Mom's 'Crazy' Hack to Stop Kids Whining Goes Viral

A mother has come up with a peculiar "trick" to help prevent her children from complaining incessantly.

Chelsea Lensing, an economics professor and mother of two, has gone viral for what she calls a “crazy” parenting technique to silence the backseat chorus of “Mom, I’m bored!” or “Mom, I’m hungry!”

Her answer was to flip the script.

"If you've got young children at home, I highly recommend trying out one of my most beloved parenting strategies from recently," she says. said in a TikTok That has garnered thousands of views.

She wrote for the April 26 post, "A modest effort to raise a generation with fewer entitlements."

When her 3-year-old whines about hunger , Lensing replied, “Oh, did you bring a snack?”

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Thirsty? “Hmm, did you bring your water bottle with you?”

“I promise I’m not letting my kids go hungry,” she clarified.

They're extremely well-hydrated and well-nourished children. These conditions apply only in very particular situations.

The aim isn't to induce starvation but to achieve self-awareness.

Before leaving the house, Lensing prompts her daughter with gentle nudges like, “Do you want to bring a snack or a book for the car?”

If she declines and later feels remorse during the ride, Lensing lets the natural consequence teach the lesson.

The result? Less whining, more accountability — and the occasional toddler epiphany.

“She got really upset because she wanted a doll too,” Lensing recalled of one trip.

I asked, 'Did you bring one?' and she replied, 'Not this time. The next time, I'll also carry a doll.'

However, not everybody is convinced.

"I adore this idea at five years old. It seems quite intense for those three and younger," a TikToker remarked underneath Lensing’s post.

Another chimed in, "I concur with this for age 5 and above. However, 3 years old? That's still an infant."

Still, certain educators are praising this approach.

As an educator, I appreciate this," another commenter noted. "It’s clear right away when a kid hasn't had to take responsibility for anything.

Lensing is not the sole parent imparting knowledge to their young ones.

Mom of two Deb Goddard possesses a cheatcode to help her toddler learn how to fold the laundry.

“Involve your child to make it enjoyable,” Goddard stated in the caption. Instagram post with 1.5 million likes.

In her clip, she shows how she combines multiple pieces of cardboard to craft a foldable board. Each flap, which folds inward, is numbered to guide the toddler as to which side is folded first, second and third.

Some parents thought this was a genius hack, while others called it child labor.

"Really? They have their whole lives ahead of them for doing laundry. Instead, why not give them some toys and join them on the floor to play?" responds one commenter.

“Temu factory training,” someone else criticized.