: Holler To Be Heard by: Sherri L Dodd I holler…a lot. I holler in amazement. I holler when I need someone. You can surely bet I holler when I am mad. I holler that dinner is ready, and I holler when I stub my

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Holler To Be Heard

by: Sherri L Dodd


I holler…a lot. I holler in amazement. I holler when I need someone. You can surely bet I holler when I am mad. I holler that dinner is ready, and I holler when I stub my toe. I am a mom who hollers about darn near everything. Perhaps it was my early upbringing in the southeast countryside of Texas. Perhaps it is because I am near deaf from blaring music into my headphones as a teen. Or maybe, it is because I want to be unmistaken ably heard the first time I say something.
I have always hollered. But becoming a mother brought new challenges. As my baby grew into a young boy my habit came in direct contraindication with my preaching. At stores or restaurants, the instruction to use his inside voice (a politically correct term used in all the reference books) left my son puzzled. Who could blame him? The poor dear had not really experienced much exposure to an inside voice unless we were in a formally religious setting or about to spring out on unsuspecting daddy coming into a dark room. And, since competition was fierce when getting mom’s attention away from little brother, daddy, work, etc., I am sure that he figured the louder the request the more likely it would be heard, the first time.
Fortunately, my hollering has begun to lessen over the years, but not before my son learned to flex his own vocal cords. Today, he is usually appropriate in the timing of his hollering but there have been instances where we get double-takes from people wondering if he is talking back to me or not. Quite frankly that is okay by me, I not only want to be heard the first time; I also want to be able to hear something the first time it is said. As well, I think hollering in the right places is okay. And who knows how much a holler could help in a troublesome situation.
After recently watching Dreamworks’ Madagascar, my husband was channel-surfing and pit-stopped on Chris Rock doing stand up comedy. (For those unaware, Chris Rock is the voice of the zebra.) Knowing that I am a mom who writes about the lighter side of motherhood, you may think I am about to criticize and condemn his foul-mouth attempts at humor. Au contraire! I must say he can get extreme, but I actually found that he made a very good point during one of his jokes. In so many ‘colorful’ words, he explained that we need to teach kids the value of speaking up when approached by strangers. I am sure we all agree but his suggestion was quite unique. While “Hey! I don’t know this mother f**…” is pretty abrupt, can you imagine the impact? For instance, at a park, you hear so many giggles, yells and miscellaneous noises that you really do not always catch who called out from where at first glance. But, you can bet when a mom has her child at a playground and someone belts out an obscenity, especially in the voice of a child, EVERYONE will be turning to see who the bad influence is and which accompanying parent has failed to properly raise their child.
I know hollering is not for everyone and even frowned upon in certain social circles. It can be construed as rude, obnoxious and unsophisticated. Let they who are offended think as they will. I have seen many good people who holler. Think of all the hollering an entertainer must do over a thunderous crowd. Think of how much hollering cheerleaders do in support of their team. Think of the hollering a doctor must do in a crucial situation, barking orders as seconds count between life and death. Were these the weak-voiced moppets of yesterday? I would imagine not. While my children have quite a ways to go before determining their path in life, I am sure that they will choose something well-deserving of the edified skill they learned from their mom. And when they fulfill their various undertakings, I am sure to be there, hollering with pride.

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