I swear my daughter has PMS some days.
She’s 2 1/2 – well not even, but it’s just a few days away.
She has begun the excessive whining stage.
And I do mean excessive.
We can say something nice to her, like “I’m proud of you for eating like a big girl!”
Response – “I’M NOOOT!” or “I DOON’T!”…and cue crying.
What the hell?
You would think I just accused her of…of…well, I can’t even think of something so bad that I could accuse her of to make her cry like that.
And trying to talk to her when she starts up to find out what’s wrong, just makes it worse. The crying gets louder and she then tries to cling to you. So much for acknowledging her feelings and attempting to get her to express them.
So, what the hell am I supposed to do?
Today I was doing dishes and talking to the husband who was sitting on the couch. (Our kitchen faces out to the family room.)
I guess I was talking too loud or something because all of a sudden she starts crying. She was just sitting next to him watching TV. I was just talking. I was not screaming and I wasn’t even talking at her.
But there she went.
It’s just another phase. It’s just another phase that will also pass. (This is what I tell myself. Well me and everyone else tells me the same.)
Ok, but it’s a REALLY irritating one.
Just remember, toddlers don’t HEAR their own whining & aren’t aware of how grating it is for our ears. Or at least that’s what I’ve been told. Ask your daughter to “use her words” for what she wants and tell her that “it’s hard to understand her when she uses the voice she’s using right now”… mostly I think they want us to hear them, but they don’t know how to get our attention. They learn that whining definitely gets our attention. My 2 year olds whining just about sends me up a tree, but I’ve found that the above really has worked wonders MOST of the time. Am also currently reading “How to talk so your kids will listen, and listen so your kids will talk” which was recommended by the Center for Non-Violent Education and Parenting guru Ruth Beaglehole. I’m really enjoying what I’m learning so far. Cheers and good luck mama! Cheryl ~
Your description “sends me up a tree” is right on point!
I will try saying “use your words” and see how it goes. Thanks!
If you think the two’s are bad, just wait till you the the three’s!!!
Oh no! Don’t tell me that!
Stumbled. Have a great day