To find my 4yo incessant talking unbelievably irritating...

[TurquoiseHeart]

Don't get me wrong I love my DD to pieces. But she talks constantly, repeating the same stuff or just talking random bollocks.

I make a point of not ignoring her and chat back to her or whatever but sometimes it is unbearably annoying and I just want to shout in her face to shut up (I have never done this btw).

I find it draining and exhausting and very annoying (mostly when I'm tired myself).

AIBU and a horrible mum or are there others? Also is this a 'phase' and will she grow out of it hopefully soon ?

[Leigh1980]

My DP does this! I just get on with thongs and nod accordingly every now and then. Don't have kids so can't comment on them but definitely know where you're coming from. What's worse is he will see something funny and giggle like a child for a festival! I call him Giggling Gertie!! Highly annoying

[Leigh1980]

For a festival 😲😲😍😯 I meant for ages!!!

[Leigh1980]

For a festival? 😲😲😲 I meant to say for ages lol

[CMOTDibbler]

My ds is 9 and still does this. Even when playing Minecraft he witters...

[molyholy]

Haha I am gonna use that one leigh. Oh she was giggling like a child for a festival .

[TheCarpenter]

DS is 12. Still does it

[hiccupgirl]

My DS (5) is also that kind of child and yes, it's incredibly irritating sometimes. I do tell him to stop and that he's just waffling and generally he will stop for a short while now.

[NellysKnickers]

Ds1 still does this at 10

[molyholy]

Dd is 6 and a chatterbox. Especially in the car when I am trying to concentrate because I am quite a nervous driver. Somehow I have learned to zone out if necessary and it just becomes white noise. Do you have a happy place you can go to in your head.

[AugustRose]

DD1 is like this and has been since she was about 2/3 - she is 13 now and still talks non-stop if given the chance, as rude as it sounds we actually have to tell her to stop sometimes.

[PitBlackwell]

Mine does this, but also says "Mum" every 4 words. It drives me insane, especially when they finish with "Mum, Mum, Mum? Mum!", before I've even had time to respond. I feel your pain.

[Kitsandkids]

My 7 year old does this - particularly when I'm washing up or ironing in the kitchen and he's in there playing on the computer.

'Mum, did you see that? Mum are you watching? Mum shall I be the red car? I think the red car is the best. Do you think I can win in that one?' And on and on and on. A lot of the time I don't bother answering, which I don't think he even notices, he just keeps on talking!

[ecuse]

Drives me batshit crazy most of the time. Occasionally adorable!

[Saukko]

I have a point at which I stop listening/responding and hope they are learning valuable social lessons about what bored people look like, and I have a point at which I say "You have talked too much and you must stop now."

I really try to see it as teaching them good manners and conversational skills, and hope to god they're not going to be that office bore who just talks and talks and talks like, well, a 5 year old even though they're 32. They've got to learn they can't just make mouthnoise for hours, surely...

[VagueIdeas]

I am exactly the same with my four year old DD.

I actually never realised how very introverted I was until I became a parent. She witters on all. day. long and I usually find myself hiding upstairs/in the kitchen just for a few minutes' peace

[TheHiphopopotamus]

My DP does this! I just get on with thongs



Dd does this. I zone out and nod and then find out I've agreed to stuff I have no recollection of.

[Ebb]

My two, 7 and 5, are like this. Constant, incessant chatter. I've started telling them to use less words. I switch off about the first 30 seconds.

[WhyCantIuseTheNameIWant]

Toddler waffle the other morning

Ds get up
Ds go school
Ds get up NOWWWWW
Ds come open dd curtains
Ds get UPPPP now
Shut up dd noisy
Ds school shoes on
Mummy throw things at ds
Ds go school

Had to laugh at shut up dd in the middle of it. This went on for about half an hour. Similar phrases repeated.

Ds is 12. He has learned to be quiet occasionally. But the second you actually want to listen to the news/travel or do something (have a wee?) he is there mum mum mum. And then the toddler starts again.

[VikingLady]

Oh no, please don't tell me DD won't grow out of it?! I was relying on it being an aspect of the threenager years!

[blobbityblob]

Yes. I think I just switch off and try and nod in the right places.

My much harsher dsis used to tell her ds, you're being v boring now, please stop.

I don't have the heart to, yet.

[VenusRising]

I agree saukko, they need to be told that they must not make noise every time they think, and that verbal diarrhoea is anti social.

Play some games:
Use an egg timer for silence. Award them with golden stars when they're silent for 5 minutes. When they get 10 stars they can go to the playground etc.

Ask them to listen to others for 10 minutes and ask them to count how many people had something to say if they're not talking 19 to the dozen.

Use a wooden spoon/ stick to "allow" different people to speak. They're not allowed to make any noise if they don't have the talking stick.

Ask them to reflect back what you're saying to them, this way they start to actively listen.

"Fine" them for overuse of the "mum, mum mum mum mum" tap. Take stars from their charts if the overuse the mum word.


Seriously, OP you have a duty to get them to stop making "mouth noise" with love, when they are still relatively young,interested in your opinions and compliant, because they will be ignored and avoided, or told harshly and without any thought for their feelings when they're older by strangers. We all know and hate the adult who never stops droning on. We never, ever invite them anywhere fun, and escape from them ASAP.

Believe me to when I say that annoying as it undeniably is for you, who have had these children, and know and love them, it's really, really annoying for those of us who don't know them, and who don't give a monkey's about your kids and their little foibles.

Maybe start socialising them now, before some scary, witch-librarian like me does it for you

[derenstar]

DD2 (aged 5) is the same. It's exhausting, she's not that easy to zone out either because she DEMANDS I respond to her whenever she detects I've stopped listening. I have tried asking nicely, playing the silence game, hiding, pretending to be doing something very important that requires no talkin, it doesn't work. The only time she's not whittling on is when she's on the tablet so she has been spending more time than I will ever admit to ever on the tablet.

You have my sympathies.

[KatieLatie]

You have my sympathy.

I am a naturally quiet person. DS (almost 6) doesn't stop talking (mostly rubbish), making sounds, humming Star Wars tunes, random noises, all questions (nornally asked 3/4 times because he never bothers to listen to my answers) are addressed to me (even if DH is around). Obviiusly all questions/noises/rubbish gets louder and more urgent if I have to concentrate (ie trying to park the car or listen to someone). If he is watching TV and waht things explaining, then he will obviously ask questions over the TV so neither he nor I have a clue what is going on...

Talking (sense) I don't mind. Sensible questions (if he actually listen to the answers) I dont mind. All the mindless noise or repetition (same questions, same tune for the 100th time that hour...) I don't like :(

[Leigh1980]

Lol @ myself 😂😂 You can see I had zero sleep last night! Festivals & thongs!!! 😨😴

[nightsky010]

DS used to do this when younger because he has ASD. Same subjects repeated over and over, sometimes the same phrases or questions too. No idea about when it's appropriate to talk and when it isn't. Also he is very imaginative so much of it related to his fantasy world. It was very annoying!