Your Child Can Behave in Public
Do you have a little one who can't seem to sit still when you're out to
eat? If this is the case then you'll love The Manager is Watching
Technique. When children are little they seem to enjoy pushing the
limits. They quickly understand how far they can go before mommy or
daddy will get serious. This is why it's important to already have a
discipline plan in place before heading out in public.
Your child might be brave enough to defy your rules, but does he have
the guts to go against the rules of the restaurant? Before entering the
establishment explain that the restaurant has it's own rules. Make it
clear that these aren't your rules, they are the rules that all people
must abide by when in a restaurant. Let your child know that if he
doesn't listen to the rules, a manager will come over and tell you all
to leave.
Explain the following restaurant rules.
*Each person must sit in his seat at all times.
*Each person must use his inside voice so he doesn't disturb the people
dining at the next table.
*There is no whining or crying allowed.
*All food must stay on the table and can't be played with or thrown.
You might even want to draw simple pictures of these rules and show them
to your child before you go out to eat. You could even provide your
child with the rule picture sheet and have him look at it and tell you
the rules. Let your child know that there are a few managers in the
restaurant and they will be keeping an eye on everyone.
If your child breaks one of the rules, tell him that you just spotted
the manager looking over and that he better stop breaking the rules or
the manager might ask you to leave. Your child will respect the rules
more if he thinks that they were created by the restaurant manager. To
solidify this discipline technique you could even ask the manager to
stop by the table and compliment your child on how well he's behaving at
some point during the meal. This will make your child feel good about
his behavior, but will also make him think that the manager is really
paying attention to his actions.
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