Top Five Ways to Stop a Tantrum

Great ideas!

Fortunately each of my kids’ first tantrums were at home. They were also the last tantrums they had. I just walked into my bedroom and shut the door.

My favorite phrase when they were little was “I can’t hear you when you whine.” No whiners at my house! But they got good at other things that I wasn’t as well prepared to avert.

Carol @SheLives’s last blog post..Perfect Tablespoon Every Time

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I like the walk away and of course the leave the store with the child is always a good thing. What I can’t stand is watching parents who will let their children have the tantrum and then give in. I know they are embarassed, I have been to, but come on…

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I only had to do the leave the store thing once. I had even made it all the way to the check out lane. I was SO angry, I just walked out and left the cart sitting. Figured it was better than homicide or suicide. And I didn’t beat my kid when I got to the car, either. But…I pretty much quit taking them grocery shopping!

Deanna’s last blog post..It’s Not Quite Official, But…

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Oh the tantrums! We know them all too well in our house. And I am CERTAIN I’ve done 1, 2, and 3 just this week

Momisodes’s last blog post..Fruit: The other red meat

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I loved this post and funny thing is that I have tried a few of those. The one that particularly stands out in my mind is the time Cole had a complete meltdown at Target because I wouldn’t buy him a toy so I walked away from him and told him to come join me when he was done freaking out. I was still within visible distance but this lady comes out of nowhere and says, “You shouldn’t leave your child by himself….someone could kidnap him”. I just stared at her and said, “Seriously? You think someone is gonna WANT to kidnap him while he’s screaming and carrying on like that? Give me a freakin break”.

Fortunately, I’ve never had to leave the store before finishing my shopping but I wouldn’t hesitate to do it if the kids couldn’t calm down.

Why are you not writing a parenting handbook yet? Seriously, with all these posts you’ve written, you could be the next Erma Bombeck on parenting!

Helene’s last blog post..The Tower of Terror….or, if you will, the journey of motherhood

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HA, I end up dragging my kid kicking and screaming out of the grocery store so often that I actually break my grocery list up into prioritized sections so as long as we get 1/4 of the way through I get the most important things before I haul his ass out.

Amber’s last blog post..I need one of those _____s Anonymous groups

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I’m lucky enough that I haven’t had to drag my kids out of a store over a tantrum yet. When we’re at home, the policy is that tantrums must be done in bedrooms. It’s amazing how fast my kids get calmed down when they find out they aren’t getting any attention for their tantrum.

Stephanie – Home with the Kids’s last blog post..Free Range Kids Book Review

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Thank God my child never did this! One of us might not have survived.

The Dental Maven’s last blog post..Side Effects of Hewnt And Bewnt

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They really do hate it when you laugh in the face of their fury. We’ve had to drag many a screaming child out of a restaurant before, luckily it’s my husband who does the leaving which leaves me at least to eat the meal while it’s still hot and in relative peace. Who knows I may have been orchestrating the whole thing all these years.

mrsbear’s last blog post..On An Ideal Day

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I haven’t been over in a while.. I just wanted to stop by and say hi/..

dani’s last blog post..Sleeping with the ants..

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Another option, when they are in the throes, is to say, “You know, I tried that as a kid. It just never worked.” If you’re in a grocery store, augment it with The Mother’s walk-away option. We’ve got some issues over here, to be sure, but tantrumming is not one of them. Err, knock on wood.

The Lawyer Mom’s last blog post..Monday Funnies

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Such a great post! The worst public one we had was at IKEA. And not because we were taken off guard or swayed into giving in, but because it happened in the middle of the store and took us at least 10 minutes to make it to the exit. I can’t wait until tantrums are a distant memory.

ck’s last blog post..the robot

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BIG.

WOODEN.

PADDLE.

I tried everything until one afternoon where Dolly screamed herself hoarse over the course of three hours. She was barely two. I finally pulled that little diaper down & smacked her butt. That. Was the End. Of That.

Luckily for me Cowboy is pretty observant. He watched sister and said, “you know, I just don’t think this whole tantrum thing is the way to go.”

Wendy’s last blog post..Down with Bugs

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Carol reminded me! My favorite trick to pull on whining kids (not my own, since mine know this trick already):

“Oh, I’m SORRY! I don’t understand this language. Can you use nice words?”

Kids are always SO SURPRISED.

Wendy’s last blog post..Down with Bugs

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I once had to drag my son from the park. It wasn’t pretty. I was begging him to let go of the railing up the sidewalk, and I told him that people were going to think I was kidnapping him. After what seemed like eternity I finally got him the car, closed him and slumped to the ground.. and cried. A kind lady brought me his soccer ball from the playground… she smiled and said, “You’re lucky you only have one, I’m sure to get mine later,” pointing to her 3 kids.

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We’ve been lucky, there have never been any total meltdowns in my house. (Or out.) Yet. I’ve been trying lately to talk quietly so she can’t hear me over her screaming and has to stop to hear me. It works sometimes. The threat of a spanking works sometimes, too. Never giving in, perfect record so far.

Drama Queen Jenner’s last blog post..Wendsday, Wonderful Wednesday

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I just wanted to piggyback off Wendy’s post… when the Princess and the Soldier were younger I carried a wooden spoon in my purse. I lived in the south then and they tend to have a different view on spanking your kid in public. No one seems to mind much.

Now that I live closer to the city I have to be more careful that the meddling mommies don’t find something to complain about.

Becca’s last blog post..Schooool’s out for the summer… oh wait, not yet!

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I still remember my first`s son`s tantrum in public (18 months old). It was in a restaurant and he was playing with the creamers and making a mess. I took it away from him and he starting screaming. I picked him up to bring him to the car while my husband paid and he started hitting and pulling my hair..

I think it was the first time that I saw red. It was the first time he ever did anything like that before and he had just started daycare so I think he must have learned it from them.

I did everything I could to keep calm since all eyes on the restaurant where on me.

Luckily, he never did anything like that before but I still remember it with a vivid memory.

Maria@Conversations with Moms’s last blog post..VlogEmotions – Siblings

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I’ve called Hubby at work and said “you deal with this.” It’s certainly not the first thing I do, but if I’m at my wit’s end I need a little backup, even if it’s just over the phone.

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I saw the title, and I thought…..my tantrum(s). I have to learn how to stop them!

Anyway, I’ve experienced most (if not all) of the above with DD26, specifically. Only thing is, DH never had to pick up groceries left at the store! Think I owned a book one time by a Dr. Brazleton (?), something about “The Difficult Child”…think my kid was 2 at the time I bought it!

Moomettesgram’s last blog post..Ageless anti age perfume – Review and Giveaway

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Fortunately my kids have not pulled the public tantrum on me very often. Hmm, could be because we don’t go anywhere. *L*. The one time I was completely embarrassed was at the Superstore. Daddy was getting his hair cut and she was acting up so we left for the car, I’d had enough. Well, turns out Daddy had the car keys and there was no way I was going to carry her BACK into the store when she was now in full on scream mode. I had to stand out there for 15 minutes with her screaming. You’d think people would be sympathetic but they looked at me like they thought I was a kidnapper.

zeemaid’s last blog post..Ready, Set, Wiggle

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for whatever reason, my daughter only throws tantrums when I’m around, obviously me being the object of the tantrum. the husband thinks she reserved her best/worst behavior for me. i don’t know if I should be flattered.

but ignoring the tantrum sure worked for me.

purpledsky’s last blog post..Don’t mess with Xofia’s heart, you hear?

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This is such a great post. The last public tantrum we had was at a restaurant and all eyes were rolling as if we were such bad parents!!!

veronica lee’s last blog post..Jason Mecier

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My daughter was given to public tantrums for a brief period. She soon learned that while she was dramatically collapsing on the floor, crying for all she was worth, my only response would be, “Bye, I’m leaving,” in a nonchalant tone of voice. Then I would walk right towards and even out the door, not glancing back. She would quickly get up and run after me. (Of course I wouldn’t have truly left–but I had to be convincing.) I’m sure people thought I was the meanest mommie on the planet! But I didn’t have to strain my back carrying her out.

Tapati’s last blog post..Ooh!

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I once read that if you haven’t experienced (read: allowed) a tantrum in a public place, then it means you are a pushover mom who will do anything to avoid one, thus letting your child win.

I am happy to say I have witnessed (read: been humiliated) enough times in public to say I am safe.

Gibby’s last blog post..Friday Foto

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I am so glad I found this!
I am so tired of the dirty looks I get from people in stores when I do not cave and give my child whatever it is that they want. DS and DD are only a year apart, so as one gets past a tantrum the other begins. We have left stores, restaurants, even birthday parties when tantrums are happening.For some reason they haven't quite figured out that it never gets them what they want.

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I lived in the south then and they tend to have a different view on spanking your kid in public. No one seems to mind much.

Now that I live closer to the city I have to be more careful that the meddling mommies don't find something to complain about.

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