You shout at him, warning him of dire consequences if he behaves badly. But the whining soon escalates into a full-blown tantrum and his plate is sent crashing to the floor. By now, you are doing everything in your power to stop yourself from reaching across and giving him a good shake. You can feel that all eyes in the restaurant are on you and your son, judging your ability as a parent as your son continues to scream like he s being murdered. Somehow children have an uncanny instinct to pick the most public places to have a screaming fit and to question your authority as a parent.
Parents usually react in one of two ways.
However, at home, you ll probably just ignore him till he gives up, realizing that his antics won t work. While it s only natural for you to want people in general to think highly of you, parenting is about you and your child, not about what looks good to the general public. Your child will not understand why you respond to the same situation differently at home and in public. Your anger or your indulgence will lead him into thinking that you don t care for him any longer. You know your child better than anyone else.