Date post: | 14-Apr-2017 |
Category: |
Lifestyle |
Upload: | susie-almaneih |
View: | 143 times |
Download: | 0 times |
A good place to start is at home. Dwelling on poor behavior discourageseveryone involved, so positive feedback several times a day is more
effective all around! This approach shows that you’re on the same team,and working together has better results, setting the stage to better carryout some recommended steps in guiding your child’s behavior while out
in public.
Consider the following elements:
1. Pre-gameBefore heading to that
restaurant or store, take aminute to discuss good choices
and bad choices. Be specificand relay with confidence that
you expect your kids, forexample, to stay next to your
cart and to use “inside voices.”Teach them and prep them
every time, and if you’re lucky,that’s all the help they’ll need.
2. Understand
what’s going onThe part of the brain that
helps control impulses andmanage emotion is not fully
developed in children.
So, when they enter Targetand are bombarded withlights and loud noises, of
course they have moretrouble managing theirbehavior than at home.
Understanding this givesyou more patience and
more realistic expectationsfor your children, and themore patient you are, the
better able you are tohandle their behaviors.
3. Preparation
is everything
You can decrease achild’s social anxiety inpublic settings by being
completely prepared.
Be sure to bring snacksand juice boxes, offer
opportunities toexplore a bit when in anunfamiliar setting, and
minimize the amount oftime the child must
spend in a crowded orconfined area. Also,
bring a favorite toy fora means of familiarity
and comfort.
4. Game plan
executionDon’t be caught off guard and let a
“quick trip” to the grocery store ruinyour day. Establish a routine system
for rewarding behavior in public.
A good example is taking raffle ticketsalong on your excursion. Children
earn a ticket each time you observegood behavior.
If rewarded liberally, children love itand they spend the whole trip working
to be good, and you escape without acrisis. There are lots of variations on
this system that will work; the point isthat you’re using positive
reinforcement again, rather thanspending the entire trip nagging them
for bad behavior.
Kids learn ways to get whatthey want, and some learn thattheir parents get immobilized
in public when they act up,which usually results in havinga big fit until parents give in, in
order to prevent utter publichumiliation. Unfortunately,
when that happens, the child isrewarded for having a fit in
public, and it is more likely tohappen again. Kids need to
know the rules, and that theyapply anywhere, so don’t be
afraid to enforce consequences,even while in public.
5. Always remember
who’s boss
A little preparation, a lotof positive reinforcement,
and a solid plan can andwill make a huge
difference in encouragingyour child’s good behaviorin public. This will lead tooutings becoming more of
the norm, and less anxiety-inducing for the child, andyou as well. There’s a goodchance you’ll never have tobe that parent receiving aglare from the restaurantguest at the neighboring
table after all.