Even the happy shrieks of my child make me want to beg for quiet. Psychotherapist and mum of three, Anna Mathur, talks about noise sensitivity in parenting and explains why it's totally 'normal'.
My kids are playing in the garden, running, shouting, squealing. And instead of a feeling of warmth and gratitude at the happy noises of my kids, my body is tensing and I’m having to stop myself asking for quiet. I feel a wave of shaming guilt. ‘You’re a mum. They’re your kids. You should be happy they’re playing nicely’. This feeling isn’t rare for me. The riding of a hot wheels car over a radiator vent find me wanting to beg for silence. And don’t even start me on the noise of meltdowns, fighting in the backseat of the car, or the squeaky playing of a whistle given in a party bag. If this resonates in any way, you’re not alone.
