Whining as a second language?

My lovely, sweet, bright kids are becoming quite fluent in another language. Sadly, it is not Spanish - that would be practical, and look good on a college application, too.

No, they are picking up that ugly tongue called whining.

Sam is particularly fluent in it. It is quite impressive. And unfortunately, painful to the ear, as it occurs in a high pitch that can be likened to an ice pick in one's ear.

Of course, I know not this language that they speak, so I cannot respond to it. (Yes, I'm a witch. Is there something wrong with that?) They get a lot of "what did you say? I can't understand you". With Maddie, too, comprehension is further complicated by the binkie around which she so proficiently speaks.

Oh, how I wish Babelfish had an "english-to-whine" translator. If I could invent one, I'd make a million.

In the meantime, I think I'm going to go look for some earplugs!