Question
My son (3.5 yrs old), on only child, doesn't throw tantrums....per say......I suppose his version is whining. Oh my gosh!!! The whining!
Whether it is because he wants to see his friend Andy, go to the park or if he doesn't want to do something ....today it was play soccer (the 1st day of an organized parks and rec group). Yah, he was the only kid that didn't participate out of about 10-12 kids. He stood right next to me and whined that he didn't want to play soccer. He whined that he wanted to go home. I told him that "i didn't care what he wanted to do.....we wont be going anywhere until this is over and you need to at least watch the other kids." Then he whined that he didn't want to watch.
The other day he whined for probably 10 minutes....closer to 15 straight about wanting to see his friend Joey I was painting an interior wall in the house and he sat there next to me whining. I had no idea what to say.....I tried " I KNOW you want to see Joey, but we wont be seeing him today." or "Honey, we can''t see Joey today because its getting late and he's probably going to bed soon" Essentially, it didn't matter what I said, he still whined....for 10 minutes.....almost 15. Is ignoring him the answer? I mean, I know that as parents, when we react emotionally and they get a 'rise' out of us....that encourages them to keep doing whatever the behavior is, right?
And....a big part of this whining 'thing' is the "WHY" stage.....a whole different topic.
