He hears you when he's sleeping...

[Babar]

I just read an interesting, recently released article on Yahoo! about how it's suspected that babies can still hear their parents fighting even when they are asleep. What are your thoughts on this? I think two parents shouldn't be "yelling" to fight in the first place, sleeping tot or not.

 

[flfsurveyor]

The first sense that develops in the womb is the sense of hearing. Thus, even new-born babies can hear sounds and react to them. Yes, the sleeping baby can hear the sounds of a fight but more importantly, they can feel the emotions.

 

[joeldgreat]

I think there is truth about it. As sometimes our subconscious mind is still working during our sleep. We might not consciously aware of what is happening to our surrounding, but our subconscious mind do. Sometimes I do hear people talking while I was on deep sleep. I would not mind what they are talking but when I woke up the next morning I would confirm that indeed someone is talking while I'm asleep.

 

[Lorenzo]

I totally agree with the article. My wife and I had a rough start and the first two years of our marriage, we were always fighting, even when our baby was around (asleep or not). We noticed that when we start arguing, the baby - even when sleeping - would cry suddenly and she would be like that throughout the end of the day. The only time she would stop crying was when her mom and I are also amicable with each other.

 

[tommymac]

I never really saw the point in not fighting around the kids. I think it shelters them too much. I personally feel that it teaches children poor conflict resolution skills.

 

[Foster]

When my wife and I fight we don't really shout or raise our voices.

As for not fighting in front of them teaches them poor conflict resolution I think that's a load of rubbish. Surely fighting in front of them teaches them only one way to resolve a conflict? Them seeing you resolve the conflict like grown ups will teach better conflict resolution skills.

 

[themdno]

Fighting in front of kids is bad, it makes them think fighting is the answer to everything. It's what makes kids violent, and in general, harder to deal with, and less likely to listen.

I definitely believe that they can hear you, even when sleeping. I remember, when I was young, I would always wake up when my parents were fighting, and they never yelled at each other. They just had heated discussions, but for some reason, I could feel it and it would wake me up. So, I'd sit up and listen to them argue for a couple hours, and then go back to bed after.

 

[Niceness8000]

I think that this is meant in the sense of your sub-conscious mind. I understand that this part of your mind is still active even when you are asleep. The sub-conscious mind can retain information as well.

As far as fighting in front of them, it's tougher for some folks to control than others. Since it's pretty much all emotions, some people can't control their emotions even when kids are present. it is definitely a shame when adults fight in front of kids, mainly because it doesn't help anything.

 

[Victor Leigh]

The way I understand how children react, I think they can sense any conflicts between their parents even if they don't hear any shouting matches, awake or asleep. There is a lot in the body language of the parents that the children can read very easily.

 

[JRDeep]

I woke up a few times because I heard my folks arguing before. My brother slept in the same room as me, and he was there to calm me down. I think kids just have spectacular hearing. They pick up on a lot of sounds that adults may tune out for whatever reason. They are little sponges.

 

[ghanashyam]

Fighting in front of children is the worst thing because then the children feel insecure and fear that what could happen to their future. I have seen children whose parents have troubled marital life, do not perform well in education.

 

[youngone]

How can children hear noises when in deep sleep? How is that possible? Fighting and arguing obviously has a harmful effect on your children. I never fight with my ex when my son is around because I understand the harm it can cause.

 

[Miller]

My brother and his wife argue in front of their children, and it bothers me to no end. As a result, the children do way too much grumbling and arguing than I think is acceptable. We disagree and argue, but we have an agreement to contain it to when the children aren't around. We can also talk rationally when ears are listening.

 

[Jeremy Green]

I could see how they may be affecting by the loud noise caused by yelling. In this case, I think parents should foster a healthy environment; one that is without yelling or fighting even if the baby is sleeping because this will not be good for the child and the parents as well. Interesting that they can actually hear when they are sleeping though.