Whining

Troy has started doing this obnoxious thing where he will whine constantly for like an hour. He walks around fake crying, making the noise but without the tears. Sometimes, he’ll throw himself on the floor, face on the tile, and kick his legs and slap his hands in a full-blown tantrum.

He doesn’t appear to want anything, as he’ll do it with food or drink in hand. He’ll do it with intermittent stops to play with toys or read a book. He’ll do it while I’m carrying him. He’ll even do it while we’re playing or wrestling. So our only conclusion is that he wants our attention in a way that we’re not providing it. This idea is strengthened by the fact that he doesn’t do this at daycare, where he has constant attention.

But the reason I say it’s obnoxious is that he’ll continue to do it after he has our attention! Pandering to him hasn’t helped and neither has ignoring him. He’s so strong-willed that he persists long after our patience level has given out. And the noise...the very note of his cry...sends my every nerve up the wall. My whole body reacts to it. It’s like my own personal torture device. And I’ve heard this stage could last for years...sigh.