'We will listen to what you have to say when you use a normal voice'.

It's not as much crying....but whining. I won't say 'man up' or 'toughen up' and I won't even say 'stop crying'.

But I use the term 'normal voice' in someway on an almost daily basis. And I do it with both girls and boys.

Alot of the times.....I'll repeat what they've said in a normal, calm voice and instruct them to say it over again like I said it. Then I'll reward them by genuinely reacting to what they were saying....but not until the whine stops. My daughter was horrible at this at 5....it would often take her 4 or 5 attempts to say it without adding the whiny tone. My current 5 year old usually gets it on the first or second try.