As a parent, one of the most annoying moods to put up with is that of a whining child. It used to drive me crazy, but it’s the source of the whining that should be the most bothersome for parents.

“Take care of me,” their whining suggests. “I’m not willing to change this situation or myself, but I sure can complain about it!”

It’s easy to fall into the trap of responding with frustration and anger to a complainer. That’s because we usually let it go on and on, until we can’t take it anymore and snap.

Sometimes our “snapping” is lashing out in anger. Sometimes it’s angrily agreeing to do something to “fix” the problem.

RELATED CONTENT: 6 tangible ways good sleep can help your athlete play better

In either case, your child won't get anything good from it; they only learn to complain more.

So what should you do when your child comes home after practices or games and moans about the coach, teammates, what position they play or playing time?

Perhaps there's no way to totally eradicate all complaints, but here are some healthy ways to handle it when it rears its ugly head:

1. Seek to understand athletes who complain

Your first instinct should be to hear your young athlete out. Let them vent, and let them know you're listening. Your goal in this first step is to discern what’s really going on. That usually takes more listening than talking.

2. Discuss options

Once your child explains the problem, it’s time to help discover solutions. Ask them what they think they should do. If you get an, “I don’t know,” rephrase the question. Try, "What would you like the outcome of this situation to be?"; "Who else can you talk to for help with this issue?"; "What are some possible ways to improve this situation?"; or "What is one thing you can do to make that happen?"

RELATED CONTENT: Youth sports parents, whose game is it? Yours or your child’s?

The idea is for them to process it and think of their own resolutions. If that happens, the chances are much better they'll follow through and take action.

3. Tune out repeat offenses

When your child comes home and complains once, it’s easy to excuse their need to vent. The problem comes when they do it over and over. When they come home several times a week whining about this or that in games or practices, and they don’t let up, what should you do?

There were days when I just chose to ignore it, and if you can do that and remain calm, maybe they'll get the hint that whining does no good.

But there were also days when I’d had enough and finally said, “I understand you're frustrated, but we’ve talked about what you can do in this situation. If you aren’t going to do anything about it, I don’t want to hear you complain.” Basically, you firmly and lovingly shut them down. They may keep moaning and groaning, but at that point, you have let them know that you're no longer listening to them.

RELATED CONTENT: Are you struggling to enjoy your child's youth sports journey? Try these tips to change your outlook

Secretly, they're still hoping you'll do something to fix the situation. And honestly, they may not even know what “fixing it” means, they just know they're unhappy and they want someone to do something to make it better.

Kids continue whining because it gets a response. They’re pretty smart, and they know a good thing when it works.

You can help them break the bad habit of whining and complaining, but it’s not going to be easy, and it probably won’t be quick. Remember, their maturity is a long process.

Janis B. Meredith is a life coach for parents. She provides resources to help parents raise champions. Learn more about how she can help parents Raise Champions.