Google+ The Duda Homestead: Word Of The Week | Silence

Monday, December 16, 2013

Word Of The Week | Silence

​There's a new site, honelife.com, that challenges users to "hone" in on a particular word each week and express it creatively in one way or another. I enjoy a creative challenge and am hoping to participate each week. They just launched and this week's word is "silence." Now, as a new parent, and someone who runs a small at-home daycare, you're probably expecting me to talk about how silence is hard to come by, and oh life is so busy those moments are so rare. But I'm not. That's crap. Let me explain...


Yes, we do live in a world that is getting busier and busier everyday, in part because of technology.  But stop blaming the machine when you are the one who has a brain and free will and the choice to use said machines or not. Just because you can be connected all of the time, does not mean that you should. That is your choice and you need to take responsibility for it. I've had it up to -here- with the lack of accountability in our society.

Silence doesn't just refer to audible noise. ​ You can sit in complete quiet and be in the zone on your technology of choice with less silence than if your kids were running around screaming while you're trying to bake Christmas cookies. Trust me, I know how easy it is to get caught up on the internet and Lord knows I spend time browsing Pinterest. But I choose to do that, and I make a conscious effort to turn it off. I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I'm aware of the need to turn it off. 

Now and then, I get overwhelmed if I'm trying to watch the Today show or Ellen now and then when the 2 year old I watch is asking me to read a story and my E is needing to nurse or play. Now, I could choose to be a jerk and freak out, or I can choose to turn off the TV to create my own silence and tend to the needs of the kiddos. Of course, I choose turning off the TV. And guess what? The kids get quieter and we can sit and play or read a story. Sure, there are times they play louder than others, but having the background noise of the TV or radio multiplies that in my mind. So it is up to me, the adult, to choose silence and turn those off and let the kids enjoy themselves. They will nap, they will need their quiet play time. So I don't fight it. 

It may not always seem this way, but I have learned that silence is a choice more often than we may realize. How do you create your silence?

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