kyle and the art of whining

thank god for parenting.com and i am somehow prepared for the whining sessions. i admit even if i prepared myself for this, it is still quite annoying and irritating. but dealing with it comes easy.

to share a few tips and tricks:

> give them a few mintues of your attention or time. give them more hugs, tickles or even a cracker or two. the whining may just be a small bout of hunger or boredom.
> let him hear that the whining sound he makes is not nice and turn it into a funny scene. in short laugh it off, your toddler might not notice that he is in fact whining. (this one works between kyle and i)
> do the exact opposite of what they're doing, if they're whining loudly, answer them back in a whisper. or as if you're telling a secret. this would hold your toddler's attention.

or just give it to them straight. let them know that when they whine, you can't understand them and the only time you can talk to them if they stop whining. this one also works for me and kyle. just keep your calm voice so that your toddler can replicate your mood and everything will flow smoothly. but there will be days that you do get to slip and cave in to the anger and answer back to your kid and a war ensues. it's ok, we're moms, they're kids, we're just human. it's part of the mommy-kids cycle. we get to live with it.

and of course, you have to reward your kid for the good behavior be it an affirmation of him being able to follow your instructions or a hug or a kiss. something that reinforces their good behavior/attitude.

but you won't get it the first time. it's a trial and error thing until you and your toddler gets used to it and before you know it, the whining is over and you're conversing with your toddler like an adult. :)