Home And Family

Question From a Parent – Do you have any suggestions on how to handle meltdowns in public such as a store when my child does not get what he wants? I usually take him outside to the car away from the situation, but would love to figure out a way to curtail it if possible.

Answer From The In-Home Parent Coach: Before you remove child from the store here are some suggestions…

Now if your child likes sitting in the cart while shopping, allow him/her to sit in the cart and help pick out things from the child’s shopping list. This way you have leverage. Then what you can do before going right into removing him from the store you can give your child 3 warnings and then he won’t be able to sit in the cart anymore. If the child does not like sitting in the cart and he/she likes to push the cart, use pushing the cart as leverage. You can give three warnings if your child is not focusing on the job then he/she will not be able to push the cart.

If the child likes walking around and being away from mom and dad use this as leverage. If the child is acting out while having space from you give him three warnings. Then have him sit in the cart while shopping if your child continues misbehaving. By this point your child would have received about 10 warnings regarding shopping. If all else fails, remove your child like you currently do now and wait in the car. Then make sure there is no electronics at all for that night.

Do you want to learn exactly how to eliminate your child’s out-of-control and defiant behavior without using Punishments, Time-Outs, Behavioral Plans, or Rewards? To Download and listen to my FREE audio recordings visit: Free Audio Recordings

Jason Johnson (MSW) works with hundreds of challenging toddlers through teenagers diagnosed with A.D.H.D, Oppositional Defiance Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Aspergers Syndrome, and Bi-polar. Jason works with boys and girls (ages 2-19) with SEVERE emotional/behavioral issue from various ethnic backgrounds, races, and religions.