WHINING I've GOT to stop the WHINING!

I can so relate. Our 3 year old has that habit as well any time something does not go quite as he wants it to go. It generally occurs when he is playing with a toy that he cannot work as it should be and becomes frustrated. I do the same thing Raven does and quietly tell him that I cannot understand what the problem is when he is yelling and crying. He eventually calms down enough to tell me and I help him with whatever it is he was having problems with. The other issue is that sibling rivalry is normal, but can be excessive. I'm not sure how old his sister is but you may want to remind her as well that hitting is not nice. Also, that touching someone who says not to touch them is a violation of their personal space. Our littlest one is 15 months old and we're already telling her such things, as well as praising her when she is nice about getting someone's attention. Take Care. Namaste, Anora

It is normal for kids to whine at this age he will outgrow it with time

I like your description. Let's stop and think first whose problem it actually is that needs to be solved. First of all, his sister is being unkind to him (well, all big sisters are from time to time, so nothing new there!) but she is encouraged to do so, somewhat, by his reaction. Second, it's YOU that are being annoyed by it. Many things annoy us and some people are annoyed much more by simple little things (eating with mouth open, sniffing constantly ... other people's habits, for example) than others are by the same things. So what's the difference? It must be not in the things that cause annoyance but in the people who are annoyed, mustn't it? One way of resolving (or at least alleviating) the annoyance WE feel is by dealing with the reasons why something annoys us rather than the annoyance itself. Ultimately, the solution will be for your son to learn how to deal with the 'slings and arrows' ... especially those from his sister. You will probably find that his first few weeks in kindergarten will be a tremendous growing period. He will soon learn that, at Kindergarten, whining doesn't bring the immediate attention that it does at home. You will probably need to encourage him by giving him all the attention and support he wants BEFORE he asks for it by 'whining'.

I explained to my son that I did not understand him and could not hear him when he was whining. So when he whined I acted like he was not there. As soon as he stopped whining and spoke nicely, he got lots of attention. It worked.

Any time my 4 YO son speaks to me in any tone other than a nice one, I refuse to engage with him. This includes whining, yelling, barking orders and general bratty tones/phrases. The point is to teach them HOW to speak to you (and by extension, other people), WHAT tone to use, WHEN to use it, and the best way to get what they want... Simply stated: "Honey, I can not understand you when you speak that way. Calm down and try again." Don't get me wrong, you do have to allow for emotion, esp. in toddler speak, but it's the time/place thing that is most important. And getting them to think before they speak is an invaluable thing! Good luck.

This may be more of a problem for you than him, but I don't know because each child is different and each parent is different. My youngest did the same thing when he was that age, but there was nothing we could really do about it. And we worried too about bullies taking advantage. But once he did get into school, he adapted quickly and learned that that was not the best way to perform. Children act differently in different situations and around other people than they do at home. As for you, earplugs can come in real handy. Sorry.... wish I could give you better advise.