“You have the most well behaved kids” and “You are doing a great job” also “I’m amazed at how well your kids behave”. These are some of the praises that I constantly get from family members and strangers!
The latest one was from this kind retired teacher who said ” you are doing a great job with them” after watching my two daughters sit quietly for almost two hours while I was getting my nails done.
Everytime I get a comment like that, I always feel so proud of my children (I have 3) and pat myself and hubby on our backs. It is a huge deal to have a well behaved child. I mean, specially in public.
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First of all you do not need the bad stares of having a child misbehave, unnecessary comments from strangers and family members. It is not fun.
You can have a well-mannered and well behaved child. It’s totally possible. I’m going to show you how today!
Confession alert! My kids do not behave nearly as good at home as they do in public. And it drives me insane, I cry at times and get stressed. So, you see, I’m just like you! I’m a mom trying to figure this thing out every single day.
What I do know is that my kids listen and behave in public. Which is all I want, seriously! ha! I want to give you the right tips that you can implement and start having your child behave good and listen to you in public.
Want to know how to get your kids to behave in public? Here’s what to do!
10 simple tricks on how to get your kids to behave in public
1.Set expectations
What really works for my hubby and I is to give our kids expectations. Meaning, we let them know how we expect them to behave in public.
Before we leave the our house, we give them a set of expectations. For example:
- Do not fight
- Listen to your parents
- No technology while eating
- Talk using your words, no whining
Things like this is simple for your child to understand. It also gives your child “rules” that they have to follow when going out.
Yes, they are kids and not everyday will go as planned. But for the most part it works!
2. Explain the “why”
You may want to explain to your toddler or older child why they have to behave and listen in public. Or why you expect them to do this and that. Be very clear with them, this way there is no confusion.
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3. Act as a parent not a friend
Please do not act like a cool friend and forget that you are the parent. This is a huge mistake. You are the parent first which means you are the “boss” and you set the rules and expectations for your children.
Your kids have to respect you as their parent. Then, of course as your friend. If you are trying to be a friend, they are not going to take you seriously when you are trying to discipline them.
4. Be consistent
Do not give up and be consistent at all times. Or most of the time. You have to follow through with your rules and with the consequences. Otherwise your kids will not behave in public. They need to know that you are serious and that you are not going to budge.
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5. Model desired behavior
If you want your children to behave in public, meaning not yell, be loud, argue, or throw tantrums. You gotta model the behavior that you are asking for. Of course, I would assume that you do not throw public tantrums, ha!
For example, If you do not want your kids using technology while eating at a restaurant, then try not to use your own phone either.
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6. Praise them
When your child is behaving in public or doing something that you asked of them to do. Praise them. Let them know that you are proud of them. Tell them “thank you for listening to me when I asked you to do this” or “I’m so happy about the way that you behaved when we went to the store”.
This will make your child feel good, and he/she will want to keep behaving. Just to see you happy 🙂
7.State the consequences
What will happen if your kids do not behave? When they throw a tantrum, when they yell or scream, or kick or don’t listen to you?
You have to have consequences for their actions. Maybe, no ipad for a week, or no pizza this week or maybe they can’t go play with their friend next door for the day.
Your consequences have to mean something to your child. It has to make them feel like “I have to behave or mom will not let me use or do this” type of consequence. It’s effective!
8. Master the “eye contact” and mom voice
Oh gosh! My mom mastered that “mom eye contact” like no one else in this world, lol. I learned from her. The mom voice is really a firm and confident voice where your child knows you mean business.
The eye contact is when you don’t have to say a word, you just look at your child with those eyes and he/she knows that you are serious and they better behave. It’s glorious once you master it 🙂
9. Count 1-5
Counting 1-5 is another way to get your kids to behave in public. It has worked for my kids since they were toddlers and it still works now. I have a 10 year old and 6 year old twins. I still use this, lol!
Counting 1-5 is super effective because it tricks your child into thinking something bad is going to happen when you reach to the number 5. Of course they will not let you count to 5.
For example, you can say ” I want you to stop yelling in 1-2-3-4″ and just watch your child stop yelling before you say the number 5. Now if you do get to number 5 you gotta follow through with a consequence!
10. Do not be so hard on yourself
I want you to know that you are not a bad parent because your child is misbehaving in public, You are not. Please! You are not a failure either. All you need is guidance and consistency in order to get your child to listen to you and behave.
Follow through with these tips and you will see how everyone is going to start praising your child’s behavior and your parenting skills.
Be patient and you will see results!
