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Parenting

Lisa says: Are your kids good listeners?

The kids aren't listening and Lisa's doing a lot of unpleasant yelling.

By Lisa van de Geyn
Lisa says: Are your kids good listeners?

I've found myself saying (read: screaming) this a lot lately: "No one listens to me in this place!"

By no one, I obviously mean Addyson and Peyton. (And sometimes — many times — Peter.)

I've also noticed that I'm yelling more than usual in an attempt to be heard.

Peter might beg to differ, but I don't enjoy yelling; I'd prefer not to do it. Yelling at a 22-month-old and an almost-four-year-old is exhausting. (As is yelling at an almost-40-year-old.) As much as I know shouting "ADDY! LISTEN TO MOMMY NOW!" at the top of my lungs isn't going to get the attention I want, I'm not sure how else to get little ears to listen to their mommy.

All that said, It seems I'm the ONLY one the kids don't listen to. They listen to Daddy. Addy listens intently (like, more than I've ever witnessed any kid listen) to Coach Joe and Coach Tanya at soccer. They listen to Bubby — when they feel like it. (And she thinks that's adorable because she's their grandmother.) They listen to the television. Addy has always been a great listener, but lately she's followed Peyton's lead and has been completely ignoring any and all of my requests. I'm not worried she won't listen in school — judging by how she pays attention to her coaches, she'll have no problem listening in the classroom. I thought kids stopped listening to their parents when they get into their teens. My kids are clearly gifted child prodigies.

I'm going to assume this is a phase, and Addy thinks it's comical that Peyps doesn't listen, so she follows suit. Or maybe my delivery is all wrong and here are better ways to get the kids to listen than to yell/ beg/threaten/scream/get annoyed.

Are your kids good listeners? What do you do to get them to pay better attention to you (and anyone else they seem to ignore)?

This article was originally published on Jul 24, 2012

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