"These happy golden years are passing by, these happy golden years." Laura Ingalls Wilder

Friday, April 24, 2009

White Noise


I've raised a whole brood of kids (and a hubby) that are addicted to white noise. It all started with my husband working the night shift ... and I needed a way to keep the noise level down while I home schooled the children many moons ago. Then Patrick decided he couldn't get to sleep without a fan running in his room (just for the noise). This went on even in the winter time with him. Ann has her own exhaust fan in her bedroom closet ... a closet that one day may be my main floor laundry room ... thus it was set up with the fan & a light; some nights I get up just to turn her fan off ... I won't even mention that I also hear her phone beeping every few minutes with a message waiting most nights. Nathan ... that boy has a humidifier (minus the water) running each and every night. When he comes home from school, he turns on the bathroom's exhaust fan (next to his bedroom). My family is co-dependent to white noise; and it drives me crazy. When I go to bed at night, I like to have it perfectly quiet ... unfortunately there is a clock in my bedroom that tick-tocs away the hours. If for some reason I wake up at night, the sound of it is as torturous as water dripping ... drip ... drip ... drip ... on your forehead. My name is Mrs. Mac ... and my family is addicted to white noise.

12 comments:

Pat said...

White noise actually irritates me at times. I like SILENCE! I think I'm overly noise sensitive, or else the other person in this house just like every thing turned up way to high!
The only white noise I actually like is the real thing, like being at the beach and hearing the waves roll in or sitting by a waterfall and listening to it fall. Is that even white noise?

Mrs. Mac said...

I think all but the intense crashing of the waves is white noise. My husband's alarm clock is the sounds of the surf ... which is rather nice until a stupid sea gull has to spoil the tranquility ;)

Trish said...

I agree...I like quiet! Soon the birds will be waking be up with their chatter!!! Seems like since I hit the no Estrogen Zone that noise bothers me a lot more!!! Tom doesn't get it but what would a man know about Estrogen eh?

Terry said...

dear mrs mac,
our family is the same way.
poor mom golden gets a sore neck because dad golden has that big fan blowing right at them every night. sometimes she sneaks off to the couch in the dead of night for a little relief.
betty is another one that has to have her fan and each of her five children do also.
i like it quiet myself...
i am going to email you a letter mrs.mac.....love terry

Barbara said...

That is so funny, and kind of weirdly interesting, to me.

Just a heads-up, tomorrow my blog carnival posts, and you are featured. Might send some traffic your way, and I think the white noise post is perfect for everyon to see.

Diane said...

I have never commented here and I don't know why! I love reading your blogs and I visit almost every day. I loved this post because I too am addictd to 'white noise'! This wasn't always true. It just sort of happened over the years and I don't really know why. But, here I am, 51 and MUST have some sort of noise in the house! Sad, I know!

Many hugs...........

Diane

Crown of Beauty said...

I never even knew there was such a thing as white noise until I read your post.

Quiet, but for the sound of birds, and natural water... that's what I really love.

Guess, you have to find a way around your family's addictions, Mrs. Mac!

Jada's Gigi said...

My hubby is too kinda...years of sleeping in hotel rooms...but I've put the foot down at home at night..i need silence, like you and fortunately there hasn't been much real noise to disturb him so he's going along for now..

Anonymous said...

I need noise, more than the white stuff, when I go to bed. I guess that means I can't spend the night at your place.

oma aka meme said...

wow- that is an interesting addiction :-)
the fans might be ok for me but not sure as- I can not handle the furnace running at bed time so we sleep in a cold house as I always turn it a way down and I had one of those pesky clocks and finally took the batterie out- I get up when I get cold--LOL
hugs Meme

Sandy aka Doris the Great said...

I too am addicted to white noise. A yr or so ago, I moved from the country to town, to my half of a duplex in a lovely setting. In spite of the previous owners positive comments, it turned out that my neighbours had a very troublesome son; there was often noise & screaming & police cars. It was not nice! And I went without a lot of sleep, and life was really desperate for me for a while. I often prayed that the son would move away to the northernmost ends of Canada! Then one day, I thought about my fan. Problem solved! Although the son has gotten much better (& quieter), I keep that double fan going all year round -- just in case! I used to be concerned about becoming addicted to the white noise; or to the extra cost of electricity. But once you've gone without sleep for a few nights, those things become trivial. I love my white noise.

Felisol said...

Dear Mrs. Mac,
White noise works for me, at best when it's green.
When I am in my birth home, I just open the window a listen to the sound of the mountain river foaming beneath the house.
It's singing me to sleep.
I remember in my childhood, when the river froze in winter time, I could not sleep.
Something important was missing.

Fans,- they're giving me allergy cold. I can't even stand air condition. Therefore we don't have any!!!
From Felisol