The parental antennae

[Tab]

I was at a school meeting last spring or summer in a small building where the kids were playing outside on a nice night and the windows were open, and we could hear the kids playing while we had our meeting. There was maybe 20 of us. The kids were just running around, laughing and shrieking and having a good ole' time.

Suddenly, one was crying - a very different sound than the "having fun" kind of shrieking.

All the parents halted their conversation, and one, and ONLY one got up - the one who's child it was.

The thing is that all these kids are around the same age, and yet it was really bizarre to have a child cry, and we all stopped talking and each of us decided whether or not it was their child. And only one parent (the correct one) got up.

I knew instantly that it wasn't my child, and everyone else that stayed seated knew it was theirs, just from the sound of the cry. It was just weird to see that happen.

Of course, if no one got up then I'm sure a number of us would have gone to check, but it was just weird how, to anyone else, the kids might have sounded the same, but as a parent we knew whether or not it was our child.

Just tossing it out there, in case anyone else has ever had a similar experience. It's a Sunday night, and I'm bored. :eyes:

- Tab

[SoCalDem]

1. In the hospital, I could distinguish MY baby's cry from the others

Nature does some far out things:)

I would also wake up automatically when he slept through a feeding time..My body sensed when it was time for him to wake up.

Also..anyone who has nursed, knows that all it takes to get a wet shirt, is to have the baby cry:)

[wildeyed]

2. I was always aware of my babies cry before anyone else in

the room could even hear it. And I do not have great hearing.

[soup]

3. and yet-

In a store, or other public venue, if any child calls out "mom", I invariably will turn towards the voice. There could be 100 moms 100 kids, and just hearing that word from any child catches my attention, even if only for a second.

This programmed(?) natural(?) response is starting to fade a bit since my kids are no longer children, but I wonder if others do that, too.

[Sweet Freedom]

4. I've responded to the mom call

even when my own kid was standing by me (duh.)

[SoCalDem]

5. How true..

When my boys were little, I was a stay at home, and a bunch of us Moms would get together and spend a day baking..at different houses..The older kids would often babysit at a different house, so we could have some tranquility..and every so often an exasperated 13 yr iold would call and say.. "I need to speak to Mom".. We would all bust up laughing, since sometimes there were a dozen MOMS there..:)

Those were the days :)

[TrogL]

6. My kids call me by a nickname

Hence I'm the only one who doesn't turn when somebody calls "dad" or "daddy".