Voice Change

When I called my sister's house yesterday, an unfamiliar voice answered the phone. I thought it was the baby sitter. When they asked who I was, and I said "Melissa," they replied with, "Oh my God! Aunt Melissa!"

I thought this was a strange reaction from a baby sitter. My first thought was "The babysitter knows who I am?" and then I thought, "why would a call from me seem like a big deal to a baby sitter?" Not that a call from me doesn't warrant a national parade and celebration, but why would the babysitter react so strongly to "Aunt Melissa" being on the phone? But then the voice said "Guess what?!" and started telling me about their day. And I realized it wasn't the babysitter. It was my nephew. His voice had changed.

I just spoke to him a couple of weeks ago. Saw him about 3 weeks ago. For 12 years this boy's voice has been exactly the same. He's gotten older, he's gotten taller, but overall his voice has stayed the same. But some time during the past two weeks, his voice totally and completely changed. -No "Peter Brady" awkward stage. (Or if there was it was short lived and I missed it!)

Once I realized it was him, I listened to his voice very carefully, trying to recognize some of his old voice in there. Waiting for the "Ah ha!" moment when it would sound familiar and I'd think "Of course it's him. I just couldn't tell from those few words in the beginning..." But that moment didn't happen. And I listened. We talked for a while, yet had it not been for the context of what he was saying, I'd have had absolutely no idea that I was talking to my nephew. ZERO clue. His voice has totally changed.

It's really nice. It's a beautiful voice. It's not deeper, (don't teenage voices usually shift to something deeper?) it's softer. Less gravely. Less strident. It has a calmer, softer, more even sound to it. It's hard to describe. It's really nice.

I wonder what caused it to change now? I know hormones are involved but his hormones kicked in a while ago. I would think it would be something more structural, but he's been a big kid for a while now. Young face, but tall. He's always been taller than other kids his age. Towered over them in fact. By the time he was ten I realized that if I was staying overnight at my sister's and wanted to borrow some clothes, I would probably do better to borrow from him than from her! He's been around 5' 10" for over 2 years. -But his voice shifted now.

It's going to be so embarrassing for a while when I call their house. If he answers the phone, I'm not going to realize it's him! I have a new voice to learn.