Let me say before I begin that I understand the "nature v. nurture" arguements and can honestly say that, barring some cataclysmic event, it's not something that is going to be black and white.
But, this meander through my psyche is not about that. It's about noise.
Little boys like booms and yells and bangs. If they're outside, there may even be whistles and thumps. It's not too bad, really. They keep their noises on the lower end of the spectrum and you never envision neighborhood dogs howling when those boys are going about doing boy things.
If they are happy, it's booms and bangs, whistles and thumps. Maybe some yelling or hollering. But it's obviously happy.
Little girls, on the other hand, like shrieks and screams and giggles. If they are outside, the volume simply goes UP. And the neighborhood dogs howl, and if it's not the dogs, it's actually the girls.
If they are happy, how can you tell? My point is, You CAN'T. You cannot tell from the tone, volume, or duration of the shrieking and screaming. You have to go LOOK at them, and that is painful, because the closer you are to the sounds, the more likely you are to have an eardrum burst and/or bleeding in your brain. You may even begin, if exposed long enough or often enough, to flinch and twitch, much like an involuntary muscular tic.
The ONLY exception is the giggling. Which, in and of itself, is one of the most delightful sounds on this planet. Giggling does usually mean happy, BUT, it can be deceiving also. It can degrade quickly into crying, whining, shrieking or, God forbid, all three at once. There is absolutely no guarantee that if you have a gaggle of giggling girls on your hands that your eardrums are not in immediate danger.
Next up: Toddler and Teen--All the Attitude I Can Stomach EVERY Single Day
But, this meander through my psyche is not about that. It's about noise.
Little boys like booms and yells and bangs. If they're outside, there may even be whistles and thumps. It's not too bad, really. They keep their noises on the lower end of the spectrum and you never envision neighborhood dogs howling when those boys are going about doing boy things.
If they are happy, it's booms and bangs, whistles and thumps. Maybe some yelling or hollering. But it's obviously happy.
Little girls, on the other hand, like shrieks and screams and giggles. If they are outside, the volume simply goes UP. And the neighborhood dogs howl, and if it's not the dogs, it's actually the girls.
If they are happy, how can you tell? My point is, You CAN'T. You cannot tell from the tone, volume, or duration of the shrieking and screaming. You have to go LOOK at them, and that is painful, because the closer you are to the sounds, the more likely you are to have an eardrum burst and/or bleeding in your brain. You may even begin, if exposed long enough or often enough, to flinch and twitch, much like an involuntary muscular tic.
The ONLY exception is the giggling. Which, in and of itself, is one of the most delightful sounds on this planet. Giggling does usually mean happy, BUT, it can be deceiving also. It can degrade quickly into crying, whining, shrieking or, God forbid, all three at once. There is absolutely no guarantee that if you have a gaggle of giggling girls on your hands that your eardrums are not in immediate danger.
Next up: Toddler and Teen--All the Attitude I Can Stomach EVERY Single Day
1 comment:
My friend describes her 6 daughters by animals names. "Today they sound like hens...yesterday it was pigs..."
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