I’ve been thinking recently about how loud my family is. It occurred to me that anyone who meets me first and then meets my family. . .might be in for a surprise. Which is probably why I’m s0metimes embarrassed to go places with my family. Please don’t misunderstand: I love my husband and children very much. But I wouldn’t complain if they collectively turned down the volume!
As far as personality goes I would guess that we’re fairly evenly split between introverts and extroverts, with one adult on each extreme. But I suppose that says more about a person’s need for quiet versus chatter, rather than how loud they will be when they do talk. After all, frequently I have to be louder than I want to be. . .or no one will be able to hear me. And some of my introverted children have long stretches of quiet punctuated with extremely loud outbursts. I’m not even going to pretend to understand that. 
I sometimes wonder if the heavy load of testosterone affects the volume. I know there are quiet boys in the world, but boys with brothers (emphasis on the plural) seem to be a different breed. Even when they’re not particularly loud, their collective energy level is overwhelming. . .like a geyser simmering beneath the surface before it erupts.
As much as I like to fix things, this is one of those situations where all I can say is “it is what it is.” Even if I could, I wouldn’t really want to alter the personalities of the children entrusted to me. Train them to be their best, help them mature? Yes. But make them be something they’re not? No. Now. . .if you could just remind me of that the next time you see me covering my ears or wearing a paper bag over my head. 
