Would You Like Some Cheese With That Whine?
I must’ve been the biggest whiner when I was a kindergartener. It’s the only thing that can explain what I am going through with my 5 year old right now. It’s PAYBACK time!
“Mommy, can I have a cheese stick?”
“Not right now.”
“But mommy, why? Why can I not have a cheese stick?”
“Because dinner is almost ready.”
“But MO-MMY I need a cheese stick.”
“Sorry. You’re not getting one.”
“MO-MMY! Pleeease! Please, please mommy can I have a cheese stick? Why can I not have one? But you said I could have a snack. MOOOOMMMMM! You’re not being very nice to me!”
You get the idea. Add a tone of voice that is very similar to The Wicked Witch of the West’s tone when she declared to Dorothy, “I’ll get you my pretty and your little dog too!” And you get my son in one of his full force whine fests. AGGGHH!
Ignoring him is much easier said than done. Usually, I have to side track him with something else. Another feat that’s easier said than done. Sometimes I negotiate with him, which I know doesn’t help defeat the problem. And when I am having one of those days where I just can’t muster the strength to be a good disciplinarian, I do the worst thing ever, I give in. So he get’s rewarded for whining and I get punished with future whine sessions.
I’m hoping my son will grow out of this phase soon or I will be starting my own weekly wine session. And that could get ugly.
For tips and other parenting resources, check out family parenting on Justbreathemom.com.
Shari wrote,
I feel ya. I think the whining starts when they start school. At least it did for me. I still haven’t broken my 7 year old of the problem.
Link | September 25th, 2007 at 9:12 pm