Children should be seen and not heard?

"Children should be seen and not heard," That's what my dad used to say! As a mom of three kids ages 16, 14, and 10, I don’t have all the answers. but I do know that that is not often the case. Kids are noisy! They giggle, scream, yell, laugh, talk, chatter, bang toys, jump, and then giggle some more. Even as they get older, the noise level never really seems to decrease.

What do you do when you want to get the noisy kids to be quiet? There are several things you can do to control the noise level with your children at home, when riding in the car, when eating at restaurants, or even while visiting the library. Here are a few quick tips to bring some peace and quiet to you day:

• Whisper - When their noise level is too loud. Try whispering to get their attention. See what happens.
• Tiptoeing – When you hear heavy feet running and jumping, try tiptoeing and see it they follow suit.
• Prepare ahead of time – For outings to restaurants, the library, or trips in the car, come prepared with some emergency snacks and activities.
• Give them a loud voice outlet – Kids will only be quiet for so long. Make sure there is some time built into the day where they are free to be as loud and rambunctious as they want.

These how-to tips can help bring peace and calm. Read Help for Parents: Getting Noisy Kids to be Quiet to learn more about how to calmly get those noisy kids to be quiet!