When public outings seem impossible with your child.
Public meltdowns are difficult to navigate for so many reasons. Often they can leave you feeling overstimulated, embarrassed, and desperate to stop the behavior immediately. Plus, add another kid or two to the mix and pulling a screaming child off the floor while getting the others across a parking lot with you seems impossible.
First of all: Public meltdowns happen for a large variety of reasons and have nothing to do with your abilities as a parent. Just because you have the only child struggling at that moment does not mean your child is the only one who has ever thrown a tantrum in a grocery store.
If you are finding public outings with your child impossible, here are a few things to keep in mind:
Depending on their age, tantrum behaviors typically don’t last forever. It’s developmentally normal for 2 to 3 year olds to scream, kick, hit, bite, and have massive meltdowns on the public bathroom floor (even if it feels like all the other kids around you are polite little angels all the time).
Practice being in public in ways that will set your child - and you - up for success. If your child struggles sitting for extended periods (as most children do) avoid the fancy restaurant and practice eating out at one with a play place or practice sitting at a picnic table and allow your child to run around and then return as needed.
Prepare for the worst - go in knowing it might be tough, bring things that support your child, and know when it’s time to say goodbye. Going in knowing it might not go smoothly can help you not feel defeated when things go downhill and you might be pleasantly surprised with it going better than you thought.
You are your child’s mom and any other judgement from outside sources says everything about them and nothing about who you are as a parent.
If your child seems to have extreme behaviors during every outing, is unable to regulate for a long period of time, or is getting closer to kindergarten age and continues to struggle, speaking to a therapist can be incredibly helpful. Find one in your area who specializes in working with kids in early childhood or ask your pediatrician for recommendations.
