Some Cheese With That Whine??

Being Deaf, you'd think I would not have to hear all the whining and screeches that my children make. Agh!! I can still hear that and it is just as irritating to me as it would be to a hearing parent. I KNOW that I am not the only one out here that wishes I could put duct tape on their mouths and silence the whining! I could turn off my hearing aid and then my world would be silent again, but I can't bring myself to do that because of the what-if factor. What if something happens and because I turned off my hearing aid, I didn't hear the crash, or the scream or the hurt cry. So just like hearing parents, I suffer along with the whiny cries.

It could be because they didn't get enough sleep, or one of the kids just can't leave the other one alone (usually this is the case), or they whine because they like to see mommy climb the walls. But along with the whines, I also get the tugs of the shirt because they know that's how they get mommy's attention. So I could be working in the kitchen, getting dinner ready and having a kid swinging on the back of my shirt, whining all the while. I've accepted that half of my shirts now look like a tuxedo coat with the flaps on the back covering my butt.

I can hear enough to know the door has been slammed on the little one's fingers and she lets out a blood-curdling scream. I can hear (actually I can feel the floor vibrating) when the girls are jumping up and down on the couch when they know they aren't supposed to (and I get a kick out of seeing the shock on their faces when I catch 'em). I can also hear the silence of the girls getting into the pantry and sneaking pieces of Easter candy-- It's too quiet in here, what are the girls up to??

Unfortunately, I can't hear when the girls break a light bulb off the Christmas tree, and they are standing among broken glass, afraid to move and cut their little feet. I can't hear their giggles in their room at night when they are playing with the flashlights. I can't hear when they whisper to each other and I want to eavesdrop on their conversations. I fear someday when they get older, they will realize that I can't hear them talk to their friends on the phone and they will be up to no good, right under my nose. These are the moments when I am grateful to have a hearing Hubby, who can tell me what they are saying and will be able to hear the back door open when one of them tries to sneak out of the house.

I know there will come a time when my hearing aid will no longer help me hear a little. I don't look forward to that because that will be the end of hearing my children's voices. I won't be able to hear Hubby say words of passion in bed. I won't be able to hear my grandchildren, if I get lucky and live long enough. If being able to hear means hearing the whiny cries of my kids, then so be it. Where can I buy some big rolls of duct tape?