Blood Curdling Screams Before, During and After Quiet Hours

I am convinced that many children are being raised by deaf parents who camp often.

Since I didn't raise any children, I never know what to do when I hear blood curdling screams from an unseen child as if their limb has just been lopped off.  Hearing them over and over through out the day and night is frightening and stressful.

If any parents have any insight into this, I am curious.

How do I become deaf to these blood curdling screams?

Should I bolt out the door with a tourniquet every time I hear one in case some child has just chopped his leg or arm or head off?

Any advice is appreciated.

I've raised three children (boys), five dogs, and two cats.  My experience is that all of them can be trained to be quiet and considerate (actually, I'm not sure that I actually "trained" the cats....  ??? ).  IMO, it is typically the parent/owner/master of the "thing" that is the problem and they are usually so set in their ways that nobody is going to change them.  :-X

If I am forced to camp in a campground/rv park, I have a few sets of ear plugs that I wear almost constantly (and I admit to being hypersensitive to "noise" and very anti-conflict). The only thing I can control is my reaction to things so this is the reaction I have selected. My suggestion is to get a pair for yourself and ignore all those noises (to include the filth coming out of kids mouths these days).  They are not your responsibility. 

Try doing a walk through on a motor home toy hauler with 3 children one dog two parents deaf to the kids, watching 3 TVs, while aggravating the dog.

I tried the approach of maybe the kids would be happier waiting outside with the sales person? "NOPE, OUR kids stay right with us always".

Operating 3 slides that require moving the kids to demo slide operation. Kid screaming when I switched the TV to satellite channel. The oldest kid climbed into every cargo compartment as I opened the door for dad to check out.  Leveling system that did not achieve correct level due to kids and parents jumping all over the coach.


Finally I said sign here that we have operated all systems to your sanctification. Have a GREAT trip.

This family are going to be full timers: God help the rest of the campers where ever they land!

whiteva said:

Try doing a walk through on a motor home toy hauler with 3 children one dog two parents deaf to the kids, watching 3 TVs, while aggravating the dog.

This family are going to be full timers: God help the rest of the campers where ever they land!

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I think they are stalking me! 

My personal minimal experience with parenting children (4 year old and 2 year old boys). My 4 year old is a polite, quiet, inquisitive, observant, good natured child. I thought it was due to my attentive, responsive, parenting.

Then I had the younger one. He literally came out screaming. He cried the whole hospital stay in overflow recovery where I had virtually no nursing support, no nursery to send him to, and no family to help as my husband stayed with our older boy, and it continued most of the first two years of his life. His response to anything is to scream. Happy, sad, frustrated, confused, excited, needs something, wants something, all of it means screaming. Like full on, for reals, scream. It's only now that he's finally in the language explosion and has more words to express himself that I'm getting a break from being screamed at constantly. But he can still pretty quickly devolve to screams. Some kids are just screamers and there's not much you can do.

Now, part of my situation is a healthy heap of post-partum depression. After months and months of being screamed at, shutting down is just my really unhealthy way of maintaining sanity, the alternative being to let the pressure in my head off in a fit of rage. I'm better now, but may always have a "talent" for shutting down when they scream that others probably won't understand. I'm not trying to make excuses for inattentive parents, but just be aware there may be more behind it. Sometimes, I just can't. For us, that generally means removing ourselves from a situation, but that's not always possible.

So, to answer your question about how to become deaf to blood curdling screams - if you're screamed at long enough to crush your soul several times over, you can tune it out, but I don't recommend that strategy.

I'm not sure the ages you're hearing screams from, but I also work with elementary kids and can tell you that their general volume is shouting. Especially if there are more than one of them. They don't quite have the understanding that other people are other people and they just talk louder and louder, because they want to make themselves heard and don't really hear other people.

Having also been in the unfortunate position of being around an actual emergency unfolding, you'll know when it's a situation that requires adult intervention. Those screams are different.

If it's really concerning, you can contact the park authorities or even the local police department. If they're not busy a good lecture about "crying wolf" can actually work wonders, or so my mom says.

To add to violajack's info: Parents soon learn to distinguish between types of cries/screams, such as "I didn't get my way," "I'm seriously hurt," or "I'm unhappy." That's tougher for non-parents. But even years later with my kids in their 40s, I can usually still distinguish the difference most of the time.

Violajack: Hugs to you, dear Mom.

Larry N. said:

To add to violajack's info: Parents soon learn to distinguish between types of cries/screams, such as "I didn't get my way," "I'm seriously hurt," or "I'm unhappy." That's tougher for non-parents. But even years later with my kids in their 40s, I can usually still distinguish the difference most of the time.

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Your kids are still doing that in their 40's.  ;D

As a kid growing up we were taught that a scream was reserved for emergencies only. Any emergency that contained bodily harm to oneself or some other person, or an emergency arising from the presence of a stranger was fair game. We could laugh, cry, have verbal arguments and raise hell with friends and family but a scream was the call meant to get the attention of an adult. This was passed down from my great grandmother and for now, the latest generations. All of my cousins, and all of my nieces & nephews, and their kids all adhere to great grandma's rules. 

How to deal with screaming kids next door?????? Who knows. 

A creepy clown mask in a window should work to keep them away from you but it might cause a bit of controversy right now.

Rene T said:

Your kids are still doing that in their 40's.  ;D

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Only when they are home.  : ;D :

Larry N. said:

Only when they are home.  : ;D :

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Shut the lights off and lock all the doors.  ;D

I too grew up where screaming was reserved for super serious emergencies.

I do recall screaming at the site of a rattle snake though and I didn't get in trouble over it. 

But otherwise my mom was pretty strict, no screaming. Period.

I would never bother calling to complain at a campground, it has to be serious, like the neighbors keep dropping their guns while juggling and the mis-fires are frightening.

After two days of screams from the neighbor children,  oddly enough the ranger paid a visit to the screamers and their parents. I have no idea why. I didn't say a word, but I will admit, their camp was strangely quiet afterwards.

DearMissMermaid said:

After two days of screams from the neighbor children,  oddly enough the ranger paid a visit to the screamers and their parents. I have no idea why. I didn't say a word,

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Someone else did and rightfully so. No need of anyone having to put up with that.