A boy with a loud voice

As a parent, you do have a secret wish that at least in some respects, your child takes after you and there's nothing narcissistic about it!! Especially for a mom….. after the grueling experience of giving birth, the last thing you would expect to hear is that the baby looks exactly like its dad!! Just imagine how I felt ....I was like …. “Have a little mercy….. people!!” :-)

As my baby grew into a toddler and from a toddler to a preschooler…..I realized it myself….he is just like his father!!! Hmmmm…..I’m unable to decide whether that’s good or bad!! (My husband is going to kill me!!!) Of course….there are times I try to blame my husband for my son’s behavior……. ”After all…..what else can we expect ….like father, like son!!”

The only conceivable trait that my son has probably inherited from me is my LOUD voice. I come from a family of loud mouths …both literally and figuratively, esp. from my father’s side (Now my father is going to kill me!!) When my son talks …..I feel like his lungs are going to explode!!! Being a four year old, his high decibel voice can be a nuisance when you’re outside. When we go shopping, I only hear his shrill voice resonate the whole store in whichever aisle you may be!!! When we took him to a Broadway musical, I was tired of people shooting dirty glances at us. I can’t begin to tell you my ordeal at the library! What do I with his loud voice? Of all the good traits that I have (or so I think) …..my son had to take after the one I’m not proud of. Well ......my husband can’t help feeling triumphant!!:-)

I thought I found an answer when the library’s children’s books reading list recommended “Holler Loudly” by Cynthia Leitich Smith and illustrated by Barry Gott. It is about a boy with a loud voice named Holler. I read this book to Abhay today and made him see the similarities. The boy was named Holler because when he cried, pecans fell from the trees and prickly cacti plants sprouted more needles! His parents said “Hush” lovingly when he was a baby. When this carried forward into his toddler years, they said “ Hush” sternly and realized it was of no use as he grew up!! Holler continued to drastically affect his surroundings with his loud voice……whether he was in school, movie theatre, state fair or when he went fishing with his grandpa. Tired of everyone hushing him to silence, he feels dejected and quietly listens to some music. Spellbound by the music, he realizes that he is able to listen better when he is quiet…..and quiet times suit him just fine!! But when a tornado threatens to destroy his town……his loud voice makes him a hero. So Holler decides to be loud when it is required and quiet when its appropriate. Abhay liked the book and I hoped it had made its impact on him. It did…….later during the day when I asked him in a firm voice to finish up his food quickly ……he in turn said “Hush!!….amma…you’re too loud”!!