I’m not writing about the ill-fated dog from the most depressing Disney movie ever. I’m referring to myself. I am a yeller (and I’m old-ish, at least in comparison to my kids). I own it, but I’m not proud of it. I raise my voice when I am frustrated, angry or hurt. I yell at my children, more often than I would like.
Have you ever noticed that when someone yells at you, you yell back? And have you noticed that you are much less likely to truly hear the message if it is yelled at you?
For example, IF I YELL AT YOU RIGHT NOW BY TYPING IN ALL CAPS, AREN’T YOU ANNOYED AND LESS LIKELY TO PAY ATTENTION TO ME?
Yep. I have noticed that. I know it is true with my interactions with my children, and yet I still do it. When I am able to harness my self-control and talk calmly, the results are almost always positive.
Almost always. I do have a teenager, after all. Sometimes all the calm talk in the world cannot untangle me from an argument with her. Yet the yelling doesn’t work either – it only makes me need a throat lozenge.
When I angry-yell, it’s often one of the following statements:
Let’s go!
A sense of urgency must not develop until early adulthood. Because even though I’m taking them somewhere that they need or want to be, my children plod along as if they have all the time in the world.
Who left the (insert object here) on/in the (insert location here)?
Minds out of the gutter, people. I’m talking about leaving dirty knives in the coffee table (yes, IN the table – it’s not a typo), hairbrushes on the kitchen table, or underwear inside the pants that are then thrown into the laundry.
A string of expletives or unintelligible grunts
When I experience sudden pain, yelling is the only thing I can do to make the pain manageable. If I’m alone, I curse like a sailor at maximum volume. If I’m not, I just make loud noises, but I really want to let the expletives rip. The other day I walked head first into an open kitchen cabinet door. I screamed like a teenage girl at a One Direction concert, only significantly less happy and at a lower frequency. I wish I had been alone, because a few good f-bombs would have really helped.
When I happy-yell, it is usually one of the following:
Woo hoo! or Yay!
These are my go-to expressions of excitement when I’m writing. I use these often when I comment on other blogs. They are my virtual yells and shout-outs.
Holla!
I picked this up from my friend MS, and my kids think it is obnoxious coming from an old person. That makes me use it even more. Dictionary.com defines “holla” as an informal exclamation of enthusiasm or joy.
Example: I’m going to see Book of Mormon on Saturday. Holla!
Generalized woohooing
When my kids are on the field or on the court, I cheer like the proud mama I am. I try not to yell anything specific so I don’t embarrass them; I leave that to their father. I just focus on positive cheers and the occasional high-five with the mom sitting next to me.
Are you a yeller like me? If you’re not, how do you do it?
This post was inspired by the FTSF prompt, “What I really want to scream out loud is…” Check out what others are screaming by clicking on the very quiet girl below.
Before you go…Facebook is changing its rules so that bloggers have to pay to have their fan page posts reach readers. I won’t be paying to promote my Facebook posts unless I win the lottery. So if you’d like to receive updates when I post on Kiss my List, please subscribe to my blog via email. Just type your email address in the box below and click the subscribe button. Thanks!
The post Old Yeller appeared first on Kiss my List.