Look out – there’s a Chatterbox in the house!

We’ve been suspecting it for sometime, but now it’s official.  We have a chatterbox in our midst and it comes in the form of our 4 year old daughter, Frankie.  Don’t get me wrong, up until this point our house has been far from quiet.  She has 4 very boisterous older brothers and when they are home there is no peace.  But the boys noise is different (accordingly to my husband). 

My husband is not known for his chat, he’s more of the strong, silent type.  On the rare occasions we talk (usually about 10 minutes in bed in the morning with a  cup of coffee in between interruptions from the kids), we mainly talk about the business (have you ordered this or that, did you remember to phone so and so, don’t forget to do that estimate at 4,30 etc etc).  If it’s not the business we’ll maybe discuss something concerning us about the kids or occasionally we’ll have a heavy discussion about how the world is doomed!  He comes from a fairly quiet family, none of them could really be described as chatty people.

I’m happy being quiet and don’t feel the need to talk all the time.  However I think the chatty gene (if there is such a thing), definitely comes from my family.  My Mum is a chatterbox.  She is always talking.  She often wakes my Dad up in the night to talk.  My Dad is not known for being talkative and I think I probably take more after him, although.I can chat with the best of them when I choose!  My Mum’s family are serious chatters.  They really could chat for England.  My Mum had one uncle in particular who used to come and stay with us in the holidays when I was young.  He was always talking.  Not so much to you, but at you.  He would follow us around the house talking and talking and if he thought you weren’t listening (which we often weren’t), he would keep tapping you on the arm to get your attention.  Now that is really irritating!  Once he even followed my Mum to the loo and carried on chatting outside the door while she went in!

Anyway, we’ve noticed more and more how Frankie seems to have inherited this family trait.  She talks a lot and most of the time it has absolutely no point.  And she won’t stop.  She just goes on and on and on.  I don’t like to interrupt her and we always try and let everyone have there turn to speak, but there are limits!  She’s even started the tapping on the arm thing -  oh no!! 

It wouldn’t be so bad, but I think it might be contagious.  My husband was actually telling me something yesterday morning that had absolutely no point whatsoever.  He was mortified, that’s never happened before!  Is it his age perhaps or is our daughters chattiness rubbing off on him?   Whatever it is he needs a remedy quick, or heaven forbid, he might turn into a chatty man!