Finding 'quiet'

Today, April 28, is International Noise Awareness Day. Did you know that certain rattles, squeaky toys, toy telephones, and musical toys measure over 110 decibels (comparable to power tools), and that health experts agree that continuous exposure to noise over 85 decibels (about the loudness level of city traffic), over time, will eventually harm hearing in children? Admittedly, that is probably also the level of noise MADE by the children in my household, especially in the late afternoon, and of course I then have to top that, in order to get my message heard... One of the homework items for my 6-year-old this week is finding a quiet place to relax his whole body for a while. Maybe this should be part of our, i.e. parents, homework every day, finding that quiet time and place for our children. That same boy used to like laying down on the floor with me during my last pregnancy doing progressive relaxation. We already know that the level of stress-hormones and the heart-beat goes down when we practise variations of meditation, slow breathing and relaxation. Today I will do my best to find 'quiet' for myself and my children, even if only for ten minutes, it might just do us some good.