I've had laryngitis since Saturday. I haven't been able to raise my voice above a whisper; finally today my voice is sort of coming back, but my neighbor said I sound like a grouchy man so I'm back to whisper for now:).
But it's taught me a lot. Things have gone so smoothly! And that's not to say my 2-year-old hasn't thrown tantrums about the same things he throws tantrums about everyday, that my 4-year-old hasn't stopped talking back, or that my 8-month-old doesn't scream between every bite since we just can't feed him fast enough. Pretty much nothing has changed except me, and that's made all the difference. I can't grouch right back at my kids when they're cranky, or yell to tell them to hurry and get their shoes and get in the car. Less than 4 days ago I'd yell because I'd start quiet and they wouldn't hear me and then I'd get louder and louder and louder and say the same thing again and again - and usually my kids still weren't listening til they finally turned around and saw that I was mad at them. Doesn't seem quite fair to anyone does it?
Without a voice, I've taken an extra second or two to consider my response, and I have seen that truly "A soft answer turneth away wrath" (Proverbs 15:1).
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