PreschoolRock.com Forum

I heard an interesting interview on the radio this morning about living complaint-free. As a former chronic complainer, it got me thinking. Have I really changed? When I was pregnant with my first child, I realized what a sourpuss I was and vowed to turn my thoughts & words around. I did pretty well, but I can't necessarily claim to be complaint-free. After hearing the interview, I replayed the last few days in my head and tried to remember what I said when in earshot of my children. Did I say, "Yuck, this coffee is too strong," or "How nice of Daddy to make the coffee this morning?" I don't remember. But, I bet my children do. My 4-yr-old does a great job of not whining. That is, she doesn't use a whining voice. She does, however, constantly talk back or complain quite a bit. I can't tell you how tired I am of hearing, "But I don't want..." or "But I don't like..." I've always contributed that to her age - maybe I should pay more attention to what I say. Maybe she's just repeating what she hears me saying.

What do you think? Do preschoolers tend to whine or complain, or am I just setting a bad example?

I would say probably so. My 2 year old is constantly repeating things I say so I'm sure they pick up on the complaining too. It's definitely something to keep in mind! I try very hard not to let any "naughty" words slip out but I don't really think about being negative/complaining a lot. That will give me something to work on!

I think it's a combination of modeling parental behavior and just plain nature of human beings.