March 10, 2009

I'm a Yeller


Now that there is a recession (or depression or whatever we're calling it these days) I'm a yeller. Just a big ole screaming harpie. I can't find any nicer way to say it.

Rob's been hinting around about it for a while with really polite suggestions like:

"I read this article in a parenting magazine about how to have a calm household."

and

"I saw this infomercial with these tapes about effective discipline... maybe we should get some of those."

and the less subtle

"I think we should try to not yell so much."

and the more direct

"You probably could have done that without yelling."

I heard him, but I didn't really HEAR him if you know what I mean. Because, after all, we're in a recession and of all the vocations to have while we're in a recession, I happen to be a REALTOR for heaven's sake. So, when my head isn't in the gas oven apparently my family claims I'm yelling.

It finally occurred to me today what Rob has been talking about. I had a sudden epiphany.

I was standing in the kitchen and asked Julius to take a drink to The Toddler. As he's leaving the room he says, "I have to taste it to make sure it's okay."

I yell at his retreating back, "NO NO NO, DON'T DRINK AFTER YOUR BROTHER... HE HAS DIIIAAARRHEEEEEEEAAAAA!" (Of course he's already drinking as I'm yelling this helpful warning.) I turn with the word "diarrhea" wafting from my yellbox and realize that on this nice spring day we have all the windows open. Great.

And so for good measure, I yell out the kitchen window, "And all you neighbors watch out too cause my kid has diarrhea. Just wanna make sure everyone heard me!"

I bet my neighbors love me.

[photo credit: demibrooke]

11 comments:

  1. hahahahaha that's great. I was a big yeller..their dad was the spanker. I think they preferred me lol

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  2. oh yeah... I think we all go through those stages..yelling, then not yelling, then yelling. Take heart. You're normal.

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  3. love the gas oven comment. you are SO funny! i'm always happy when i see that you have a new post up! thanks for making me laugh right out loud.

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  4. I'm a yeller too. And I can't imagine what the neighbors think about me. Especially when I do things like get the car stuck in the storm garden and need it towed out.

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  5. I'D LOVE TO HAVE YOU FOR MY NEIGHBOR!
    (me yelling)

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  6. Hahaha! Yep. Another yeller here. It always takes me a bit to adjust for open window season!

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  7. I totally understand where you're coming from. I yell, he yells, we all yell for peace cream. And I HATE yelling! But . . . I still do it.

    The entire neighborhood heard about our science project.

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  8. All this time I never realized my wife had a blog behind my back.

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  9. I'm taking the heat for wives everywhere.

    Maybe you and my hubby should start a group where all the blogger widowers can meet and share war stories. (And then blog about it.)

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  10. As you know, I'm a yeller, too. I hate it!!! I've trained Selah to totally ignore me until I'm yelling - it's lovely, especially when we go out. I'm working on it -- disciplining before I get frustrated and start yelling.

    My husband yells, too. But, not nearly as much as I do. Perhaps it's because he's only with the kids about two hours a day!

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  11. lol, I am a yeller too, mainly cuz my younger daughter, who is 13, is a major yeller and I have to yell to be heard. I live in an apartment and there's been a few times I've heard people walking down the hall outside my apartment and I cringed, knowing they heard every word!

    I'm working on not yelling so much, and I'm getting better, but it's hard not to yell back when you're being screamed at!

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