Indoor Voices Please!

When we first checked into our hotel we were placed on floor five. When we walked into our room, they did not have a frige and microwave for us, so we were moved to floor four. Thank goodness, too. Floor five had a sign which read "Quiet Please. Day Sleepers On This Floor." I know my husband relayed our dynamic to the people at the front desk. "We need to stay for three weeks and we have children... small children..." i.e. they are loud. They are loud when they are happy, they are loud when they are playing, they are loud when they are mad. All dynamics in our household seem to have this VERY loud ensemble that goes with it.

What in the world am I doing wrong? I don't think I am that loud. In fact, I like it when things are quiet. Do you want Mommy happy? Give me five minutes of pure silence to recharge. I try hard not to speak loud to my kids. I understand that it is important not to speak over my children if I need to speak to them. I encourage our interrupt rule (place your hand on whose attention you need to politely let them know you need something), we discuss and act out inside voices versus outside voices, I remind them constantly that we need to use out inside voices, AND I encourage them when they remember to use their inside voices.

Being at a hotel, does not automatically encourage my children turn down the volume (crazy, I know). It seems to have gone up in fact. That may be because we are all in the same room! There is no where for them to go and really let it all out. We walk down the hall and it is a race to the elevator. Which is hilarious, I guess... Bella hides then jumps out at Lily. Anthony is chasing them and all are giggling as we make our way down stairs. Then there is the debate about who gets to push the button- who did it last time? Who is pushing it outside versus inside? Preventing Lily from hitting the alarm button which is just within her reach (of course). All of these events take place at a volume that those on floors above and below can hear, I am sure!

So what would my kids look like if they actually slowed down and always took into consideration the fact that we are inside versus outside. Well... they would look like adults. And I don't want that for them! I wish I could have so much fun going down to the elevator. I wish pushing buttons brought the kind of thrill to me as it does for them. Watching them light up as they are silly and playing together is fabulous. Why stifle that for them?

As for now, I will continue to teach and instruct about indoor vs. outdoor voices because there are times that it is necessary. When it is not necessary, we are going to be silly and have fun together... and not worry too much about being quiet. Because if I really tried, I could TOTALLY beat my kids to the elevator! As long as we aren't on the fifth floor!