Tranquility7 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Anyone else just generally driven nuts by all the noise of a homeschool day? Today was a pretty good schoolday for us (accomplished a lot), but my whole brain is absolutely overwhelmed by the noisiness of it all. I never think of my kids (DS8, DD4, and DD4mos) as being louder than average – I don’t really think they are! And DS and DD get along well, so there are not a lot of raised voices due to conflicts or things of that sort. It’s mainly just the ongoing noise-making of children. For instance, sitting at the table with DS today during lessons, I had to correct him for endless tapping of feet, tapping of pencils, rubbing the table (rubbing the surface of our table is surprisingly loud, whereas other table surfaces are not), squeaking his fingers along his folder, snapping his fingers, humming, whistling, and singing. And that isn’t even mentioning the myriad things I forgot, OR the constant interrupting that happens! And this is DURING lesson time, while I am actively teaching him and we are working together! I keep telling him to stop <whatever it is> because I CANNOT talk over it - I find it so utterly exhausting to even try! My kids are often complimented by others on their good manners, but I feel like in school there is a constant barrage of chatter, clatter, and a zillion random noises they like to make. I cannot **imagine** how a classroom teacher can manage a classroom of kids doing this stuff. How do they get kids to knock.it.off?????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelmama1209 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 yes. by mid afternoon i go into sensory overload and have to either kick them outside, put on a movie, or send them to their room to play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hepatica Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I completely sympathize!! Don't know if your kid is ADD, but mine definitely do this. This sort of sensory stimulation and fidgeting is really common in ADD kids - researchers think it is a way a stimulating the brain, which gets sluggish when they are not really engaged with a task. I know my middle child is definitely inattentive ADD, and she does this sort of thing all the time. We have just tried to find things that she can do that are quiet. Shredding erasers and tiny bits of paper are her favorite. By the time she is done with her work, the table and floor are covered with tiny bits of paper and rubber. The thing is, it is really clear in her narration, for example, that she can listen and comprehend much better when she is engaged in this sort of sensory stimulation. If I make her sit perfectly still and quiet (which I used to try and do), she can't comprehend or remember anything. It's like her brain is asleep. Honestly, I give her a little caffeine (tea) and something quiet to fidget with, and it really improves her focus. I think it is joke of the universe that noisy kids are born to parents that can't tolerate too much noise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teeniebeenie6 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Yes, I get overwhelmed by all the noise/chaos as well. I usually have to send the kids upstairs to play for a time so Mommy can wind down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertflower Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 He may be a kinesthetic learner. Try putting a toy in his hand. Perhaps putty? But then again this is a choking hazard. Mine reads sentences standing up while playing with his pencil in the air or lego blocks. And yes, it takes longer to do a lesson. Hth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tranquility7 Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share Posted July 22, 2014 yes. by mid afternoon i go into sensory overload and have to either kick them outside, put on a movie, or send them to their room to play. Yes! I love kicking them outside (and they love it too). But DS is 8 now... I don't mind sending my DD4 off to play in her room, but I feel like DS8 should be old enough to sit still without *constantly* making noise. Or am I crazy? I completely sympathize!! Don't know if your kid is ADD, but mine definitely do this. This sort of sensory stimulation and fidgeting is really common in ADD kids - researchers think it is a way a stimulating the brain, which gets sluggish when they are not really engaged with a task. I know my middle child is definitely inattentive ADD, and she does this sort of thing all the time. We have just tried to find things that she can do that are quiet. Shredding erasers and tiny bits of paper are her favorite. By the time she is done with her work, the table and floor are covered with tiny bits of paper and rubber. The thing is, it is really clear in her narration, for example, that she can listen and comprehend much better when she is engaged in this sort of sensory stimulation. If I make her sit perfectly still and quiet (which I used to try and do), she can't comprehend or remember anything. It's like her brain is asleep. Honestly, I give her a little caffeine (tea) and something quiet to fidget with, and it really improves her focus. I think it is joke of the universe that noisy kids are born to parents that can't tolerate too much noise. Honestly, I don't think he is ADD at all. I say that emphatically only because I have been around some kids who are ADD and he is not at all as active and busy as they were. But that was only a small sample size, so who knows. But also he DOES have a good attention span and ability to focus - he sits through church (1.5 hrs) and piano (1/2 hr) every week, as well as lots of long chess games at chess club and tournaments and such (and even just when he is playing on the computer). It's just that when we are doing *school* he is constantly making noise. Even while he is paying attention and learning! I might try some sort of QUIET activity he can do with his hands, as long as he can do it without getting distracted from our work! That will definitely take some creative thinking on my part. I agree with your joke of the universe. Gah!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meadowlark Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Me too. I NEED an hour of quiet time in the afternoon to get my sanity back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Yes. It does wear on me. My eight year old dd also talks constantly. By the end of the day, my brain cannot even process what she is saying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAtoVA Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 DD, age 6, also talks nonstop even to herself. DD age 3 is almost as bad. Sometimes I have to tell them to just. stop. talking. right. now. We all take a break (naps or quiet time) in the afternoon and I need it more than anybody probably. When I was teaching school I would come home and require absolute silence for an hour—my husband knew better than to say anything to me. Of course, this was before I had kids, lol. I'm on the introvert side so I need some time to recharge after a day of noise and clatter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaderbee Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I do a hand off when DH gets home. There's a point where I can't stand hearing the kids (usually starts at dinner prep). I'm waiting for him to say something about "if this is what homeschool causes then..." someday but so far he has been understanding. I do feel guilty that by the end of the day their voices are like nails on a chalkboard for me. I think when the younger two are a little older and I can throw them all outside everything will balance out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaConquest Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I became an introvert when I became a parent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Yeah, noise is the enemy, but my children make it all day. Try putting an earplug in ONE ear. That way, you will still be able to hear what you need to hear (the phone, the baby, the doorbell), but the input will be cut in half. I do this at times. It helps. During school days, we do mandatory, daily quiet time from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. They must first pick up everything that's lying around (every room, every little thing, every stinkin' hair band, I tell ya!) and put it all away. That way, the place is picked up and feels less chaotic (I can overload visually, too, of course). Then they must lie down on their beds and be quiet in their rooms. Usually, they fall asleep, but sometimes they just lie there. It may be boring, but I don't care. It's necessary for my ongoing equilibrium. "Quiet time or the bus, your choice." Sometimes I say to them, "Okay, I've been with you all morning/afternoon/day/week/month/your entire lifetime, and now, for about 10 minutes, I want you to go somewhere else and do something besides talk to me." Some of the time when my husband is home, I will say to the girls, "Your father is the PIC." PIC means "Parent in Charge." So now the kids will ask, "Who is the PIC?" It's a riot. Because I grew up with a father who hummed and jingled change CONSTANTLY, I tell my children, "This is a no-humming house. I spent the first part of my life listening to incessant humming and jingling (and other noises), but now that I have my own house, it is a no-humming house." They can sing all they like, the words don't bother me. The humming makes me want to hurt kittens. The kids can hum in their bedrooms, in the shower, in the playroom, outside. Just not around me. It's hard to be wired this way. It has gotten better since all the children are older now. I'd say that four was the age at which they began to understand that I was a human being, with limits and genuine needs. I think it's okay to teach children (gently, patiently) that we are people, too, and sometimes mothers need time to themselves to recharge. I told my children that I was like the phone -- we could use it, but had to plug it back in to get more energy, or it wouldn't work anymore. They got that. I sound like an ogre. Sigh. Oh well, I know I'm not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Not so much, and I am very introverted. Most of the time the only thing that bothers me is when my boys either attempt to talk to me when I am talking on the phone or talking to DH. I can't handle that kind of interruption very well, and most of the time I will simply turn around and walk the other way when they do that. Mine are ten now, and I'd say the noise frequency has gone down considerably since age eight. Intensity--not so much. :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitterpatter Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Yes, I can't stand noise, especially in the morning. Television in the morning is the worst for me...ruins my entire day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piper Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Oh man, this thread is making me feel so much better! I'm not alone!! :) Yes. It does wear on me. My eight year old dd also talks constantly. By the end of the day, my brain cannot even process what she is saying. You're not the only one! My 8-year-old dd is the same. The other day at the pool with her friend, she told me she tried to see if she could talk underwater. I listened in a very appropriate manner to her story about it, but inside I was all :smilielol5: :smilielol5: :smilielol5: thinking, Yep, that'd be about right!! :lol: I told my children that I was like the phone -- we could use it, but had to plug it back in to get more energy, or it wouldn't work anymore. They got that. As a mom who occasionally has to tell her children to just not talk to her or come near her for the next (x) minutes, I just love this line! I think I might have to steal it and use it with my kids. "OK, recharge time for mom!" sounds a lot better than "Please just leave me alone!!" :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thia7278 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 It's hard to be wired this way. It has gotten better since all the children are older now. I'd say that four was the age at which they began to understand that I was a human being, with limits and genuine needs. I think it's okay to teach children (gently, patiently) that we are people, too, and sometimes mothers need time to themselves to recharge. I told my children that I was like the phone -- we could use it, but had to plug it back in to get more energy, or it wouldn't work anymore. They got that. This is a wonderful idea! I will definitely be using this. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.