What to Do if a Mom is Struggling in Public

By
Sarika B
-
Photo by Seth Hays on Unsplash

We all know that feeling – you see a mom struggling with a child having a tantrum. You want to intervene (especially when you’re a mom who’s been through the same embarrassment), but you don’t want to offend the mom and make her feel incompetent.

Do:

  1. Ask yourself whether your intervention will help or make things worse.
  2. Do something nice without interfering too much. Hold a door open for her.
  3. A smile and a word of encouragement go further than a lecture.
  4. Ask her if she is okay or if she needs to talk.
  5. Explain your own experience so she understands where your offer to help comes from.
  6. Act assertively if either of them is in imminent danger such as falling, etc.

Don’t:

  1. Go up to the child and touch them or offer them anything.
  2. Give a lecture on how the mom should be reacting.
  3. Immediately assume you know what help she needs and start giving it without asking.
  4. Stand with a disapproving stare. The mom is doing the best she can, and she doesn’t deserve to have you make her feel like a failure.

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