Anyone have a LOUD child?

[OneRoomSchoolHouse]

Yes, we have a very loud child in our home. She is loud when she talks normally, even louder when she gets excited, and I am tired of telling her to lower her voice 50 times a day. I don't think she can help it, my husband's sister (25 years old) is the exact same way. I don't think it is fair to punish her, but I am sooooo tired of asking her to lower her voice. She has been like this from birth, but my other two children are not loud. As a side note, I am wondering if she has ADD (probably not ADHD since she can sit still for lessons) and maybe ADD and being loud are related?. Any ideas or suggestions??

 

Oh, I forgot to mention that she naturally wakes up around 7am every morning and talks very loudly to my husband and unfortunatley wakes up every one in the house.

[Veritaserum]

My 4.5-year-old is LOUD. She has a naturally loud voice, which will come in handy if she ever wants to do musical theater or drama, lol.

 

What helps is to "practice speaking in a quiet voice" and lots of praise when she does remember to speak at a lower volume. :)

[swellmomma]

My ds5 is like this, it is bad enough that the nasty librarian(she is like 20 something and the most bitter person I have ever met-there is other really nice ones so I think of her as the nasty one), is always barking at him to be quiet, and asking us to leave. I am the same way, and it has taken 3 decades for me to master a quiet enough voice for libraries, sleeping babies etc. My mom handled it badly and just told me several times a day to shut up, she still will interupt me if I am telling her something to tell me to either be quiet or shut up and it still makes me feel like garbage like it did back then.

 

With my ds I make a point of not doing that, but I do tell him that when he is that loud it hurts my ears and we play whisper games like telephone and spies to practice using a quiet voice in a fun way. He is getting better but we have a long way to go.

 

My 2 adhd kids do not have this problem, he is not adhd and has a loud voice. I do not think it has anything to do with adhd/add. It is just a voice modulation issue that needs practice. The only other thing I would suggest is getting hearing checked. I am loud but have always had super senstive hearing to some tones and can't hear others worth beans. Ds had his hearing checked because in addition to the loud voice he had severe speech delays, his is perfectly normal, so his is just volume control (which is what I call it when I talk to him, if he needs a quick reminder I say "volume control" and move my hand downwards and it gives him a cue to lower his voice a bit. (I do this with all my kids)

[myfunnybunch]

Oh the noise, Noise, Noise, NOISE!

 

Yes.

 

We're working on one environment at a time: The table. At meal time I remind my middle guy that I am sitting right next to him, so he does not need to shout. We've had "whispering meals" where everyone whispers.

 

I expect he'll always be a little louder than other folks, but practice will help him learn to speak more moderately eventually.

 

Cat

[Tap]

Dd10 can be a very loud kid. It took a long time, but we were finally able to get her to adjust her volume. We still have to remind her a few times a day, but it is just a hand gesture now and she gets it. Using a hand gesture works great for dd because I can reminder her to lower her volume while she is mid sentence, without interrupting her. For us we put our hand in front of us palm down, and then lower our hand down, like you are pushing something down.

 

When she was born, she was put into the incubator for the first day due to blood sugar issues. I remember being in my room, groggy from the anesthesia (c-section), and hearing a baby cry. I asked the nurse what was wrong with 'that' baby, and why she kept crying. She laughed and said 'that is your baby, and in all my years of being a nurse, she is the loudest I have ever heard!". She said, that there were other babies crying too, but you can't hear them through the walls, only her :0)

 

At 10 she is pretty controlled, but she is a vivacious person, and is full of life.

Edited May 2, 2009 by Tap, tap, tap

[MomLovesClassics]

Did you say LOUD? I have a tiny girl, and you would not think such a soud comes from her but it does. She wants to make sure you hear her. I think the loudness kicks in when she plays with her brother, he provokes sometimes. He picks then she uses that loud voice of hers. It makes me want to pull out my hair. I send them outside. I hate having to remind her to use the quiet indoor voice, and to play nicely together or seperate.

[fivetails]

Our kids aren't really loud... but apparently I am. Or so says my husband & the kids & my mother & my best friend & well yeah you get the picture. :tongue_smilie:

 

I dunno. I don't sound loud to me. I think they all just have their ears turned up too far. ;)

 

 

(Our HOME is loud though. Ds10 is blind - we have THE TOYS THAT MAKE THE NOISE in triplicate. ~cookie to whoever recognizes the caps~ We're also constantly talking - verbalizing things for ds10, so he knows what's going on around him - and he loves to sing sing sing, with and without the cd player blasting away. And spin metal mixing bowls. On hardwood floors. His clock speaks - wait, no. His clock YELLS in a pleasant voice. Etc. )

[Dobela]

My dd2 is so loud she can literally make my head hurt. Everywhere we go people comment aobut how loud she is. We were even sent by the pediatrician for a hearing eval just because she was so loud in the office.

 

While knowing that the 10 yr old is now able to control volume is nice ot know, it makes me cringe to think I have 8 more years to go!

[Jann in TX]

I DO NOT have a volume control that I can rely on.

 

I DO NOT mean to be loud... I'm not doing it on purpose...

 

I talk at what "I" think is a normal-indoor voice--and my family YELLS back at me to stop YELLING at them.. Hey--I am talking 'soft' because I can still get MUCH LOUDER if I want (it even 'feels' like I'm talking soft--I must have a very efficient vocal system!).

 

I just cannot tell what my volume is... I still get 'corrected' for talking 'too loud' or even TOO SOFT (when I over compensate)!

 

Lots of people (adults) are irritated by me... I have a hard time making conversation 'face to face' because of this. I feel that it is a disability.

 

Last summer I went to Uganda, Africa. The people there talk at almost a whisper--it is amazing! I had a VERY difficult time understanding them because I could not hear them. I had to FORCE myself to whisper when I taught my lessons...I had to pretend that my students--even in the back of the room--were sitting next to me in a library with a 'mean' librarian!

 

I do have ADD... but I do not think these issues are related... I was just born with poor 'volume control'.... and I was in trouble a LOT growing up because of it... I even got my name on the board for talking when I was ABSENT from school... :tongue_smilie:

[Mekanamom]

Oh my, yes. She just turned 11. AND she just got a drum set for her birthday. :eek:

 

Not only is she LOUD, but she is the one with no sense of discretion whatsoever. LOL.

[Tree House Academy]

Oh God yes. ds9 has been way too loud for most people's tastes since I can remember. He even cried loud as an infant (compared to my other child). I have had people ask me if we have checked his hearing (we have...he hears better than most), among other things. He lives life totally out loud (much to my chagrin at times). He has ADHD as well, and I am not sure if that plays a role or not. ??

Edited May 1, 2009 by Tree House Academy

[SonshineLearner]

and I was in trouble a LOT growing up because of it... I even got my name on the board for talking when I was ABSENT from school... :tongue_smilie:

 

 

Oh my gosh...This is just funny!!!! Poor kid! I'm sure I'd do fine with you for a friend..... I have a high voice when I'm excited...and I talk fast....Could we be friends??

 

Carrie:-)

[SquirrellyMama]

I have a very loud 6 year old ds. He takes after me I think :blush:

[sagira]

Yup. Loud five-year-old. Loud is normal to him. And we have a house that echoes!! :ohmy:

 

Both dh and I have soft voices, but we joke that his Cuban grandfather (from dh's side) is responsible for this :lol:

[scrapbookbuzz]

How old is your dd? If she's of preschool age then just know it's the age! My 4.5yo ds is LOUD, especially in the morning! We constantly have to tell him to speak more quietly and that some people are still trying to sleep! ( Often, it's me that's still trying to sleep! LOL ) Maybe you can implement Whisper Day: for a whole day everyone in the family is only allowed to whisper. HTH!

[QuirkyKapers]

 

I do have ADD... but I do not think these issues are related... I was just born with poor 'volume control'.... and I was in trouble a LOT growing up because of it...

 

:iagree:Me too- I speak with a lot of passion :) I just recently had an encounter in a group that was meeting for the first time where the leader wanted us to share our longings... So, I shared something that was hard to talk about. All the group leader could note was that I was loud:001_huh:

It is frustrating because I am not purposely trying to annoy others and talk loud....

 

My parents used to always tell me to lower my voice. I think it is valid to let someone- friend/child that the volume is loud...However, if you have a child who is really sensitive and thinks they are trying not to be loud, even though they still are, it could become and issue that haunts them (speaking from experience) Maybe trying to balance the could be perceived negative, you're loud so therefore I can't listen unless you talk in the right way, with a positive or thing you value about the person/child would make it easier to hear and not sting so much.....

 

[jenn-]

Nathan (nearly 5) is my loud one. We say he has 2 volumes, loud and off. Throughout the day it doesn't tend to bother me unless he is literally sitting next to me, but at dinner he gets in trouble with DH for being too loud. We just try and remind him to use his quiet voice at dinner.

[mcconnellboys]

Sigh..... This is me. And my younger son. I actually got worse after a round of fluid in the ear, etc. several years ago. I eventually visited a specialist (who yelled louder than me - don't know how *she* can evaluate anyone for hearing loss, LOL). She said that I don't have a level of loss or type of loss that can be treated at this time. So now I try to tell people ahead of time and apologize, ask them to tell me if I'm being too loud (as I can't hear it at all), etc. And we try to help our son moderate when he's getting too loud.

 

Please let me know if you find that there's any help for this!

[KidsHappen]

I have a whole house full of loud kids and they all have PMS right now. :glare: The dog has been very loud lately as well. I think he is feeding off the girls' tension. ANd then there is the phone, the door bell, several tvs, computers and/or stereos going. In any case, I am locked in my room with a bottle of butterscotch schnaps. Otherwise, I would be very LOUD myself right now.

[Blessedfamily]

Oh Lordy. My 5 yo and DH. I need ear plugs.

 

DH once gave a worker ringing ears while ordering at a McDonald's drive-thru.:blushing:

[ncmomo3]

dd #2 --loud at 2 yrs. and still loud at 12. We'll see if she is any quieter at 18.

[hferguson10]

I have one who's outside voice is too loud...if you could imagine. He sounds like he is being drawn and quartered and he's just playing basketball.

 

We work with him on it as a self-control issue. Helping him to become more aware of himself, and appropriate behavior - or civilizing him, as I think of it on the wackier days. While we don't want him to be ruled by people-pleasing, there is an element to being witnesses for Christ as being likable and considerate, and pleasant to be around. People flocked to be around Jesus - it was his message that was hard to swallow, not him.

[Impish]

:bigear: Huh? Sorry? Its still not far enough from bedtime, my ears aren't recovered enough for regular grown up volume yet...

 

Yes. I have one for certain, and then two littles that may or may not learn to moderate their volume. I am praying.

[newlifemom]

My ds's nickname is 11 b/c on a scale of 1-10 . . . so yes I understand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And may I just add when he was an infant, everything he did was well, loud. :blush:

[Veritaserum]

And may I just add when he was an infant, everything he did was well, loud. :blush:

 

My loud one would hum herself to sleep...loudly...even as a newborn. :tongue_smilie:

[Ellie]

Are there children who are NOT loud? :001_huh:

Yes. :-) Mr. Ellie wasn't loud, I wasn't loud, and our two dds were not loud. Maybe it's genetic, lol.

[Peri]

I come from a family of loud. My grandmother was loud. My mother was loud. i am loud. I can not help it but god knows I try. My DD11 is loud and excitable but DS5 takes the cake for loudness. As far as i know, no one's got him beat. He is L-O-U-D. Not only is he loud but he loves to yell silly sounds and bang things together. My youngest is the quiet one so far.

 

I dunno if there is a bond between ADD and being loud like that, but i am sure open to know.

[CLHCO]

In most of the families I know, they get louder as the age decreases. Your whole house is probably pretty loud at times and she's going to be heard!

 

My 3yo is very loud. She wakes up all chipper while I'm a grump. She pounces on me, talks loud, sings loud, mumbles loud, etc. It makes me crazy in the morning but by the afternoon I'm shaking my head and giggling.

 

I was just like that and my mother hounded me all the time to lower my voice. I admit it kind of served me well. It's great for the stage and public speaking. The drama that accompanied it? Not so much. :tongue_smilie:

 

I did learn volume control and I now work with my loud daughter on it in places it's inappropriate to be loud.

[Rhonda in TX]

She will be outside and I have to go out and tell her she's being too loud! I am constantly telling to talk softer. It's crazy!

 

I also think she has some ADD tendencies, so I'm wondering if this is part of it.

[The Girls' Mom]

I don't have a loud kid, but do have an adult friend that is LOUD. But she also has an absolutly beautiful singing voice :) We just accept that she's loud and go on. My dd also has a very good friend that is extremely loud, as is her mother. They just can't help it.

 

I have the opposite problem...I have a very soft voice and people are constantly saying they can't hear me :glare:

[Rhondabee]

My mom handled it badly and just told me several times a day to shut up, she still will interupt me if I am telling her something to tell me to either be quiet or shut up and it still makes me feel like garbage like it did back then.

 

 

Thank you for sharing this. My 2nd ds has always had a very loud voice. When he was a toddler, the church we were attending was filled with older ladies who would admonish me to spank him for disrupting church, etc. I always thought that would be like spanking a child for having a lisp, or blue eyes. Anyone who has ever been to my dh's family gatherings would *know* the child just inherited a disposition to be loud - LOL!

 

But, as he has grown, and I have grown into peri-menopause, I have had less patience with him. (It is harder to pretend to pay attention to a 10yo as opposed to a 2yo - LOL!) And, it doesn't help that right now he is like a bull in a china shop - only the china shop is my house, and I simply can't afford to replace *everything* we own.

 

So, I needed to hear this. To remember that he really is a very sensitive young man, despite his bravado. (It does get worse when he is feeling insecure or slighted.) Thank you for letting me glimpse into his world!

 

Blessings!

 

:grouphug:

[Ellie]

and she's a wonderful person. I didn't think she was loud at all. So there. (((Jann))))

[Mommy22alyns]

Oh my goodness. Becca is about the loudest kid everrrrrr. :glare: I constantly have to tell her to lower her volume, use an inside voice, you name it. Being quiet is hands down the hardest thing for her to do. DH and I joke that she even talks in her sleep... she does.

 

Sylvia can be quiet, but is sometimes pulled into being loud by Becca. And then they feed off each other and get louder and louder.

 

They're good kids, just loud. And I feel like, in public, people equate quiet with good and loud with bad.

Edited May 2, 2009 by Mommy22alyns

[*********]

This is a very interesting thread.

 

My nephew, who is 6, is LOUD. He always has been. Not just kinda loud, but LOUD. We'll be over at my MIL, and all the grandkids are there (9 total) and you can hear Nephew over everyone. And I do know that boys can be loud, my older ds is just one week younger than Nephew, and is not LOUD like that. Nephew says everything loudly, not just when he's happy/excited/irritated, etc.

 

But the interesting part is that I have always thought Nephew to have ADD/ADHD tendancies. I've never said anything to my SIL, as I do not think it would be received well, if you know what I mean (she's not exactly my biggest fan, what with dh and I being the homeschooling, home churching, anti-violence, stay-at-home-mom family that we are :D). But I've always thought there may be a link between his ADD/ADHD behaviors and his loudness.

 

Nephew is a super sweet, loving little boy, and I really do adore him; I even make a point of asking him about school, soccer, his latest transformer toy, etc. Just if you sit next to him and strike up a conversation, be prepared for the volume, or you may just involuntarily jump back a bit in your seat when he starts speaking. :001_smile:

Edited May 2, 2009 by bethanyniez
grammar

[Misty]

My 6yo daughter with raging ADHD cannot regulate her volume to save her life. Everything she says is literally in a shout. She will stand next to someone's head and yell something that should have been said in a normal voice. She also has Asperger's and this is a very common thing in kids with Asperger's as well.

 

I have read that some people will purchase a pvc pipe in the shape of a C and have their loud child talk into it so they can hear how loud they are for themselves. I've heard it helps, but I have not tried it yet.

[Amy in KS]

Of course their are lots of loud kids, but ...

 

My four year old ds was always LOUD. I mean even his whispers were loud. Ever since he was a baby. I assumed it was his nature. However...

 

Since I was going to an ENT regularly for sinus problems and surgery this Fall, I asked if we could have an official hearing screening of my son just to be sure he didn't have hearing problems (since he was loud and my brother has hearing problems).

 

HE DID!!! Severe hearing loss in BOTH ears (near profound--i.e. stone cold deaf) and he wasn't sick when we tested at all. Our least invasive option for treatment was to try ear tubes first. We didn't have high hopes. He didn't have lots of ear infections (two in his life???). Turns out they improved his hearing SIGNIFICANTLY!!! He's back into the normal range of hearing. And he's no longer LOUD!

 

Just saying, some kids are loud, but you might want to get his hearing screened just to be certain!

 

Amy

[Obi-Mom Kenobi]

And my son takes after him. I am frequently doing the pushing down motion with my son, that works really well for him, but I have to remind my husband at least once a day that "We're all right here, honey."

 

My best advice is to find a hand motion you can both agree on and practice, practice, practice that voice modulation. Sorry, I know it's not much but I really do believe it can be learned.

[OneRoomSchoolHouse]

My dd is almost 8, so she should be able to control her volume by now, especially after she has heard me say "not so loud please" a million times. Only recently has she learned to whisper and she only does that in church. She is very very outgoing, and frankly, I think she scares kids sometimes with her volume. I have considered having her tested for ADD, maybe I should go ahead and get it done. Oh, she did have a hearing test for Kindergarten and passed with flying colors, but recently I have had to repeat myself to her 2-3 times before she understands me. Maybe I should have her hearing tested again.

[TCoppock]

DS seems to SCREAM everything. Loud doesn't even begin to describe him. I have had his hearing checked numerous times and that is not the problem. He does have ADHD but not sure if it plays a role in this. Even when I ask him to whisper he yells. He literally gives me a headache. He has always been loud. I don't know what to do because he honestly can't help it. I have had to send him to his room for quiet time just to get a little peace.

 

My mother said when I was younger I was extremely loud as well. I guess I grew out of it. I pray DS grows out of it. In the mean time I keep a bottle of tylenol handy.

[KJsMom]

I have an 8 year old who is very loud and always has been. She is not the outgoing loud type, in fact she will barely speak in public, she is the loud at home type. My husband is just as bad. He walks in from work at 7am and starts talking about his day. My kids don't need alarm clocks, he wakes them up almost every time. I don't think it's an add issue or a hearing problem in my family, they just can't seem to control the volume.

[Rochelleg]

I have a son just like me! LOUD!

I am just like you Jann! I am loud and people in my family shushh me all the time. I just don't realize most of the time that I am getting excited or that I am loud. I have just told people sometimes "you know I am loud sometimes so if I get to loud just let me know and I'll try to turn it down a notch or 2".. grin... because yes... I can get LOUDER too! lol!

Sorry everyone! :iagree:

[elw_miller]

There are some excellent suggestions here--whisper meals, playing spy, etc. My middle child (ds almonst 2) is extremely loud. When he'd cry as a baby we wore earplugs it hurt so much. When he'd wake up from a nap we could hear him across the house just fine (no need for a baby monitor!).

 

He screams when he's angry or frustrated. He yells when he's excited or happy. He'll scream with joy in ear-piercing pitches, "DA-dee, DA-dee!" when my husband appears. Maybe he'll be an opera singer someday...he certainly has good projection!

 

Now that he's getting to a point that he understands directions better, we'll start trying some of these suggestions. I've tried modeling a quiet voice but the volume doesn't really go down yet at all. Sigh.