buffer

One of the best kept secrets of survival in a big family, is... are you ready for this? 

Earplugs.

We moved from a 1700 sq ft rental in Missouri with 4, then 5 kids, to 1500 sq ft duplex in California with 5, then 6 kids. We also spent a lot of time in the car. With all those people in such tight quarters, if everyone was talking at the same time, the noise put me over the edge. Earplugs saved me.

While Dale was working on his first Masters degree, I worked nights to help bring home the bacon. Obviously, with 5 kids, I had to find a way to sleep. I blacked out my bedroom windows, ran and fan, and put in earplugs. As soon as they were fully expanded, I was out like a light. 

I usually only slept 4-5 hours before my sitter went home, so naturally I was more irritable than usual on those days. It didn’t take long for me to figure out that if I put earplugs in, the happy noises of a house full of children were way less overwhelming. I wasn’t mad at the kids for being kids, I was just maxed out and needed a buffer. 

After that worked so well, I put a set in my purse, a set in the car, and a set in the drawer of my bedside table. Whenever I feel like the noise is grating on my nerves, I just pop them in and I’m transported to a quiet place. Still present, just less so. 

It’s so important to adapt in our lives. There will always be something that puts us over the edge, but with a lot of prayer and a little creativity, we will adapt in a way that enables us to be gracious and loving to the people in our lives.

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

https://www.bible.com/bible/111/eph.4.2.niv