Parenting sans a voice

One would think that the boys will be running amok through the home, since both the Husband and I have lost our voices.  That has not happened.  Both the Husband and I believe very strongly that the boys are our responsibility to grow into people that we are proud to present to the world.  Like plants, the little boys need care and love (and food! their stomach capacities seem to be boundless, yes even at ages 4 and 2, ingesting any kind of non-green food 24/7), as well as a judicious pruning of wayward branches that stunt their growth.

This morning, the Husband quelled Medium Boy's request for one more Oreo cookie with a single finger and a firm 'No', after Medium Boy had stated his case for just one more cookie.  The Husband's gesture made me chuckle inwardly.

Last night, I broke up Medium Boy's and Small Boy's fight by whispering 'Come here and sit with me' while I cuddled them while humming softly.  Definitely much easier to hum than sing with a sore throat :)
Methinks all the boys need is to be listened to, and to be held.

We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty. - Mother Teresa