Would You Rather...
Sometimes I feel like I do not understand my husband and oldest son. They love noise. They seem to be unable to function without it.
I often find my husband working at his computer with a sermon playing on the computer AND music playing in the background. I have NEVER seen him work in silence. Wait. I have never seen him sit in silence. He reads with the tv on, he drives with loud music or sermons on.
You would agree that it is a scary scene when I walk into Elijah's room and find him playing with his music and tv on (yes, this is true).
I on the other hand cannot concentrate with multiple stimuli running simultaneously. When in college, I had to have silence to study. I can barely read with a tv on in the background. I used to like to drive with music on but it seems the older I get (and maybe the older, and louder, my children get) the more I enjoy silence.
Now its your turn, would you rather have noise or silence?
Noise or Silence
I have to say that for me it all depends on what I'm doing at the time. If I'm driving or at work, I find silence deafening and want the radio or the ipod going. However, if I'm spending some one on one time with God, reading, or writing I simply can't focus with even the slightest bit of noise, and with three boy's in the house noise (most of it very loud) is a guaranty.
Posted by: John | June 25, 2009 at 10:34 AM
Noise! All day, Love it.
Posted by: Brett Shomaker | June 22, 2009 at 03:19 PM
Silence!! I love wonderful, peaceful slience when I am driving along in my car! I rarely listen to music in the car!
Posted by: Nicole | June 18, 2009 at 09:59 PM
Hm... let me say it this way, the Louder it gets the less focused I am. :D
Holly ~ it seems it is the Mother Instinct to hear or shall I say TUNE INTO every peep & squeak there is... notta wrong w/you or hubby :D
Posted by: Joni In MN | June 18, 2009 at 03:25 PM
Ok, I will be the lone mom to say I love noise-- I have to have on music when I am working, or the tv in the background... something. I never write without my Pandora station up... the music relaxes me. Even as I type this, four of my children are screaming at the top of their lungs as a huge pillow fight has erupted.
Sometimes my kids ask me if we can just ride in the car without the music on... to which I answer, "No!"
My mom used to make me study in silence until she realized I really did like the radio on! And it didn't impede my ability to process thoughts! I can block it out if I need to really think... usually. Which is a good thing considering how LOUD our house gets at times!!
Posted by: Marybeth Whalen | June 18, 2009 at 10:35 AM
I'm a college student and need ABSOLUTE silence while studying! Same thing when I sleep. I'm a nanny too, and I know how you feel about kids in the car + music on... doesn't work! With everyone singing or trying to talk over each other, there's no way I could concentrate if music were playing. Little noises like fans, clicking, foot tapping, etc. drive me crazy, but you can't help feeling giddy with two little girls giggling their heads off in the back seat! :)
Posted by: Kate | June 17, 2009 at 05:33 PM
I prefer more quiet settings most of the time. This is becoming more clear to me as my kids get older and louder!
Posted by: Tiffany Cooper | June 17, 2009 at 05:02 PM
silence is golden! there's not much of that at hour house, but i cease every silent moment i can!
Posted by: jen | June 17, 2009 at 04:45 PM
before kids, i would have chosen noise. in college, i studied with noise - did quite well in fact. but know after kids and all of their noise, bring on the SILENCE for me!!!
oh - i LOVE your new pics on the blog!!!!
hope you are having a great vacation!!!!
Posted by: dawn massey | June 17, 2009 at 02:26 PM
The very first thing I do when I sit down to read a book is turn on the tv. I can not concentrate in silence. I tend to hear every little sound and it drives me crazy. The background noise of the tv is simply background noise. It drives my husband nuts.
Posted by: Jessi | June 17, 2009 at 02:12 PM
Holly, I do freelance writing and always must have complete silence. My husband, on the other hand, almost always has Steven or Perry Noble or Craig Groeschel playing on the computer wherever he's working. I don't get it, but it works for him.
Angela
Posted by: Angela Slaughter | June 17, 2009 at 01:19 PM
Silence. Sometimes at work I put my old fashioned earphones on just to drown out the sounds of the office.
Posted by: Patsy Baker | June 17, 2009 at 12:42 PM
Silence please!!
Posted by: wendi | June 17, 2009 at 12:03 PM
silence all day long! i can't think with noise, it drives me crazy.
Posted by: whitney | June 17, 2009 at 10:15 AM
Holly,
I would like you to check out my son playing drums in you tube.
Under search write Luke the drummer. The firs two images are from my son. One is under the name oneeodeod and the other one is under ericsandralukehannah...the first videos are back when Luke was 2 and the other video was like a year ago...Thanks.
Posted by: Sandra Bucci | June 17, 2009 at 09:59 AM
My husband is the same way. As he prepares his sermons, as we prays and as he is in the car he has music on all the time. He is also a musician and because he grew up with the 80`s influence he is into rock loud music!!! Now my son who just turned 5 is a drummer and he loves playing those drums with all his might!!! ( He loves Strypper if you know what i mean!!) I finally ended up placing the drums in the basement because the noise was to much to handle. Now he plays the drums with his headphones downstairs. In any case I tolerated noise but with very low decibels...I don`t think I have so much of a quiet time during the day at all. I can tell you that the quiet time comes when my kids go to bed and I can spend time by myself and the Lord!!
Posted by: Sandra Bucci | June 17, 2009 at 09:25 AM
My husband is the same way with noise, but I have learned the value of silence over the past 6 months - something about God speaking to me during the silence allows me to realize His awesomeness, rather than Him being "another voice in the crowd" when the TV/radio/itunes (or all of the above) are on. The only way I can function in "noise" is if I'm studying to school - and it has to be very specific "noise" - I will usually play something in itunes but it has to be upbeat but not hard, and it can't have any words or I get caught up in karaoke rather than studying.
Posted by: Cynthia | June 17, 2009 at 09:09 AM
Silence is a good thing. Maybe its a man thing. My husband has to have his music at the top of the scale and when I complain he says you can't hear the base if its down low. My reply, I don't have to hear the base, I want to hear!
Posted by: DisneyCyndi | June 17, 2009 at 08:22 AM