To this day, if my mother puts on her Scary Mom voice, even for someone else's kid, it stops me in my tracks. My mom has a loud snap that she used to use to get our attention, to signify "Oh no, you don't!" without even speaking. I also jump a mile in the air when I hear someone snap at a grocery store. My mind starts racing as to what I may have done wrong for about two seconds before I remember that I am thirty, and not in trouble with anybody.
When I started substitute teaching about eight years ago, I started developing my scary teacher voice, which is akin to a scary mom voice. I can look menacingly over my glasses with the best of them. But I didn't know if I would find my Scary Mom voice.
I'll tell you what helps you develop that voice quickly, though, is having a toddler. She does things that make my heart stop several times a day, and that's when that voice comes out and gets tough. I don't even have to think about it, but oh boy, I sound like a very stern lady, She Who Must Be Obeyed. Ghengis Khan's matriarch.
The thing I'm working hard at is making sure I only use Scary Mom voice when Maeve is doing something dangerous or potentially hurtful to herself or someone else. It would be really easy just to use it all the time when I'm telling her no, especially when I'm frustrated and tired. I don't want to be one of those moms you see at the grocery store who is clearly so tired that she has given up on being kind to her kids and every word coming out of her mouth is barked like a drill sergeant. But so far I think I'm doing okay with using my scary voice only when truly necessary.
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| Who could yell at this little button? |
Did your Mom ever do the Mom Look? Mine developed that for occasions like church were she couldn't yell, but boy, that bad boy still scares me to death.
ReplyDeleteHehe, I have been working on my mom voice but I'm more concerned with perfecting "the look." (To this day, if I hear another mom using the "mom voice" with a child that shares my name, I freeze!)
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