Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New profile posts
Latest activity
Internet Search
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
Parent Support Forums
General Parenting
Oh Yeah...Mall Meltdown
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 99827" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>In New Zealand now, they will arrest you if you spank your child in public. That law was passed in June this year, while we were there. I'm not sure, I think they will also arrest in New Zealand for ANY spanking, even in your own home. </p><p></p><p>In Australia, they will arrest you if you spank your child in public particularly vigorously, or if you use something other than your open hand.</p><p></p><p>They will especially arrest you if the child is under school age.</p><p></p><p>We've generally avoided spanking, especially in public. I used to use a red fly swat (red - nice bright colour, waving it around gets the kid's attention; fly swat, because it's soft plastic and does less harm than a hand but the aim isn't to hurt, it's to send the kid a clear message). The fly swat would now be illegal here, except for flies.</p><p></p><p>A crowded mall - most kids especially when really young, will find these more than they can handle. For difficult children, it's even worse. We always took that into account and would leave the mall rather than stick it out with a meltdown. Since our kids like the mall (even when not coping) then leaving punishes the meltdown. </p><p></p><p>To try to stick it out at the mall with an out of control kid - not good for anybody. It doesn't teach the kid anything about self-control, either.</p><p></p><p>The best option, if you can manage it - leave the mall BEFORE the meltdown. And if the meltdown is over the kid wanting something he's not permitted to have, we just ignore it and pretend it's not our kid.</p><p></p><p>But we know that this is likely to happen - so before we go anywhere near the fast food or the junk food (or the supermarket) we make sure the kid is fed and watered thoroughly, so he will look at food with a detached air of indifference. If that means we buy the kid a full roast dinner and a pint of milk before we go to the mall, then so be it. On a full stomach he is not likely to pester us for a burger & fries. And if he DOES - he can buy the toy, on its own, out of HIS pocket money, so we don't have to waste the food (which he would be too full to eat).</p><p></p><p>Taking a hungry/thirsty kid shopping is a total disaster. Expecting a hungry/thirsty kid to wait and accept "no" when clearly surrounded by plenty, is also asking for trouble. Research shows that when adults shop on an empty stomach they make many more impulse purchases (even non-food purchases). So we shop to a list, AFTER we've eaten. And if hungry adults can't control themselves, how can we expect kids to?</p><p></p><p>Sometimes the best cure is prevention.</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 99827, member: 1991"] In New Zealand now, they will arrest you if you spank your child in public. That law was passed in June this year, while we were there. I'm not sure, I think they will also arrest in New Zealand for ANY spanking, even in your own home. In Australia, they will arrest you if you spank your child in public particularly vigorously, or if you use something other than your open hand. They will especially arrest you if the child is under school age. We've generally avoided spanking, especially in public. I used to use a red fly swat (red - nice bright colour, waving it around gets the kid's attention; fly swat, because it's soft plastic and does less harm than a hand but the aim isn't to hurt, it's to send the kid a clear message). The fly swat would now be illegal here, except for flies. A crowded mall - most kids especially when really young, will find these more than they can handle. For difficult children, it's even worse. We always took that into account and would leave the mall rather than stick it out with a meltdown. Since our kids like the mall (even when not coping) then leaving punishes the meltdown. To try to stick it out at the mall with an out of control kid - not good for anybody. It doesn't teach the kid anything about self-control, either. The best option, if you can manage it - leave the mall BEFORE the meltdown. And if the meltdown is over the kid wanting something he's not permitted to have, we just ignore it and pretend it's not our kid. But we know that this is likely to happen - so before we go anywhere near the fast food or the junk food (or the supermarket) we make sure the kid is fed and watered thoroughly, so he will look at food with a detached air of indifference. If that means we buy the kid a full roast dinner and a pint of milk before we go to the mall, then so be it. On a full stomach he is not likely to pester us for a burger & fries. And if he DOES - he can buy the toy, on its own, out of HIS pocket money, so we don't have to waste the food (which he would be too full to eat). Taking a hungry/thirsty kid shopping is a total disaster. Expecting a hungry/thirsty kid to wait and accept "no" when clearly surrounded by plenty, is also asking for trouble. Research shows that when adults shop on an empty stomach they make many more impulse purchases (even non-food purchases). So we shop to a list, AFTER we've eaten. And if hungry adults can't control themselves, how can we expect kids to? Sometimes the best cure is prevention. Marg [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Parent Support Forums
General Parenting
Oh Yeah...Mall Meltdown
Top