A mom has an unusual “hack” for getting her kids to stop whining.
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 solution? Turn the tables.
“If you’ve gotten little kids, you’ve gotten to try certainly one of my favorite recent parenting techniques,” she said in a TikTok that’s racked up 1000’s of views.
She captioned the April 26 post, “My small contribution to creating the subsequent generation less entitled.”
When her 3-year-old whines about hunger, Lensing replied, “Oh, did you bring a snack?”
Thirsty? “Hmm, did you bring your water bottle with you?”
“I promise I’m not letting my kids go hungry,” she clarified.
“They’re very hydrated, well-fed kids. That is utilized in very specific scenarios.”
The goal isn’t starvation — it’s self-awareness.
Before leaving the home, Lensing prompts her daughter with gentle nudges like, “Do you would like to bring a snack or a book for the automobile?”
If she says no and regrets it mid-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 1 trip.
“I said, ‘Did you bring one?’ and he or she said, ‘No. Next time, I’m going to bring a doll, too.’”
But not everyone seems to be sold.
“I like this idea on the age of 5. Three and under does seem a bit of insane,” one TikTokker commented beneath Lensing’s upload.
One other added, “I can agree with this at 5 and up. But 3? That’s a baby.”
Yet some educators are applauding the strategy.
“As a teacher, thanks,” one user wrote. “I can tell ASAP when a baby has never been accountable for a single thing of their life.”
Lensing isn’t the one parent teaching her little tots a lesson.
Mom of two Deb Goddard has a hack for getting her toddler to fold their laundry.
“Get your infant involved to make it fun,” Goddard wrote within the caption of an 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.
“Seriously? The youngsters has [sic] their entire life to be folding laundry. Give them some toys, get down on the ground and play with them as an alternative,” critiques one commenter.
“Temu factory training,” another person criticized.
