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No Such Thing as a Fine Whine![]()
At a time when your daughter isn't whining, tell her: "I can't tolerate your whining any longer. Do you know what your whiny voice sounds like?" Then demonstrate it for her. Ask her, "Do you know what your regular voice sounds like?" Let her find her regular voice and practice it. Then tell her, "When you use your whiny voice I'll say, 'I can't talk to you when you whine.' I'll only talk to you when you use your regular voice."
Prepare for Battle Of course, your daughter will feel compelled to test your new rule, and her whining will probably get worse before it gets better. That's because she'll have a tough time believing you're not going to pay attention to her whiny voice as you always have. And she'll be determined to pull you back to your old way of responding to it.
New Leaf When she whines and pleads for you to respond to her, keep telling yourself, "I'm doing you a favor by breaking you of this habit. No one wants to be around whiners." You'll have to hold firm, and if you do, she'll be cured of her whining habit in three days.
About Jan Faull.
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![]() INDEX TO PAST COLUMNSAugust 5, 1996 There's only one way to put an end to whining: Ignore it. ![]() Your Turn: Send us your ideas on this topic, and we'll post them on Family Planet soon. ON WEDNESDAY: Should a bright child go to kindergarten a year early?![]() If you have a question or concern about your school-age child, send it to us in an e-mail message, and we'll forward it to Jan Faull.
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