Help: Sometimes I can't make myself heard without shouting....

[Othersideofthechannel]

at meal times

At some meal times DS (he'll be 5 in March) talks so loudly and non-stop that I can't make myself heard without seriously raising my voice.

This evening for example he was so busy complaining in a loud voice that his couscous had gone cold that he didn't hear my offer to warm it in the microwave three times. Ended up shouting 'Be quiet and listen' to get his attention.

I would like to be handling this another way. How do/would you deal with this?

I don't think he is particularly noisy for his age in other situations.

I'd have shoved his face in the couscous

Does that mean I need to try whispering instead or that I need to tell him to try whispering instead whilst shoving his face in the couscous?

you whisper

also try putting a finger up in front of his face then pointing them towards your face as you say 'look at me' .. you can do it pointing both fingers at his eyes then back at your face

the pushing face in couscous line was a joke .. I forgot the wink

although tempting

I will certainly try whispering instead. That's a good one.

Anymore ideas?

Another thing that is bothering me at the moment is that he doesn't (seem to)understand that we have heard what he has said unless we acknowledge by repeating the whole thing.

Eg
Him:'I'd like the crusts cut off my toast please'
Me : Okay
Him: 'I'd like the crusts cut off my toast, I'd like the crusts cut of my toast, I'd like the crusts cut off my toast'
Me: I hear you. I'll do it in two seconds
Him: I don't want crusts on my toast
Me: I hear you. You'd like the crusts cut off your toast.
or
Me on a bad day: I heard you the first time....rant

The same for so many things eg 'Oh look at this massive branflake'. Looking and saying 'oh yes' isn't good enough. I have to say 'Oh yes, what a huge branflake' and then it goes on with the small ones, the folded ones.....

I like the finger thing too. Assume that means both indexes.

After tonight's performance I'm tempted to stick a certain two fingers of the same hand up to him!

don't suppose it matters with finger thing but I tend to use one hand ie index and middle fingers gently towards his eyes as I say 'Look' then swivel (gracefully of course) wrist towards my face as say 'at me' in one sentence .. I remember using it when DS was much younger

I think the repeating thing would drive me crazy if my child did it .. I'd find it very ruyde .. but its obviously an inability to wait thing

It is exasperating!

I'm not sure it is inability to wait because it applies to situations where he doesn't need to wait eg observation on individual bits of cereal, things he has seen from the car window.

He is quite patient once he has understood that I will do something as soon as I can. He just can't seem to understand I've heard unless I repeat back to. When we've talked about it, he has told me that he doesn't think I've heard unless I repeat back to him (like you do when conversing with a child that is just starting to talk)