My 51/2 y/o son has been whining about everything lately. Not just when he is tired, but all the time! It is about to drive me crazy. Is this normal at this age?
When my daughter was little and whined a lot, I repeated a poem to a tune:
Wendy whiner go away, come again another day. I said this over and over. To this day at age 14, if she whines, I just say Wendy. Worked like a charm for us.
I did the same with bossy. Bossy Betty go away and come again another day.
Good luck
Whining is normal for all kids...even teenagers! I know a lot of adults that whine, too!
The best thing to do is to ignore the whining. Explain in a calm voice that you do not understand whining, and that when he can talk in a normal voice, then you can listen to what he has to say. This will be hard at first, b/c he will continue to whine, but you really need to do your best to ignore it. He will realize that the whining is getting him no attention, so he should eventually stop. Do this every time he whines, and he should get it even sooner! Hope that helps!
I think it must be the age. My second child is 51/2 as well and the whining has really gotten out of control. I don't remember it being this bad with the first one but that might be selective memory. I think to an extent they will grow out of it. I also agree that telling them that you won't talk to them untill they stop whining is important too.
I tell my children "I'm sorry, I can't understand your words when you speak like that." It doesn't stop the whining for good, but it stops it right then. I probably have to say that sentence several times a day.
