Ahh, "What did I say the last time?" reminds me of when K would get stuck, and I mean STUCK, on asking for something.
Can I have a snack?
<No, dinner is in 15 minutes>
But, I want a snack!
<Hold on for 15 minutes longer and we'll be eating dinner>
two minutes later...
Can I have a snack?
<Dinner's almost ready>
You get the idea, eventually I would say, "You've asked three times (or six or whatever) and I've answered you ___ times, ask once more, I'll give you the same answer once more, and then we're done with this question."
For some reason it seemed to work. It gave some closure to what she was stuck on and allowed us to put it aside. She'd usually ask that last time with a giggle, I'd answer with a giggle, and the mood was improved for both of us.
This isn't exactly related to whining, but being stuck can progress to whining very quickly.
I understand that redundancy is built into the human condition. All the same, Good Women know in the marrow of their bones just how exasperating redundancy can be.
