Single Parents - You Can Get Your Child to Stop Whining

Parenting can be a very tough job. You may be close to the end of your rope on most days. Then, you hear a whining child voice ask for something, and that rope is hanging on by a thread now. How can you get your child to quit whining?

First, notice the times that your child gets whiney. Is she hungry or tired? Did you just say no to a request? Or, maybe you are busy with something else, and the behavior is to get your attention.

Force yourself to take a deep breath when you hear whining. Keep your cool as you request that the child should address you in a normal voice or tell him or her that you can't hear when that tone of voice is used. Getting upset may only serve to encourage your child to whine in order to see you react. If your child continues to use an unacceptable tone of voice, set a limit such as choose between an apple or an orange, but there will be no candy bar.

You must keep whatever limit that you set. Once you have stated that your child may not have or do something, do not change your mind no matter how upset your kid gets. Sometimes, you may have to resort to leaving a public area with your child in tow or leaving the room if you are at home until the child is in control of his or her behavior. Although this may inconvenience you, in the long run, he or she will learn that you stick to your word and no amount of tantrum throwing or whining will change your mind.

If you notice that whining occurs in certain situations, try to avoid putting your child in them if possible. For example, kids often get whiney when tired or hungry, so plan ahead and get them fed or to sleep before the bad behavior starts. This may mean that you have to stop a fun activity or cut short a trip to the grocery before you are ready in order to avoid to avoid an unpleasant scene.

An older child may whine that they are bored or have no friends. Ask him or her what they might do to address their problem. If you step in and try to solve it for them, they will learn to use that tone of voice whenever they want you to do something for them.

Whining can sometimes be a coping mechanism when a child's life feels out of control. Your recent divorce or bullying issues at school could be at fault. If this is the case, be sure to spend lots of time individually with the child to help make him or her feel secure. Counseling may also be helpful if the issue doesn't seem to be resolving.

Using the tips above will go a long way toward making sure that this behavior does not become a habit. Most importantly, do not give in to the whining as you will only encourage more of it.