How to Discipline Children

A friend of mine once told me that you should treat your child like how the flight attendants advice the passengers in a plane. She said, “When you’re in the plane, the flight attendants tell you to put on your mask first before helping the person beside you.”


Yes, I realized that sometimes I forgot to put on my own mask first. I wasn’t constantly putting it on because I am occupied on putting on the mask of my baby. And this made me overwhelmed by the situation I am facing. But honestly, taking care or thinking of myself first before the baby is a hard thing to process. And I am still learning that because in reality, a motherhood experience is really exhausting yet very heart warming.


I want to relate this idea in a situation I have experienced which I found it as a very bizarrely lenient attitude toward disciplining children. I was recently shopping in a department store, when I heard the very loud screams of a child. Because the screaming was so abnormal, I wanted to seek the child out to see what was causing it. When I found the screamer, she was being pushed in a stroller by her mother, with a man (possibly her father) and two other women walking alongside. As the screaming and crying continued, none of the adults made any attempt to talk to, interact with or hush the child. It appeared as if they were in full ignored mode. I don’t want to judge their ways of attending to their child because they might have reasons for doing it. But for me, I know that children have these types of meltdowns when they’re hungry, they’re tired or a request for something shiny or sparkly has not been met. However, when I found myself in a public place and my son began to get cranky, I immediately removed him from the store and took him outside until he calmed down. To me, this was the polite thing to do so I did not subject other shoppers to the subsequent crying that was sure to come.

In the situation I have shared, this is making sure that I am putting on my mask first before I put on my son’s mask. This is because; I make sure that I know how I can handle my screaming child in my own means. Also, this is showing some courtesy with my child when we are in public places. Well other good thing to do when you know you will be out of the house longer than your child can tolerate, be prepared with a bottle, a snack and a small book or toy to keep him or her occupied. You may be used to hearing your child’s screams, but it can be annoying and disruptive to others who are nearby.

So there, I hope that parents will get to realize that they should think first on how they can take charge of their children by putting on their mask first. This means that parents must check themselves first by knowing their capabilities that can possibly save their children.


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