Friday, February 01, 2008

Can you hear me now?

My Lola. She does not listen. Well.

When she was a year old she had already suffered through six ear infections. Her ears were constantly filled with fluid and so we opted for the placement of ear tubes.

Maybe she could hear us better?

We were shocked to learn the truth. The fluid actually was prohibiting her from hearing. The before and after results were alarming. She really could not hear us well before the tubes.

Lola came home and we were so happy knowing she could hear. Better. Except for, she still did not listen to us. We took her back to the ENT doctor. The doctor said her hearing was perfect. We asked him, "Are you sure? She doesn't listen to us." He wrote her a Rx for some discpline.

Ear tubes. Check.

Discpline. Ummm...

We tried that. Nothing worked so much. Time out. Behavior charts. Threats. More time outs. "Are you sure she can hear?" We asked our ENT for the 19th time.

And then. And then...

Lola got Bella Dancerella Cheerleader as a gift. She followed directions! She listened to Bella, the main cheerleader! She listened! She actually LISTENED! She was following directions!!!

She can ... OH MY GOSH... she can hear.




Can you hear me now? Lola, you are busted.
.
Game on! Game on! Game on middle child! Gooooooo Game! (insert image of OHmommy doing a fancy cheerleading jump)
.
Selective hearing? Have you heard of selective punishment? GAME ON! Game on! Game on! Go, game, go!!! (insert image of OHmommy doing an even fancier cheerleading jump)

48classy comments:

Amy said...

Maybe you need a sassy little cheerleader outfit and some pom poms, then she'll listen. And have Mr. Ohmommy throw you up in the air and land in a basket catch. I bet that will get her attention!

Paul said...

Funny how that whole hearing thing works. I keep thinking we need to get our kids' ears checked, too, though they can hear when they _want_ to.

Cute little girl.

Anonymous said...

How cute does she look in those pictures! She is following along perfectly. She is soooooo busted! Hehe...

Amy said...

Does this mean you will have to give her instructions like a cheerleader?

Ready, Ok! Wash your hands! [Clap] [Clap] Time to each lunch! [jump] [jump]

It was nice chatting with you tonight.
Take care.

girlymom said...

Children Listen? Huh~ Who Knew?
She's doing a great job with the video. I am looking for a gift idea for my soon to be 5 year old, would this keep her attention. She has been parading around in a cheerleading outfit and requesting classes lately (totally scaring my Hubby) She loves doing dance videos, I just didn't know what the age was on this one.

Love you house too!! Yours looks a tad newer and much nicer though. Ours is 140 years old. We actually have some major major plans for it, but it's on hold till we can save a few more bucks. I need to come up with a million dollar idea~ something small that will sell BIG! HA. Keep dreaming right. We are hoping to lift the whole house and replace the foundation...big dreams over here. SO in the meantime, I keep changing the wall colors and things that I can change that are inexpensive till we do our foundation work. It will be nice when it's done...if ever. :)

AutoSysGene said...

I'm jumping in the car to go get one. I think the game might be on here, too! ;)

Anonymous said...

Jak ja nie slyszalem,to Tata pokazal pasek i juz slyszalem.
A moj Tata mowil -widzisz zono "cud" sie stal

Anonymous said...

Listen?? I am not familiar with that term....what does that look like? Do some kids really listen? Hmmm....unfamiliar to me.

Seriously though, I probably yell 'FOCUS' about a thousand times a day.

ConverseMomma said...

Get on with ya bad self, Lola Girl!

Do you know I used to clap my hands rather loudly in Jack's ear when he was an infant. I would wake him up and he would cry. I was just so scared (and neurotic)thinking he was deaf.

Karen said...

Our youngest hadn't passed a hearing test since birth (and he was 4) so we never knew if he heard or not. When he finally sailed through with flying colors we realized that he had the worst case of selective hearing EVER.

Stephanie said...

How cute! Yes, they are manipulative little creatures. that's why we all have to show them who's boss...and it's not them! I'm convinced if I hadn't done so with my kids, I would be chained to my bed and fed only liquids through a small tube!!!!

Lisa said...

My love for the bella cheerleader and bella dancerella DVDs is never ending! Amazing how early selective hearing starts, huh???

Jolyn said...

Maybe momma can learn to speak Bella? Like, you no listen, you no get Bella?
You so funny! And I've been thinking about getting Bella for my middle dancing one as well...

Maude Lynn said...

I'm off to buy myself some pom poms right now!

Caroline C. Bingham said...

I've SO been there. Good luck getting her to listen to you. If you find something that works, let me know!

Irene said...

I got the Dancerella Cinderella ballet DVD and dance mat for our, then, 3 yo. It has been one of the best things we ever bought. She danced with it like crazy, then my 2yo discovered it and has played it many many many times. There was a time when it was playing. constantly. in our home.

Cute pics!

Unknown said...

like daughter, like momma. so soon we forget how WE used to be, ehem, ehem!!
i agree with the masses...INTRODUCING HEAD CHEARLEADER OHMOMMY!!! i wonder if my my still has my pom poms and cute, tight chearleader outfit from 8th grade?? i'll send it right over!

Don Mills Diva said...

HA - these kids think they can out cheer their mamas? I ate cheerleaders for breakfast in high school! (not really, but STILL)

JustADad said...

Come now, Ohmommy! You have TONS of experience with SHD (selective hearing disorder)... You must remember what it was like when 30+ of your lovelies all chose when and under what circumstances they would have an SHD outbreak... *grin*

I guess it is harder to admit our own kids are not immune to this epidemic...

Stay warm out there (its freezing here! It's like 40 degrees!) hehehe

His2Dads

♥♥♥ A- Licious ♥♥♥ said...

awwwww...that was so darn cute and funny.

kids are very selctive anyway...

my brother acted like he couldnt speak other than baby talk until the age of 3 - my mom was freaking out....then one day he stubbed his toe....and as clear as day we heard him yell..."Oh my poor toe my poor poor toe, man that hurt!"

ummmmmmhum....sneaky little people they are.....


;o) xxoxoxoxo

(oh and yes, Kai and I rock Backyardigans...lol)

♥♥♥ A- Licious ♥♥♥ said...

ummm...that would have been **selective**

guess i should spell check myself before hitting publish...lol

Anonymous said...

Maybe it was a fierce game of manipulation? :)

It's good to know that it isn't anything major. Selective hearing can totally be worked around.

Amy said...

oh we have a lot of that selective hearing here as well and that's after two sets of ear tubes!!!

those photos are really cute. hope you have a great day.

Kat said...

Oh that is funny! Tricky little girl!!
But she does make a very cute cheerleader, don't you think?

LunaNik said...

My youngest is the same way...selective hearing. She hears me when I say it's time for a snack, but when I call her to come to bed, or call her to change her diaper...it's like I'm not even there...

But I must say I got lucky with my oldest. She listens very, VERY well.

Anonymous said...

LOL! I have heard of selective hearing, but not selective parenting! I wonder if there is a book on that? That whole cheerleading thing looks like a lot of fun. I have never heard of it. I am going to have to check it out for my daughter!

Mommy to those Special Ks said...

hahaha I think all my kids suffer from this!

Karen MEG said...

Selective punishment?!! Guffaw!!!
Cheeky little Lola; cute, but cheeky!

carrie said...

I am always amazed at the kids' check-ups when the doctor turns to me and says, "they can hear just fine." Doh!

Those are adorable photos, as usual! :)

Tootsie Farklepants said...

From now on you should give orders in the form of a cheer. :)

Anonymous said...

You are freaking HYSTERICAL.. seriously... what a great post. My son has the selective hearing too.. but I may get disapproving looks from his dad if I run out and get this dvd..LOL

Mom said...

We went through the whole ear tube thing as a matter of fact both of my children have had 3 sets!!! My oldest was like your Lola couldn't hear a thing she got the tubes and boom she could and was even speaking better. However she would totally tune us out. I was convinced that she had suffered hearing loss. No no she like yours had selective hearing. I have since nipped that in the bud but it took me a good 2 years. Good luck and let us know how she is doing now that mom knows the truth.

MommyTime said...

In defense of selective hearing, I have read that young children's brains are physically incapable of focusing on more than one thing at once. Hence, they cannot clean up their toys while watching tv, for example; they have to stop one to do the other. So I think in some moments, they actually cannot hear us.

On the other hand...my dog can't hear us SHOUT for her to come to have her nails trimmed, but from upstairs in her bed can hear us drop one tiny bite of leftover chicken into her food bowl in the kitchen. And I've seen my kids be like this too: can't hear me shouting, can always hear me unwrapping candy three rooms away. :)

Wendi said...

too funny and oh so true!!! In our home it is ...
" Time for church, preschool, dance lessons"(insert your own)

response:
snore.. snore... (or)ignore...ignore!

"Mommy is going to Chuckee Cheese and she has a gazillion tokens"

response:
none...they are already dressed and in the car!

Thanks again for a great post!!!
~Wendi

Janice {Run Far} said...

Oh my kids have selective hearing.. I think they get it from me.. hee hee

Kellan said...

When I was little my parents took me into the doctor to check to see if I needed tubes in my ears because I went through 2-3 weeks where I was just ignoring them - they figured it out, after the doctors appointment. Cute pictures!

Have a good weekend - Kellan

Anonymous said...

Hahaha, she's so cute following directions.

My child is a big time selective listener and when he's really being a turd about it I have to take something that he dearly loves away.

Like his Power Rangers power-up thingamabobber. Oh man, that hurts.

The part I have to work on is not giving it back to him an hour later.

It's just so hard when he's being good to say no!

Flea said...

My sis-in-law just had this discussion about her 8 year old girl! They had her hearing tested when SIL stood at the bottom of the stairs and yelled, "Sally! I have ice cream for you!" and no Sally. This was after a lifetime of not listening.

My son is very much the same way. We have always had to make sure he's looking directly at us when we talk to him, and have him repeat it back. Then we had him tested for ADD. And me. And my niece. Guess what? We all hear just fine now. I don't like medicating, but after 10 years, and seeing the difference in me on meds, it had to happen.

Anonymous said...

oh, selective hearing is big in our house these days. I can relate. :)

suchsimplepleasures said...

so cute!! they all have selective hearing...it gets waaaaaay worse, as they approach the teen-age years...sigh.
anyway...i have a little love over at my blog for you!!!
xoxox

mikster said...

lol... Funny how that works sometimes.

suchsimplepleasures said...

you know what is funny...i don't get it! i get blogs like yours...well written, entertaining, personable...that i get! but, i'm still so not sure why...about mine. i love it. i love doing it but...why?
xoxox...you're welcome...and, next playdate with mamawise...i'm coming too!! so, i have a few hour drive...big deal!!! i'm coming too!!

Jenn said...

My daughter will listen to anything I say...as long as I pretend to be "The Enchantress" (from Fairytopia!)
--TooMuchVino

david mcmahon said...

As a father of three, I am completely qualified to welcome you to the world of SSH ....

Strictly.
Selective.
Hearing.

!!!!!!

AudreyO said...

I think kids are born with the "I can't hear you" gene. And then at some point in their lives, they find something, sports, cheerleading etc that all of a sudden captures their attention and unplugs those "I can't hear" ears.

Audrey :)

the dragonfly said...

Honestly, the Little Mister started the selective hearing bit when he was just a few months old!

*sigh*

Hope Lola starts listening. She sure is a cutie.

Unknown said...

She IS the next Reese Witherspoon. I am telling you, I just had the vision.

Anonymous said...

I totally thought that was Sweatin' To the Oldies.

 

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