The Accessory That Makes Me A Better Mom
“Kids are different today I’ve heard every mother say,” The Rolling Stones sang in 1965; seems some things never change. A few lines later Mick Jagger sings, “she goes running for the shelter of her mother’s little helper…” and while Mick was singing about Valium, I often think about those lyrics when I run for my mother’s little helper, a simple accessory that I learned about in a targeted ad.
Why
There is so much talk about the expectations and the corresponding stress of being a mom. It can be hard to sort through all of the chatter, and honestly, it’s exhausting. I found myself getting frequently overwhelmed with the amount of noise that comes out of my children. Seriously, why are you so loud? I mean, I know the answer, they’re kids and kids are just inherently loud. There is one thing that I’ve learned about myself since having kids: my tolerance for shouting and loud talking is pretty low. I just get sensory overload. I’ve always been very good at tuning things out, but with my kids, I don’t want to tune out; I want to engage and maintain a decent 
amount of “calm.” When they get super loud we ask them to lower the volume. It works for a while, but I don’t want to keep them from being kids. We don’t live in a museum or a library and I want them to be able to express themselves in their own home. I had to find a solution. Enter those targeted ads. How do they know?
What
It was an ad I’d seen several times and one day I clicked on it. Intriguing, I thought, but I didn’t buy them that day. I waited. I thought about it. I saw more ads. I did some research, weighed the cost vs. benefit, and then I decided to give Loop earplugs a chance.
Loop has several options for almost any need. There are earplugs for sleep, noise reduction, and quiet. The categories are dream (for sleep), quiet (for blocking it all out), engage (for noise reduction), experience (to use at loud events, think concerts, sporting events), and switch (allows you to get all of the above).
You may be thinking: I can buy earplugs anywhere, or why would I spend money on that?
Hear me out! (See what I did there?) These earplugs are different. They even have a “parenting” tab on their website with recommendations for the right earplugs for you. I have the Engage 2 earplugs. They fit snugly into my ear, and since I got the pink, you cannot tell I’m wearing them most of the time. They allow me to still hear what is going on, but take away that sharp edge. They have a convenient carrying case that I keep on my key chain, so they’re always with me. And, most importantly, they work! I know I’m better at parenting when I’m less overwhelmed and these earplugs help more than I could have imagined. Now when my kids are talking over each other at dinner or singing at the top of their lungs, or screaming because they’re kids, I take it all in stride. I can redirect, I can engage in conversation and I keep from getting too overwhelmed.
