Holler To Be Heard
I holler...a lot. I holler in amazement. I holler when I need
someone. You can surely bet I holler when I am mad. I holler
that dinner is ready, and I holler when I stub my toe. I am a
mom who hollers about darn near everything. Perhaps it was my
early upbringing in the southeast countryside of Texas. Perhaps
it is because I am near deaf from blaring music into my
headphones as a teen. Or maybe, it is because I want to be
unmistaken ably heard the first time I say something.
I have always hollered. But becoming a mother brought new
challenges. As my baby grew into a young boy my habit came in
direct contraindication with my preaching. At stores or
restaurants, the instruction to use his inside voice (a
politically correct term used in all the reference books) left
my son puzzled. Who could blame him? The poor dear had not
really experienced much exposure to an inside voice unless we
were in a formally religious setting or about to spring out on
unsuspecting daddy coming into a dark room. And, since
competition was fierce when getting mom's attention away from
little brother, daddy, work, etc., I am sure that he figured the
louder the request the more likely it would be heard, the first
time.
Fortunately, my hollering has begun to lessen over the years,
but not before my son learned to flex his own vocal cords.
Today, he is usually appropriate in the timing of his hollering
but there have been instances where we get double-takes from
people wondering if he is talking back to me or not. Quite
frankly that is okay by me, I not only want to be heard the
first time; I also want to be able to hear something the first
time it is said. As well, I think hollering in the right places
is okay. And who knows how much a holler could help in a
troublesome situation.
After recently watching Dreamworks' Madagascar, my husband was
channel-surfing and pit-stopped on Chris Rock doing stand up
comedy. (For those unaware, Chris Rock is the voice of the
zebra.) Knowing that I am a mom who writes about the lighter
side of motherhood, you may think I am about to criticize and
condemn his foul-mouth attempts at humor. Au contraire! I must
say he can get extreme, but I actually found that he made a very
good point during one of his jokes. In so many 'colorful' words,
he explained that we need to teach kids the value of speaking up
when approached by strangers. I am sure we all agree but his
suggestion was quite unique. While "Hey! I don't know this
mother f**..." is pretty abrupt, can you imagine the impact? For
instance, at a park, you hear so many giggles, yells and
miscellaneous noises that you really do not always catch who
called out from where at first glance. But, you can bet when a
mom has her child at a playground and someone belts out an
obscenity, especially in the voice of a child, EVERYONE will be
turning to see who the bad influence is and which accompanying
parent has failed to properly raise their child. I know
hollering is not for everyone and even frowned upon in certain
social circles. It can be construed as rude, obnoxious and
unsophisticated. Let they who are offended think as they will. I
have seen many good people who holler. Think of all the
hollering an entertainer must do over a thunderous crowd. Think
of how much hollering cheerleaders do in support of their team.
Think of the hollering a doctor must do in a crucial situation,
barking orders as seconds count between life and death. Were
these the weak-voiced moppets of yesterday? I would imagine not.
While my children have quite a ways to go before determining
their path in life, I am sure that they will choose something
well-deserving of the edified skill they learned from their mom.
And when they fulfill their various undertakings, I am sure to
be there, hollering with pride.