One of the things that God has naturally gifted me with is what I would call "a voice that carries." Some people may call me "loud," but I'm going with a "voice that carries." As a children's pastor, there are times when this comes in handy. One of the ways it comes in handy is when I need to get the attention of a group of children who are being loud. My father modeled for me how to be "stern" as well. I remember as a child, him only needing to say it once.
One of the things that I, personally, have to watch out for with my interactions with children is to be careful of how much I might use that voice. I'm quick to admit that there have been times when I've straight up yelled very loudly at a child who was about to or had already done something ridiculous and dumb. I'm not always perfect, and sometimes I probably use that "yelling" voice more than I should. I'm not a parent yet, but I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that there's been some form of "yelling" in your house in the last couple of weeks. I ran across an interesting article the other day on this subject. I submit it to you for your consideration.
Here's a Dad's take on yelling - Why Yelling Doesn't Work
There are times for a stern and loud voice. Sometimes the distance between your child and yourself if far enough away to necessitate a loud and strong voice. I'm not going to say that there aren't times when a very loud voice (even yelling) might be necessary, but if you find yourself yelling a lot you may want to ask yourselves some of the hard questions that this article brings up.
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