We have all experienced a child throwing a tantrum in a store, whether it is our own child or a witness. In most cases, it is a great frustration for all involved, especially for the parent who feels that he or she has essentially failed in some way. However, few consider what the underlying cause of the child\’s behavior might be.
I must first say that it is never out of malice. In fact, there is little point in telling a child to calm down, since he or she has absolutely no control over his or her behavior at such times. What is helpful is to avoid triggers. But to do that, one needs to know what the triggers are.
Imagine an ordinary supermarket or hypermarket. The store is often brightly lit and filled with bold, loud colors. Music is constantly playing, occasionally interrupted by some announcement. Besides, there are many crowds of people everywhere, often impatient and eager to buy as quickly as possible.
As exhausting as this is for adults, it is even harder for children. Not only is he or she unable to effectively filter out unimportant stimuli, but he or she also has the disadvantage of being small. As a result, he or she is essentially always concentrating, whether he or she wants to or not. Coupled with the plethora of information available through the eyes and ears, this can be a real challenge. On top of that, if one is tired or hungry, it is no wonder that one eventually “explodes.”
So what to do? The main thing is not to take young children to such establishments. And if there is nothing left, spend as little time there as possible. Just pick up what you want and go to the cash register, but don\’t go through all the shelves. Of course, that\’s hard to do, but believe me, it\’s not easy.
