Ear Protectors

Crappy Boy has a pair of ear protectors because he got a drum set when he was two.

He still plays and he is still adorable:

ear protectors1

Anyway, those ear protectors have found themselves in other forms of play too. Like pretending he is a robot or something. 

The other day, this happened…

He walks out of his room and I ask him if he wants to go outside to play before dinner. He has the ear protectors on:

ear protectors2

He doesn’t hear me. Is he just pretending to not hear because he has the ear protectors on?

I go along with it and repeat it louder:

ear protectors3

Still doesn’t hear me. He has a completely innocent look on his face. I don’t think he is playing a trick. 

I suggest he remove the ear protectors:

ear protectors4

And he says, quite sincerely:

ear protectors5

He is so much like me. 

————

A few people have asked so I’ll just update it here – we have these Peltor ear protectors and they work really well. Crappy Baby has them in pink.

This entry was posted in crappy pictures, five, good stuff, parenting. Bookmark the permalink.

106 Responses to Ear Protectors

  1. Beth says:

    Hahahaha! Poor baby.

  2. Nicole says:

    This literally made me laugh out loud at work. Sounds like something I would do.

  3. Angela S. says:

    bwahaha!! Kids are so funny! I went to take my oldest to Aikido for the first time last night. My baby, who is 2.5 said, “I don’t want aikido, I’m not hungry!!!!” lol

    • Emily (the other one) says:

      I love misunderstandings like that. We told my niece (3) we were going to Ikea but when we got there she said, looking confused, “This isn’t Kiai!” She thought we were going to her brother’s Martial Arts Studio.

  4. Kate says:

    LOL!! Literally.

  5. Julie says:

    I love it! Perhaps I should get a pair for myself then I could pretend to not hear everyone screaming and whining…

    • amber says:

      I am trying to invent whine canceling headphones. No luck yet.

      • Jenny says:

        from what I hear, wine counteracts the whine. mine is only 18 months, so I haven’t had to experiment, yet.

      • Sarah Richardson says:

        YES! I would pay any amount of money for those

      • Barbie says:

        We invented the “Whine Monster!” He only eats children who whine… and miraculously, it is working! I only have to say I think I hear a sound outside, and he stops immediately!

      • Melinda says:

        My trick for whiners (and it works on other people’s kids, too, without getting their parents mad at you) is to just not hear/understand them. “I’m sorry. I can’t understand you. Can you say that in your normal voice?”

        • Jorie says:

          Possibly less politically correct, but I’ve told my child I don’t speak Whinese.

        • amber says:

          I do this too, learned this one from my FIL.

        • Heather C says:

          Except that it doesn’t work, lol. On my kids or anyone elses. I tell them ALL the time that I can’t understand when they whine, because I actually CAN’T! Maybe something is wrong with my hearing, but I can’t hear higher pitches. The chirpy lady at the deli? Can’t hear anything she says. Ever. I never know what kind of deli meat or cheese I’ll get cause I just smile and nod. Movies suck, because the voices are always too quiet and the background noise is deafening. And the whining! Yup…I CAN hear the annoying noise but can’t make out the words. It’s always the same(I want.., someone did this…) so no matter.

      • Marilyn says:

        I love it! We’ve always had the policy that we live in a “whine-free zone,” but it’s just not working, especially now that we have a 6-year-old girl on top of the 3 boys. Whine canceling headphones would be game changing!

  6. Hilarious! That is so cute. Reminds me of when I have sunglasses on my head or keys in my purse and am searching frantically for them!

  7. Sara says:

    Very cute. Mine just declares that he’s deaf whenever he doesn’t *want* to hear what I’m saying ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Amanda says:

      My 5 year old lost a lot of hearing with an ear infection, until the fluid went away. Now, he conveniently says “I can’t hear you, I have an ear infection!” in an annoying sing-song voice, even though it’s back to 100%

    • Enid says:

      Mine will close her eyes and say, “I can’t see!”

    • Tracie says:

      Ahhh . . . selective deafness – an affliction often suffered by males that they seldom grow out of until actually deaf

  8. Tacy says:

    You’re right. He is so dang cute! (and funny)

  9. BeckyKay says:

    awesome. ๐Ÿ™‚

  10. Melanie G says:

    lol that is awesome

  11. sherry says:

    this is so cute i can barely contain myself!!!!!!!

  12. Jill says:

    DD doesn’t have ear protectors, she just tells us “My ears are sleepy, so I can’t hear you!” I’m guessing she must be able to read my lips to know that I’m talking otherwise why would she tell me her ears are sleepy. ๐Ÿ™‚

    • S says:

      When I’m sleepy and not quite awake, my hearing isn’t 100% functional. Quite frustrating for my husband, especially when we don’t want to wake the kid with loud voices.

  13. Amanda says:

    awwww haha that’s cute ๐Ÿ™‚

  14. Amanda says:

    On another note, wow Amber, are you ever brave for having drums for a two-year-old! I’d need the ear protectors! But, if he looks as cute in reality as in your first picture, I can see the value ๐Ÿ˜‰

    • Kbee says:

      Yes! This!

    • Robonanny says:

      Brave? I bet someone else got them as a) a “really great gift” of the sort that you give until you have children of your own, or b) if you don’t like the parents of said child… or c) if you’re a drummer and want your cute nephew to be able to be like his unc ๐Ÿ˜‰

      My son’s godfather has been threatening to get my son drums for the last 4 years (son = now 6 yo) but he values my friendship too much to do so ๐Ÿ™‚

      • Darbi says:

        When my baby sister turned three, our childless friends got her a handpainted ceramic whistle. A whistle. I was seventeen. I helped her open in and then stared while my dad said:”Someday they will have children, and I will buy them drum sets.”

        • Elizabeth says:

          Lol!

          My Aunt did this. She bought a series of really loud toys for us. A motion sensored toy vacuum cleaner, and various other noisy toys. Culminating in a firefighter’s helmet with a flashing siren on top for my little brother.

          By the time they had kids (many years later), my mother had an entire arsenal of “hand-me-down” toys ready for my cousin, and made a point to get noisy toys for his birthday and Christmas gifts. From memory he received, drums, a toy chainsaw and other tools and a car dashboard toy that would activate on its own in the middle of the night. My Aunt and Uncle actually put it in the freezer to try and shut it up!

          Pay back is a bitch.

    • Sarah Gill says:

      When my eldest was 3 youngest 2 and I had one on the way my FIL got us a drum set and a piano, need I mention our 3 bedroom 1 bath house is TINY! 2 bedrooms are only 8 x 8… They had them for a week. They now live in the attic. ๐Ÿ™‚

  15. karen says:

    Love it! ahahaha …

  16. M..J. says:

    ha! Too cute ๐Ÿ™‚

  17. Rebekah Knisely says:

    It’s like me calling my husband at work, utterly frantic, because I lost my brand new $300 cell phone…..wait for it…..i was calling on my cell phone.

    • amber says:

      Ha! Love this.

    • Jen says:

      I do this ALL the time…search my purse frantically for my cell phone, only to realize after I’ve dumped the whole thing, that I was holding the cell phone in my other hand. *facepalm*

      • Martine says:

        haha, Jen, and I’m only laughing in sympathy-I do that kind of thing all the time. And Amber, since the kids see me do that stuff a lot, there’s just no hope for them!

      • Evone says:

        I’ve totally done this too, loading kids in the car to go to the store while talking to my mom on the phone. Everything is in the car, but wait- my phone isn’t in my purse- must be in the house so I go looking for it. After 10 minutes of frantic searching, cause the kids are in the car, my mom tells me she has to go so I tell her goodbye & hit “End”, then look dumbfounded at my phone in my hand. Wish there was a good excuse for this- but I have none. (other than mommy brain?)

  18. Sarah says:

    My son has ear protectors so he could go to the car races with his dad. He has found other uses for them as well. They come in handy when using the hand mixer and the air popper for the popcorn. He’s a funny kid.

  19. rachael says:

    very cute! but just make sure to remind him how lucky he is that he really does hear! my son actually is deaf- and its a challenge.

    • brit says:

      That must be a challange and a good reminder. My middle daughter is autistic so I know a little about having children with disabilities but it is hard to imagine what it would be like to tell a deaf child “no” when you are across the room for example. Thank you for sharning.

  20. Lol, thank you for the lovely little mid-morning giggle break!

  21. Chris says:

    I wish my 74 yr old father would take his ear protectors off and trade them for a set of hearing aids. (:

  22. I once went to the movies with my sunglasses on. I spent half the movie complaining about how dark the damn theater was. Finally, I realized I was wearing dark glasses. I don’t know if it was more embarrassing for me or for my friends who never made the connection during my 45 minutes of bitching.

  23. Jorie says:

    Wow. They have ear protectors in kid size. I have a five year old who HATES loud noises…runs from the blender, hides from thunder…we need some of these.

    • Liz says:

      They are also really good for extremely loud public restrooms.

      • Marilyn says:

        My oldest son used to be terrified of the automatic flushing toilets at the mall when he was very young. I used to carry around post it notes to stick over the sensor so the toilet wouldn’t flush until he was out of the stall. Ear protectors might really have helped with that.

  24. Liz says:

    What kind of ear protectors do you have? I didn’t know they came in kid sizes.

  25. Jess P. says:

    Your right he is super cute!

  26. Kate says:

    My son needs those! He uses his hands for “earmuffs” whenever we run the vacuum, blender or coffee grinder.

    Kate
    http://www.justdelivered.net

  27. Laura b. says:

    Reminds me of looking for my keys while holding them.

  28. Taryn says:

    lol, this made me snort!

  29. Karen says:

    Ear protectors for kids? Going to do a google search now, this will come in handy next 4th of july.

  30. Susan says:

    Thank you for always making me laugh!

  31. My five year old wore hers when we took her to the Nutcracker, as she is sensitive to noise. During every single pause she would shout something, like “China” when the Chinese dancers came out, or “Not again! ” when the flowers returned. People loved us.

    • Bronwyn says:

      My 5yo son’s a critic too – “when will this end?” is often said, loudly, in the last 30 mins or so of any movie. Clearly not a fan of the narrative arc….

  32. KiwiBunnz says:

    My son has these (in blue camo) because his Dad is in a band. He refuses to wear them though. So now mummy doesn’t get to see the band either ๐Ÿ™ My son (nearly 3) likes to play on his Uncle’s drums too… he has more rhythm than me! Yay!

  33. Erin says:

    I am an audiologist, and I LOVE the fact that you got these for him so he could play his drums safely! Cute and functional!

  34. Woolies says:

    hmmm. My husband wears ear protectors, in the guise of ‘headphones’. He never hears me. What do you think that is all about???

  35. Trisha W. says:

    Ha, ha, ha. I really did laugh out loud at the “I thought I was deaf.” That makes me think of the time(s) when my mom couldn’t find her glasses. They were on her head.

  36. I am very impressed you got him a drum set :).

  37. rebecca says:

    These are the best ear protectors ever! We took our son (under 2) to the Coachella music fest the last 2 years and used the Peltors to protect his little ears.

  38. Megan says:

    i love that crappy baby has them in pink ๐Ÿ™‚

  39. Kim says:

    Hm.

    I suspect my husband may have a tiny pair of these ear protectors that are not visible to the female eye. My children listen WAY better than he does. The best way I’ve discovered to get my husbands attention and be sure he’s listening? Start the conversation with the word “sex”.

    “SEX. Can you take out the garbage?”

    Works. Truth.

  40. DeafMama says:

    LOL! I’m so stealing this trick! Oh, wait. My husband *is* deaf. Darn! ๐Ÿ™

  41. Bronwyn says:

    Ever been driving a car and get suddenly seized by a thought that you have lost your car keys? (Picture me sitting at the computer with my hand up.)

  42. Christiana says:

    So these ear things really work huh?
    Can you get them in bulk? I’m flying this Christmas with one of the loudest tantrum monsters known to man.

    With all these parents being thrown off planes for cranky kids, I need to buy some for the entire plane.

  43. Devan says:

    I love this and everyones stories!! I have done the cell phone, glasses, sun glasses AND keys…all of it. I call it mommy brain.
    OH! And I am SO gonna try the “Sex, please take out the trash.” That is just hysterical!!
    Devan

  44. Laura Anne says:

    My son wears his ear protectors whenever he helps me in the kitchen and the blender or mixer is going – such a sensitive little lad – I thought he was the only one until I met my husband – he wears his ear protectors in the kitchen too – go figure.

    So darn cute.

  45. Ali says:

    Amber, you are the best mom ever to let your kids have drums! When I was 16 (ok, now I am really dating myself here) I wanted drums so badly because I wanted to be like Karen Carpenter! When I saw her on tv playing drums in her long gown, I knew I could be a drummer, too! Alas, my parents said “no way”. I was only allowed a flute. I am the parent of 3 teenagers now, and still drumless. I have a “significant” birthday coming up soon, so I may finally buy a set of drums for myself, but now I would rather emulate the drummer from Green Day!

  46. Jaime F says:

    This is my first time at your site and I’m laughing out loud at work — and I don’t have kids yet. You are hilarious ๐Ÿ™‚ Thank you!

  47. mandy theisen says:

    I am an audiologist, and I approve this message (or post, rather ๐Ÿ™‚

  48. I do that with my phone. In my head it’s two things: my phone and my iPhone. So, if I’m talking on it and want to do something else like look at something online or take a picture or something, I get frantic that I can’t find my iPhone!

  49. Amanda says:

    I can remember waking up one morning after sleeping in my contacts (they were still new…I had worn glasses for years.) I was so excited for a few seconds because I thought my vision had been restored! LOL

  50. Mandy says:

    Omg Amber! That’s hilarious!! I’ve done that before with my glasses tho. I was searching around frantically for them one day… only to look in the bathroom mirror to find that they were already on my face >.< lol!! This is too cute! Crappy Boy reminds me of my kiddo, who is a small male version of me lmao!

  51. Emma says:

    “Crappy Baby has them in pink.”
    …WAIT! Is Crappy Baby a girl? I always imagined Crappy Baby to be a boy? Was I wrong all the time I’ve been reading your blog, or is he just uber-cool and above all those gender stereotypes? (which I’m obviously not)

    • Emma says:

      Ok, just read back over some old posts, and I’m not crazy… Crappy Baby is a “he”. Yay him for having pink ear protectors… and apologies if I offended anyone with my color-gender assumptions : )

  52. It is very funny thing, Ear phone is the ear protector.Keep on good work on the blog .

    klima servisi

  53. Sharon says:

    Hahaha! I always chuckle internally at your posts, always. But I am a tough one to get to really laugh at online stuff. I was cracking up at this! So funny!!!! My son uses headphones too, pretends he’s a dispatcher calling firefighters and other emergency workers ๐Ÿ˜‰

  54. Pam says:

    I like your last comment, “he is so much like me”. Too funny!

  55. I love that baby has them in pink