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0919 September
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by joy holden i opened my book and inhaled deeply, savoring the
quiet
. i could hear muffled voices coming from down the hall, but i knew it was as close to
quiet
as i was going to get. yes, i was hiding from my children, and yes, i?m perfectly okay with that. of course, five minutes into my solace, knocks on the
door
accompanied by ?mama!? disrupted my sweet solitude. i sighed and opened the
door
to a blathering
little
boy who was going on and on about the latest incident between him and his brother. i said goodbye to my book and entered the fray once again. here?s the thing about parenting: we long to hear their
little
voices when they are babies, and then pretty soon they are preschoolers who will not stop the constant flow of chatter from their always-open mouth faucets. and if you have older children, here come the arguments like a competing spigot that will also not turn off. even if it isn?t words, it?s strange sounds?burps, clicks, snorts, grunts, squeals?you name it. and, we all know the repetition cycle that arrives around four years old. you know, the one phrase or the one song lyric, or the one exclamation that their
little
precious brains get hooked on that they repeat far too many times. who can forget the many ?mama?s that resound over and over again? and, i have to mention the crying. when does it end? high-pitched wails pierce the air and shoot right down my spine. does anybody else grit their teeth at the sound of audible tears or is it just me? the vast cacophony of noise really doesn?t stop until they are asleep in their beds. but what?s the alternative? silence? that can be eerily frightening. they have either left the house (which really doesn?t happen, but it?s the big fear our minds jump to) or they are into some serious mess that surely signals a disaster in the works. we call out their names with the slightest hint of ?where are you?? every once in awhile, i will find my boys engrossed in a harmless and beneficial can i pleaseee get a
little
peace and
quiet
? i turned the bathroom
door
lock with a click. my book in my hands, i nestled down on the bathroom rug. i looked at my phone and set my timer for 10 minutes. ?after this, i?ll go back out there,? i said to myself. 2 8 b r p a r e n t s . c o m | s e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 9
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