“Yelling silences your message. Speak quietly so children can hear your words instead of just your voice.”

—L.R. Knost, Founder/Director of Little Hearts/Gentle Parenting

Image from Unsplash by Icons8Team

What is your natural reaction when someone yells at you? Consider your childhood and your interactions with parents, teachers, or other authority figures. For many, such verbal attacks cause the receiver to shut down and back off.

During a counseling session in the early years of my marriage, I was told by our very kind and perceptive advisor that when my wife disagreed with my perspective, I simply raised my voice and said the same things, only louder. This approach silenced my message and often resulted in raised voices on both sides.

Speaking quietly to be understood and of course seeking to understand one another has helped support our successful marriage of 41 happy years.

EXERCISE:

Where is too much yelling occurring in your world? Where and with whom would calmer, quieter voices help us hear one another better?