up. It kills two birds with one stone. One, it's so loud they can't hear each other anyway so they shut the hell up, and two, if it's a song they really like it jolts them out of bickering and makes them perform spontaneous air guitar. In tandem. When the song is over, everyone is in a better mood, and it is much quieter.
-
Permalink Reply by Mommy Monster on -
"Quiety mouse, quiety mouse, who can be the quietest mouse? First one to talk....loooses!"
My kids do it just for the sheer competition of it.
wookie said:My cousins play, with their three kids, a game called "1-2-3 zip it!" where you count to three, yell zip it and the first kid to talk looses the game. They didn't say what the winner got, but I'd probably auction off something like 'winner gets chocolate milk instead of white' or something.
It's bought them a few minutes here and there.
Gumbo Momma said:I wonder if doing it at the same time everyday will work? Both of you suggested it, so I will have to try it.
-
Permalink Reply by Mommy Monster on
-
Wild Thing is like this. What kills me are the random, intentionally ridiculous question ("Mom? What if a baby was born in America but could already speak words in Japanese?") and the constant telling of something he saw/heard/read on tv/radio/youtube/comic book etc. I don't really care what Pokemon said.
I am known to say "Honey, mom needs a few minutes of quiet, OK?" and he's pretty good about respecting it. Last time I did it, I forgot about it. After about 10 minutes, he said "Mom, is that enough quiet time yet?" and when I said yes, he was off like a racehorse again. It actually made me laugh.
-
Permalink Reply by Andromeda on -
you are singing my song sister! D talks all. the. time. and when he isn't talking he's humming. when he's not talking to me he is usually talking to his imaginary friend, Inkle. sometimes his whole gaggle of imaginary friends are over and since they haven't been over in a while he has to tell them EVERYTHING that has happened since the last time he "played" with them. often times he is "showing" them how to do something or going over a step-by-step instruction on whatever it is. i look at this as a kind of learning time for him because teaching is learning a second time (or something like that).
but yeah, what i wouldn't give for a moment of quiet some times. usually when it gets to my breaking point i send him to my mom's house where he can talk her ear off for a few hours and i get some quiet. i might have to try the hour or so of mandated quiet time.
-
Permalink Reply by Gumbo Momma on
-
Oh my gosh, yeah, NB asks goofy questions like that ALL the time! It wouldn't be so bad if I could come up with a suitable answer. I have tried the, "Mommy needs a little quiet time" thing before but she has never made it a whole 10 minutes before she is back at my side rambling on and on.
Mommy Monster said:Wild Thing is like this. What kills me are the random, intentionally ridiculous question ("Mom? What if a baby was born in America but could already speak words in Japanese?") and the constant telling of something he saw/heard/read on tv/radio/youtube/comic book etc. I don't really care what Pokemon said.
I am known to say "Honey, mom needs a few minutes of quiet, OK?" and he's pretty good about respecting it. Last time I did it, I forgot about it. After about 10 minutes, he said "Mom, is that enough quiet time yet?" and when I said yes, he was off like a racehorse again. It actually made me laugh.
-
Permalink Reply by The Oracle on -
Oh yeah. The Dragon does this, too, though it's still more questions than stream of consciousness talking. And so far even the questions don't bug me so much as being corrected all the time.
"Mama, you mean get in the van, not the car! Daddy has the car! This is the van! Why did you say 'car?'"
"You mean Ducky's crib, not his bed. I sleep in a bed, and you and Daddy sleep in a bed. But Ducky sleeps in a crib. Why did you say 'bed?'"
(So I say, "It's just easier.")
"Why is it easier?"
etc., etc., ad nauseum.
I actually had a little talk with him this morning about how constantly correcting someone could make them not want to be around you. He said "But my mind goes crazy" when someone uses the "wrong" word. Time to start teaching relaxation techniques, I guess.
-
Permalink Reply by Gumbo Momma on
-
I love that he was able to articulate that it bugged him! That is funny. NB likes to correct people too. We have been working on her constant talking and interrupting and questioning and correcting trying to prepare her for school, where she won't be able to get away with it so much. Trying to explain that there are times when it's necessary to be quiet and it's not okay to ask questions, that it's rude to interrupt someone else who is speaking, etc. It just seems like an uphill battle! We keep trying though, hoping that consistency will win out eventually.
The Oracle said:Oh yeah. The Dragon does this, too, though it's still more questions than stream of consciousness talking. And so far even the questions don't bug me so much as being corrected all the time.
"Mama, you mean get in the van, not the car! Daddy has the car! This is the van! Why did you say 'car?'"
"You mean Ducky's crib, not his bed. I sleep in a bed, and you and Daddy sleep in a bed. But Ducky sleeps in a crib. Why did you say 'bed?'"
(So I say, "It's just easier.")
"Why is it easier?"
etc., etc., ad nauseum.
I actually had a little talk with him this morning about how constantly correcting someone could make them not want to be around you. He said "But my mind goes crazy" when someone uses the "wrong" word. Time to start teaching relaxation techniques, I guess.
© 2013 Created by Offsprunger.
Powered by
