“NOOOO! Moooooom! He’s not sharing!”

Does anyone else start twitching when they hear that sound?

My husband gave me a pointer for whining that I’m trying to implement. When my kids are whining and/or arguing (often simultaneously), he suggested that first I deal with the whining rather than solving the conflict.

Here’s why: It prepares them for the reality of life that they cannot always control the other person’s action, but they can control their reaction—an effect that “letting them work it out on their own” would also have. But this method teaches my (sinful) children how to work through conflict biblically instead of “naturally,” since God’s prescription for conflict is pretty much against every natural inclination! It also helps each of them to begin addressing the log in his own eye and his own heart attitude. We’d like to train them to “do all things without grumbling or disputing.”

What do you think?