We come home tired, stressed. We rationalize it. The big deal is the pattern that you establish, says Severe. I think giving in to whining is one of the biggest mistakes we make as parents. If your child has been whining for years, don't expect him to change overnight.
Consistency is key.
It's like playing a slot machine. If you do have a setback, you start over tomorrow. Here's how a few moms escaped from the whine cellar. In my experience, the best way to stop whining is to pretend that you don't understand anything that is said to you in a whiny voice. If the whining slides into begging, the answer is automatically no.