Quit Your Whining

Mommm… Hey, Mommm… MOMMM!

If I hear one more whiny “Mommm,” I’m going to go insane.

I’ve had a little too much home time with the kids this week. We’re leaving for vacation tomorrow. So I figured a slow work week would be nice. I could ease into our vacation, pack a little each day, and be a little bit more prepared than usual.

Yet, I’m sitting here on the bed, among a pile of unfolded laundry, as an empty suitcase sits on the floor.

Anyway, back to the whining. It seems the whine-o-meter has hit an all-time high in our household. And it’s just the beginning of summer! As much as I’ve tried to keep them occupied, fed, and entertained this week, there always something they’re whining about.

I’ve tried reasoning with them. Threatening them with some sort of punishment or chore. Even mocking them. Nothing works.

I guess I should just sit back and enjoy the summer whine. Because these days will be gone before I know it, right? Please tell me they will!

 

14 thoughts on “Quit Your Whining

  1. The Q Family says:

    Oh.. I would love to hear other suggestion too. I can’t tolerate the whining. And when I told my son to stop talking in the whining voice, he starts yelling. We think he doesn’t know how to control his volume. So I hope it will get better soon.

    -Amy @ The Q Family

  2. i’ve tried giving my son a set time limit of whining/complaining each day. then i give him the choice of when he wants to use his time and I sit and give him my undivided attention while he lets it all out for a few minutes. he doesn’t always take me up on it but he stops whining.

  3. J's Lawyer says:

    I grew up in a large family, and summer time stressed the parents out, I am sure.

    I can recall being ignored when I whined, yet listened to nearly immediately when I didn’t. Now, how long it took for me to get this lesson I cannot know. How long can one ignore a whining child that walks the house with you, eh?

    The “I’m bored” comment comes from my child, and he is 3.5! YIKES! I have tried finding him something unfun to do, to help him learn to re-channel his inner dependent self, LOL, and that sometimes works.

    Maybe with the whining you can say, “WOW! You must be so worn down and tired that you need to whine, can you go rest in your room for a little bit until you feel fresher”?

    Or, buy some airplane earplugs. 🙂

  4. Sarah, Goon Squad Sarah says:

    We’ve had whining AND fighting here. Let me know if someone comes up with something good.

  5. Stella Blue says:

    OH the whining! Mine is only one and yet….the whining! So much!! AND, a couple times she’s experimented with hitting me in the face if the initial whining doesn’t get good results. Now if she whines I close my eyes and pretend I’m asleep until she realizes it isn’t working.

    Hopefully when she’s older and can understand more reasoning I can try some of the good advice here. I just can’t explain to a one-year-old why she can’t play with whatever fun new “toy” she wants (laptop, scissors, fish food…) So for now, its just the fake sleeping.

  6. FreshHell says:

    God, I hope it passes soon before I run away from home and leave them to whine amongst themselves!

  7. The whining time is funny. I would film it and make a funny talk show out of it. Maybe the humiliation of it all over the internet would get them to stop.

    I may have to try the fake sleeping on my 3 and 5 year old. But, it might just piss them off even more.

    I’ve tried ignoring them and I’ve suggested they take a nap, too. It seems to shut them up for a moment, and then it starts right back up again.

    Do they ever stop whining?!?

  8. just4ofus says:

    mine is whinging, then fighting, then tattle telling.
    i think they go from whining to hating you as parents so then they just avoid you or talk back..along with slamming doors.

  9. I’ve been home for a few weeks now with my kids. School ended, and no camp yet. The whining surpasses anything I’ve ever dealt with. I’m talkin’ the stuff that would make any prisoner spill it.

    Not to be a total buzz kill, but I look at whining a bit differently now. Take a look: http://www.dirtandnoise.com/2008/06/ellas-miracle.html

  10. Anonymous says:

    Maybe it would help if some of these moms looked at the way THEY talk. (Do you sense a familiar tone in any of these comments??)

  11. Hey pot, I’d like you to meet this kettle, anon. S/he’s whining about us whining.

    The fake sleeping cracks me up!

    Ilinap–Ella is in my prayers.

  12. i’ll admit i whine on occasion…does that make it any less annoying? besides, the way i figure it, i have more reasons to whine and i’ve earned the right. i’m going to try the fake sleeping with my 18 month old, that’s a great idea!

  13. One of my friends suggested telling the kids that you can’t hear them when they whine. You can only hear them when they ask for things in a polite tone of voice. I’ve started doing that when my daughter wants to get my attention by saying words she knows are no-nos or otherwise acting up. I say, “Sorry, I can’t hear/see little girls who are being naughty.” It seems to work!

    And wow – we seem to have attracted a snarky anon. I’m tempted to treat these posters like I treat my daughter. “Sorry… I can’t read self-righteous comments from people who won’t sign their names!”

  14. I definitely use the “I can’t understand you when you talk like that.” My son tends to talk in this whiny, babyish voice that sets my teeth on edge. I sometimes have to repeat that I can’t understand him until he talks in his normal voice. He gets annoyed at having to repeat himself but he has stopped using that voice as much as he used to.

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