Kids Are Noisy

by Marinka on July 13, 2008

Last weekend, the New York Times ran an article in its Real Estate section about how some people without children find it annoying that the children living above/below/next door to them in apartment buildings make so much noise. People without children don’t like child-noise and people with children feel sort of like the child-free should get the fuck over it. Of course, because it’s New York, and it’s the New York Times, it’s an issue. This is the same paper, after all, that had a front page story (front page! not the Style section!) about how mothers who work outside the home and travel for business enjoy the perks that hotels offer and fancy dinners. REALLY? I wonder what Deep Throat broke that story?

But there are more children than ever in NYC and we’re all living on top of each other here, so if you’re thinking of Ferberizing your baby and letting him or her cry it out for a night or twenty, be prepared for your neighbor to call Child Services about the blood curdling screams.

I don’t know if you watched Beavis and Butthead, when they are reading something boring and saying “words…words..,” but that was pretty much what I was doing while I was reading the article. And even though I was sort of skimming it, I was becoming enraged because what exactly are parents in apartment buildings supposed to do to ensure that their children don’t run, yell and be kids? Come on. It’s an apartment building, not a sanitarium.

But then yesterday, I went to Family Swim at the local Y, and there was a two year old who couldn’t have screamed any louder if he were being waterboarded. Which seems to have gotten a bad rap, by the way. And I kept thinking “shut up, just shut the fuck up, what kind of parents take their kid to the pool in the summer, when it is obvious that he should be screaming his head off at home. Preferably next door to my high school history teacher.”

One year ago ...

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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

Feener July 13, 2008 at 6:08 am

i like this post….and your blog…adding you to my reader, found you from AM

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wfbdoglover July 13, 2008 at 6:37 am

Fuck Fuck Fuck. Sorry, I miss saying that. You don’t say that in these parts of the country, like you do in New York. Here, they notice you say it. There, it is just park of the English Language. I’m sure if you went to the New York Public Library on 42 and 5th and found a dictionary, FUCK would be in it.

Well, hum.. back to the kids. I found that article you mention interesting, because we are relatively quite and we do live in a house. A small house, but a house nonthelesee. My son did get invited to someones house for a sleep over and I gave him the be quiet in the apt. talk. No running, jumping, dancing, screaming OR YELLING in the halls.

There is a place in Wisconsin called the Wisconsin Dells. There is one hotel we will not stay at because you can hear everyone running, jumping, toliet flushing, screaming – all hours of the day and night.

BUT that is just me.

BUT I do miss my loud yelling, screaming anytime day or night New Yorkers. I mean really, have you ever heard some people talk? They yell at you – LMAO

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Alice July 13, 2008 at 7:07 am

I would have a hard time in an apartment with kids. If I couldn’t throw them in the backyard, I would die.

I loved your comment about the ‘breaking story’ on Mom’s liking travel perks. Hell, any blog on the planet could have told you all that.

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Kate July 13, 2008 at 9:14 am

I didn’t grow up in Manhattan, but I did grow up in an apartment building in DC – and it’s safe to say that we were not popular with most our neighbors. They were mainly older wealthy couples. For about 8 eight years, we tortured them with our loud noises, pets and newborn baby. I feel bad for my parents when I think about it. But we did have a few friends in the building who loved us (and actually enjoyed the mayhem). I think that all of that made me VERY tolerant of families and kids. I’m the last person to notice the screaming baby on the flight. I just tune it out.

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anymommy July 13, 2008 at 9:35 am

Unless it’s my kid screaming bloody murder at some public location and then every one should stop and pat my back and buy me doughnuts because I have like seventeen of the little horrors and I could snap at any moment and go postal at the Y pool, which would be bloody.

Longest pointless sentence award ever goes to Anymommy for her comment @Marinka!

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