How should I discipline my child in public?

Your questions answered by Dr Angharad Rudkin of Greatvine.com

How do you discipline a child when they’re badly behaved in public?

It can often feel like children deliberately have tantrums in the most public of places, and this may well be true because of all the things that are going on around them and because parents tend to feel more tense about their child’s behaviour when they feel others are watching.

Try negotiating with your child, offer them choices and consequences (e.g. saying “if you calm down we can stay in this shop but if you carry on screaming we will have to leave the shop immediately. It’s your choice”), remain calm and try not to let yourself worry about what others are thinking.

Most of the people passing will have been or will be in a similar situation at some point in their lives. If your child is having a full-on tantrum then try and get them and yourself safely out of that situation and keep them safe until they calm down.

Dr Angharad Rudkin

Dr Angharad Rudkin is a Chartered Clinical Child Psychologist with over 10 years of experience working with children and families. She has a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Oxford and provides therapy within the NHS and privately.
Dr Rudkin specialties include adolescent anxiety, and depression, stemming from bereavement, divorce and other life events. For individual advice by phone book a private call with Dr Angharad Rudkin at www.greatvine.com/angharad_rudkin.