screaming at the top of their lungs

[meemee]

do you give your children the freedom to scream at the top of their lungs (is that correct english).

today on my way to classes i was passing the daycare on campus and oh boy all the kids on the playgroud were SCREAMING and squealing.

and i thought to myself. omg i never gave my dd the freedom to scream. she had the freedom to run in the park but i think everytime she screamed i tried to silence her.

i look back and i think if i had given her the opportunity to scream she woudl have been over it much sooner.

so do you give your children the chance and freedom to modulate their voice and discover all the things they can do with it?

[treeoflife3]

She is allowed to sceam during regular play but I LOATHE when she screams when she is annoyed or frustrated or bored (such as at the store) or right in my ear or out in public (such as the library or the store, not a park)

I haven't figured out how to gently encourage her not to scream though. Getting her to sing a song instead is the only thing that works and it often doesn't. Everything else just makes her want to do it more... only with a smile.

I'm definitely happy to let her scream while running around outside. Heck, I do it with her only I definitely don't REALLY scream.. just the quieter pretend screaming variety as we chase each other around. I try to keep her to just yelling decibles when we are inside and playing more wildly though because again... those high pitches in my ear get me really tense and angry.

[lifeguard]

I try to give ds opportunities to get the noise out when I can (we have a game where we basically yell in each other's faces that gets him into fits of giggles). We are working on "indoor voices" but he doesn't really get it yet.

I think it's more about teaching appropriate times to be noisy than to not allow it.

[academama]

I agree with lifeguard--I don't allow screaming in the house or at a time when it will disrupt the neighbors, or in the car. But if they're playing outdoors during the day and there's some howling and screaming, that's fine with me.

[foodymama]

I would love to "not allow" screaming in the house or in public places but my DD has other thoughts on the matter. She does know what loud and quiet means and we have been working on "inside voices" but other than that I'm not sure how you get them to not scream. Unless, you have a completely mellow child who is not inclined to screaming that is.

[tabrizia]

My three and a half year old will tell me "it's screaming time now Mom!" and then he and his 18 month old sister will cream for about 5 minutes. After which time they stop. He will actually tell his sister "No Eloise it is not screaming time now!" If she tries to scream when he hasn't said it is screaming time. It actually works for me since I know they will only be screaming a few times a day for 5 minutes or so at a time, and I can tell them that it isn't screaming time right now either if they start when I am not in the mood to listen to two screaming little children.