Someday There Will Be Silence

Lately I feel myself teetering between two worlds—lamenting how VERY LOUD my young kids can be, while seeing into the quiet near future with my eldest. So I wrote this as a reminder not to wish away the noisy days (and nights) too quickly. 

Someday there will be silence.

Someday my kids will sleep in on weekends instead of yelling, “Mama!” at the crack of dawn.

Someday they won’t call to me from the next room for bad dreams, wet beds, or midnight hunger.

Someday they’ll learn to handle their hurts and concerns without whining or wailing.

Someday they’ll learn to express their joy and delight without screeching or squealing.

Someday they’ll stop bickering with their siblings over inane things like who took a bigger drink, who got more cookie, or whose turn it is to push the elevator buttons.

Someday they’ll be able to sit in a concert hall or worship service without constantly talking in what they only think is a whisper.

Someday they’ll actually lie down and sleep when they’re tired instead self-stimulating with random noises or singing at the top of their lungs.

Someday their play won’t involve explosive sound effects, ear-piercing sirens, or fingernails-against-a-chalkboard fake crying.

Yes. Someday there will be silence. And I will be grateful.

And at the same time . . .

Someday I’ll sit in my clean living room and listen to the sound of no kids playing anywhere in the house.

Someday I’ll wade through my aging memory trying to recall the sound of my babies’ voices and the random noises they used to make.

Someday I’ll sit in a concert hall or a worship service and wish I had one of my children there to whisper with.

Someday I’ll wait anxiously for the holidays so I can hear the kids bicker about what game to play, what movie to watch, or who gets the last slice of pumpkin pie.

Someday I’ll hear nothing for too long and wonder how my children are handling their hurts and concerns.

Someday I’ll hear about most of their joys and delights in past tense.

Someday I’ll get a call in the middle of the night—not from the next room but from a thousand miles away—and I will be so happy to hear the sound of my child’s voice.

Someday I will wake up early all on my own, and hear nothing but the quiet hum of a house full of memories.

Yes. Someday, there will be silence.

And I will be grateful.

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