I was walking into the grocery store the other day when simultaneously a mother was doing her darnedest to drag a screaming, kicking four or five-year-old out of the store who was absolutely livid because he couldn’t have caaaaannnnndddddyyy! I’m usually not a judgmental mother, but I (and everyone else around for that matter) couldn’t help but silently note what a pathetic scene I was witnessing and how preventable meltdowns are with children.
I want to preface this post by saying I have raised, thus far, two daughters who are now nine and six and not one time have I ever had to deal with a child who threw a tantrum in public. Never. When my girls were as young as two and three I could take them with me to the bookstore, museum, grocery store, library, everywhere really, and they always knew how to behave and that’s because my husband and I always set boundaries for our children and stuck to the script. You don’t have to be a cruel parent who believes in corporal punishment to have well-behaved children. You just have to understand a few rules.
#1 You Are the Parent and Your Son or Daughter is the Child
I don’t know how many times I’ve been out in public and heard a mother or father say, “Timmy, are you frustrated?” Meanwhile Timmy is screaming at the top of his lungs and flailing all over the floor and embarrassing the heck out of his parent.
The only reason a child will act out like that in public is because he knows there will be zero consequences. As the parent you have to set boundaries for your child and remember you are the parent, the authoritarian figure. There is no negotiating with a three-year-old. They have no say-so. If you tell your child, “No, you cannot have candy today,” they should understand that you mean it. Don’t say “No” and then throw a piece of candy in the cart because they whine for it. No means no.
#2 Don’t Overindulge Your Child
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