The Most Annoying Sound In The World
Whining.
I have 2 daughters. One is 18, the other is 11. They are different as night and day. My oldest is a fiery personality. She’s a yeller, a stomper and a door slammer. My youngest.. she is a sulker, a whiner. My oldest comes as more of a behavior challenge. After all, an in-your-face, loud child who is quick to talk back and will stomp back to her room and slam the door seems, at face value, to be naughtier. The thing about her though, is that she was also very quick to get over things. She would get mad, then get over it. Quick to come out of time out and give hugs and apologize. We’d all move on. The younger one never talks back the way her older sister did, she doesn’t slam doors. But she would sulk for HOURS. Half the day would go by and she’d still have a huge pout on her face, wouldn’t respond, didn’t want to come out of her room. And she start to get really whiny. You know whiny… the fingernails on a chalkboard sound. The sound that grates at your ears and peels back the layers of your brain one by one. The sound that could get secrets out of the hard-core spy if they were left alone in the room for an hour.
Do you remember the hilarious scene from Dumb & Dumber?
Lets talk first about why children whine. It seems like kids can whine for almost innumerable reasons. They whine because they’re hungry, because they’re tired. The whine when they want something they can’t have, they whine when they have something they don’t want. But it’s important to realize that different ages of children have different reasons why they do it.
Toddlers whine like babies cry. It happens when they are feeling out of control and overwhelmed, which is pretty much how toddlerhood is. They lack the ability to articulate their frustrations and needs and the natural default sound is whimpering, whining and crying. The biggest contributing factors are usually fatigue and hunger, which if whining doesn’t address, often a full break-down will ensue.
Like toddlers, preschoolers have a low threshold for frustration. Children at this age have brains that are developing rapidly in the areas of cognition and they are becoming more and more aware of their own wants and needs. They have very strong desires, but they also fully aware of the fact that they are still “little kids”, therefore there is an innate sense of not being in control in almost every situation in their lives. Older siblings and adults have all the power and that can be very frustrating. Plus, they’re going through a lot of changes on top of that — often new baby siblings, exciting yet stressful situations like starting preschool or moving out of their comfortable crib or co-sleeping arrangement into a big-kid bed. All of these changes make them susceptible to attention seeking behaviors. You know the old adage, even bad press is good press? This applies to attention as well. A child would rather have a parent yell, “WHAT!?” then not give them attention at all.
So how can we most appropriately respond to whining? We can start by addressing the issue. Many of us have taken the approach of blocking it out and ignoring the annoying pleas of our irrational children. But kids can whine all day long and easily outlast parents who are trying to tune them out. Often the longer you let them complain, the more determined they become. It’s very helpful to explain clearly how hard it is to listen to that. Don’t assume your child understands what whining is. It’s helpful to demonstrate. That will often bring a good laugh for you both. You also want to give your child several positive options and show them how to phrase things if they need your attention. Also helping them figure out why they are feeling how they are feeling. A 4 year old might be whining about a toy their sibling won’t share, but they might have a lower tolerance at the time because they are tired from not sleeping well last night or because they didn’t finish their breakfast. Helping children become present in the moment, and stop focusing on the object of their frustration, can help them begin to learn how to recognize and pay attention to their own emotions, an invaluable skill that will serve them well their entire lives.
Validating their feelings is very important. “I know you really want to have all 4 colors of cars, that would be fun to play with all of them, wouldn’t it? But then your brother wouldn’t have any at all and that would make him very sad, that would make you feel sad, wouldn’t it?” There you’ve validated their desire to have all the cars as well as helped them develop some empathy by relating why that wouldn’t be fair to the other child as well as giving a reason why you aren’t giving in to their request.
Relating to their feelings is very important. If your child is complaining while you are on the phone, its helpful to take a moment to acknowledge their frustrations. “I know you want mommy’s attention right now, and I want to give you all my attention. Sometimes it’s hard to have to wait for people. How about you draw a picture for a few minutes while I finish up my business and then we’ll do something very special together.”
Teaching your child how to use their “big-boy” or “big-girl” voice is important as well as helping them learn how to rephrase requests. Be prepared for, “Ok, well can I pleaaaaase have another cookie now?” with puppy dog eyes and a giant smile. When your child asks for something in a nice voice without whining, even when they have an unreasonable request, its important to reward that. “Oh what a nice way to ask! That makes mommy so happy! We have to wait because you already had a cookie, but that was such a good way to ask for something! What a big girl!” Strong positive reinforcement before a denial can be very effective.
The great thing about young children is they are still easily distracted. Coming up with silly responses can be a fun and effective way of dealing with whiners. Responding with a “What? I can’t hear your words through that whiny sound” or coming up with “whining gets whispers” rule where you will only whisper in response to whining. I read somewhere a mom tells her kiddos, ‘Go pour out your whine and fill your glass with real words!” There are lots of fun and silly ways to handle what would otherwise be very frustrating situations. One thing that I can always say is that having a strong sense of humor will change your life as a parent!
Here are some more great pieces of advice from a real behavior expert, the famed television personality Super Nanny!
Before you frazzle your last nerve, or worse yet, give in to your child’s demands for attention, try these six tips — and restore your sanity.
Be calm and clear
Children will use kicking, biting, screaming or crying to get a reaction from Mum or Dad. When parents lash back at the child out of frustration, it may have the opposite of the intended affect. A child may see their bad behaviour as a way to get them the attention they desire.
Instead, calmly but firmly correct the child’s behaviour by saying things like, “Please ask politely” or “Please don’t hit Mummy. When you hit Mummy it hurts.” If you snap at your child, expect that he or she will adopt the same tone as an appropriate way to express frustration.
When children persist, resist the urge to give in. “Make an announcement: ‘When you use your normal voice I will listen to you,’” suggests parenting author Elizabeth Pantley. “Then turn your back to the whining child and make it obvious you are ignoring her by singing or reading a book out loud held in front of your face.”
Don’t be afraid of discipline, but don’t forget the praiseA child will quickly learn there are consequences to his actions if they result in time out, or time on the Naughty Step.
If your child’s bad behaviour continues, make it clear that you intend to follow through on threats of discipline. “If you yell at Mummy again, you will have to sit on the Naughty Step.” When he does it again, it’s straight to the Naughty Step for one minute for every year of age. When he is calm, and ready to try again, reinforce the message by asking for an apology — then give him a hug. Your child will learn that his time out was for his own good.
The key to discipline is consistency. Regardless of how busy you are, make the time for a time out when necessary.
And while bad behaviour deserves parents’ attention, so too does good behaviour. If your child resolves a conflict without resorting to whining, heap on the praise. Let him know that a calm, measured approach to frustrating situations will have the most positive outcome.
Stop whining before it starts
When a child whines or displays related behaviour, he might be trying to tell you something. Perhaps your children are not stimulated enough with games or exercise, or maybe they are hungry earlier than the established time for meals.
When your child starts whining, make note of the circumstances surrounding the situation. Perhaps a simple midmorning snack will ward off a noon meltdown, or a trip to the park for some play time will give the child a positive release for pent-up energy.
Pay attention to nap time/bed time
Whining is often related to a child being tired. Parents may expect children to conform to their sleep schedule, but children demand longer and more frequent periods of sleep. Consider whether your child’s sleep schedule is consistent and satisfying. If you child starts whining in the early evening, before bed time, perhaps it is their way of asking to go to bed a half-hour earlier. If your child is a terror by mid-morning, they may need to sleep it off.
For your children, the need for sleep doesn’t stop because it is not convenient for your schedule. You may have to make adjustments so your children get the appropriate time to sleep.
Cut the sweets
Diet and behaviour are often connected, and in children sugar can be like a drug. If you are pouring glass after glass of juice, you may be exceeding your child’s tolerance for sugar. Likewise, sweets, soft drink and other prepared foods are sometimes packed with sugar. Once the sugar high is gone, then comes the low. And with the low comes whining.
Pay attention to your child’s eating habits, and make connections to their behaviour. Perhaps some simple changes will make all the difference.
Be flexible
Remember, kids will be kids. So parents should understand that their minds are active and when they are engrossed in a project, or having fun at the playground, they may not want to stop.
When possible, meet your children halfway — “Okay, we can stay at the park for five more minutes. Then it’s time to go home and take a nap,” or “Alright, we can read one more book before bed.” Compromising with your child will teach them that reasoning with you is preferable to whining and acting out.
Common whining wind-ups, and how to avoid them:
The ever-popular supermarket meltdown: Keep your kids in line by feeding them before you go to the supermarket, and give them duties to keep them occupied while you’re there. “Can you help Mummy find three apples?” You might want to avoid the sweets and crisps aisle altogether.
Whining as you’re winding down the road: Let’s face it, kids get bored in cars, so bring along games, toys and snacks to keep them occupied. Play their favourite music on the radio and sing along. Follow our car drill technique for more advice on how to make sure those long car journeys don’t turn into a nightmare.
Headaches when they’re hitting the sack: Children who are resistent at bedtime may benefit from an established routine that includes bedtime stories and other family rituals.
About the Author: Genevieve
As the current Owner & Executive Director of 4 preschool centers, Genevieve has over 20 years experience in early childhood education as well as almost a decade of work in the fields of sustainability and green business. Genevieve has always carried an eco-conscious approach to life and shares those imperative philosophies with the children she teaches. She continues her work with Origins Education, combining her passion for children, her expertise in early childhood education and her knowledge of the principles of sustainability and the new economy movement. Origins Education’s goal is help foster a generation of young people committed to enhancing the health and wealth of their own communities and ecosystems, to nurture a sense of caring for the Earth and all its inhabitants and to support a lifestyle grounded in an Earth and human-centered ethic.