Children are great at making us feel useless and embarrassed; with their timely public tantrums.

I’ve found the most helpful thing to remember with a tantrum, particularly in public is that (a) the majority of your “audience” have had their kids do the same thing (thereby feeling your pain) and (b) if they are judging you, they aren’t worth your time.

So how do we avoid tantrums, simple but horrible answer is: we won’t.  Our children will always be hungry, tired or just plain painfully cranky at the worst times.  What we can do is manage them and teach our children to do their best.

1. Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst.  Have plenty of snacks with you, water, toys and if you have any other little “treats” for them to be entertained.  An example of a treat might be a video on your phone or tablet.  In our house we don’t watch a great deal of TV; mostly because sitting still is too mainstream for my children.  So when we go out I make sure we have food and I take the tablet with movies loaded on it.  When they start getting a little cranky (before the major meltdown), after toys are no longer fun I’ll pull out a movie to get us through.  So think of the little treats like that you could take with you; that suits you and your kids.
2. Prepare Your Children.  Let them know this is what we are doing and anything fun they can look forward to.  Everything you do, find something fun for them.  For example, grocery shopping is never fun for kids.  So interact with them best you can during the trip; get them to help.
3. Remember: If they judge you they aren’t worth your time.  Kids tantrum, kids do embarrassing things, they run off and they’re demanding.  Anyone who judges you is making assumptions they know nothing about.  So smile, wave and carry on with trying to de-escalate your child.
4. You are your child’s greatest teacher.  Tantrums are going to happen.  In our house the saying “Three things are inevitable: death, taxes and the kids are going to cry.”.  So when it starts, breathe first.  Compose yourself (remember your kids, from really young take cues from you), stay strong and firm.  Eventually they learn you don’t give in; will still test you but the tantrums will get less often and less severe.  Teach them the way to behave, they actually aren’t’ born with that skill.

Wost case scenario, leave and try again later (if you can).