We are a LOUD family!
Not only are we LOUD because there are so many kids in our house that talk A LOT - play LOUD music and games and TVs - but ... we are just those sort of LOUD people - you know!
My husband is the quietest of the bunch.
Then Little Billy.
Then Chloe.
But ...
Me and Courtney and Alexis got the LOUD personalities and LOUD voices - the LOUD gene. LOUD!
Courtney is the LOUDEST of the whole On The Upside family.
She is!
She is theatrical!
She is flamboyant!
She is dramatic!
And ...
She talks LOUDLY!
It's her trademark.
Her signature trait.
She is LOUD!
One day recently, she was telling me, "Sometimes ... my mind ... YELLS at me," she was so serious.
I said, "What do you mean? You hear ... voices?" I was secretly a bit worried about this odd statement.
She said, "NO - it's my thoughts. They YELL at me, like when I'm trying to go to sleep - and I have to tell them - STOP - STOP YELLING AT ME!" she explained - LOUDLY.
I say, "Does that work?"
She says, "NO ... not until I do what they say."
"Are they screaming at you to do bad things?" I ask.
"No," she says, "Just normal stuff - like if I'm thinking about things I need to do - like my homework - my mind is YELLING for me to do it - you know?"
I said, "Yes, Hon," just so the poor thing wouldn't think there was something seriously wrong.
On the upside ... I wanted to say ... "That's what they call - karma - Sweetie! Now you know ... how we feel!"