We went shopping yesterday to grab our son a coat and some rain boots for the girls. While browsing for a coat, I found some great sales on my favorite brand of baby clothes so I decided to look around. What began as a seemingly normal shopping experience soon became a nightmare. Usually, we spend most of our time in the store chasing our 3 year old around and removing her selections from the cart but not this time. Our 5 year old dramatically morphed into a 16 year old spoiled princess.
Cue the public meltdown. She wanted something,I have no idea what it even was, and I told her to hold on a minute so I could find her brother some clothes. 60%off baby clothes, guys! Wouldn't you be looking too? That lit the fuse. She started crying very loudly because she never gets what she wants. Now, I want to clarify, I am the kind of parent that likes to spoil my children a little, but we set firm bounderies and we say "no" more than we say "yes" on trivial items. Her crying escalated the more I tried to make her stop until she's, finally, laying on the ground in the girls clothing department an inconsolable mess.
At this point, my husband offered to take the kids to the car and let me finish up. I really wanted to jump at the opportunity but I said no. Here's why. Public tantrums, which don't happen often with my kids, don't bother me. I don't feel embarrassed and I ignore any looks shot my way, because I believe children should learn how to appropriately express themselves. Dragging them from the store kicking and screaming doesn't solve the issue. It just teaches my children that if they don't get what they want they can make everyone else miserable. So, how do I deal with a public tantrum? I get at eye level, explain how's she's not being good, listen to her concerns and tell her to straighten up or she gets nothing. If the tantrum continues, I put back what ever she was going to get and continue my shopping. I'm not a parenting expert. Honestly, I don't even think the "experts" are experts; but it's what works for my family.
Eventually, I found a coat I liked, decided to wait on buying more baby clothes, checked out the rain boots, which I deemed way to expensive, and we left. My daughter cried for another twenty minutes about not getting her way and we talked after she calmed down. I've discovered most tantrums are not about what they want, but rather an under lying issue. Turns out, she was tired and hungry. A little food and she was back to normal. How do you deal with public tantrums? I'm always open to new perspectives. Either way, just know you're not alone. Learn to laugh at the situation and it's a lot easier to cope, just don't let the children see!
Cue the public meltdown. She wanted something,I have no idea what it even was, and I told her to hold on a minute so I could find her brother some clothes. 60%off baby clothes, guys! Wouldn't you be looking too? That lit the fuse. She started crying very loudly because she never gets what she wants. Now, I want to clarify, I am the kind of parent that likes to spoil my children a little, but we set firm bounderies and we say "no" more than we say "yes" on trivial items. Her crying escalated the more I tried to make her stop until she's, finally, laying on the ground in the girls clothing department an inconsolable mess.
At this point, my husband offered to take the kids to the car and let me finish up. I really wanted to jump at the opportunity but I said no. Here's why. Public tantrums, which don't happen often with my kids, don't bother me. I don't feel embarrassed and I ignore any looks shot my way, because I believe children should learn how to appropriately express themselves. Dragging them from the store kicking and screaming doesn't solve the issue. It just teaches my children that if they don't get what they want they can make everyone else miserable. So, how do I deal with a public tantrum? I get at eye level, explain how's she's not being good, listen to her concerns and tell her to straighten up or she gets nothing. If the tantrum continues, I put back what ever she was going to get and continue my shopping. I'm not a parenting expert. Honestly, I don't even think the "experts" are experts; but it's what works for my family.
Eventually, I found a coat I liked, decided to wait on buying more baby clothes, checked out the rain boots, which I deemed way to expensive, and we left. My daughter cried for another twenty minutes about not getting her way and we talked after she calmed down. I've discovered most tantrums are not about what they want, but rather an under lying issue. Turns out, she was tired and hungry. A little food and she was back to normal. How do you deal with public tantrums? I'm always open to new perspectives. Either way, just know you're not alone. Learn to laugh at the situation and it's a lot easier to cope, just don't let the children see!
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