Whining

This morning my son was in a whining mood. I hate when he whines and this was one of those days where everything turned into a whine. “I don’t want to get out of bed! I don’t want to eat breakfast! I don’t want to go to camp! I am hungry, but I don’t want to eat breakfast!”

I know we have all had those days where we have to deal with the constant whining of children, or other people we come in contact with during our daily lives. It is very frustrating. Like most people, whining just seems to go right through me.

Perhaps the most difficult and annoying however, is when you have to listen to a parent whine. I do not like listening to my child whine, but I understand it. But, when I have to listen to my mother-in-law whine, it is much more difficult. What is even more annoying about her whining is, often times she has the power to change this.

Before she suffered the stroke, when she was living on her own, I remember thinking how she would often refuse to recognize the reality of a situation. She used to complain that my wife and I do not let her watch our son enough. I would point out all the times that she did watch him and how it was helpful, but she refused to see it.

This has not changed. She will whine about there being nothing to eat at her facility. I have eaten there with her. I often check the menu. The have a wonderful variety and they give the residents many choices, each day, at meal time. My mother-in-law will whine about there being nothing to do and yet the facility sponsored many trips. Most of them she will not go on. She does usually go to the casinos, when that is the trip. She seems to enjoy herself, but will still whine that there is nothing to do and that she did not have a good time when she went to the casino.

As I said, I don’t like the whining from my son, but it is semi-age appropriate. I do not like whining from Grandma either, and it is not age appropriate.