You see a child having a meltdown... How do you react?

[Velumental]

I saw something on Facebook that triggered this, say you're in a park and you see a child, he's almost 5 foot tall and built like a small rugby player, go from having fun to screaming, stamping, throwing himself on the ground, maybe trying to run from his parent or hit his parent. From observing the situation 10 mins previously you're aware he was playing in an entirely ordinary way with a group of similar aged friends for half an hour previously. He's the only child upset, his parent is with him, you're nearby. Your children are in the park too, starting to maybe look over.

Thoughts and actions?

What are your thoughts and what would you actions be?

You tell your kids to mind their own and stop looking....

Nobody knows what's happening or what underlying issues might be at play. Maybe the kid is just having a tantrum, maybe he has learning difficulties. You could use it as a teaching moment for your kids.

If you think the child's parent is struggling you could politely ask if she would like any help but don't impose too much.

My first thoughts seeing any tantrum is thank god its not mine.
Second thought is feel bad for the parents being judged.
My actions are to get on with what im doing as it has nothing to do with me.

Sympathetic glance at the parent and move on. Nothing to see.

When you say hit what do you mean if he's throwing punches im calling the police

I’d look at the parent with sympathy that based on what’s I’ve read on Mumsnet gets interpreted as side eyeing

def wouldn’t not get involved in any way u less I knew the parent really well

I would give them space and privacy by not staring, obviously.

I'd tell my dc to stop looking over!

If it escalated and safety for anyone involved seemed a concern I'd offer assistance to the parent.

Unless he/she was harming my child then I would tell me child that it is rude to stare and to go back to playing etc.

If they were hitting my child then I would remove that child from the situation. I don't think I intervening would help the situation particularly if there were the child's two parents there.

I'd ask the parent if I could do anything to help.

This could be my 4ft11 nine year old, and what we’d like people to do is either do the “sympathy face” which we probably won’t notice because we’re obviously busy with him, or mind their own business.

On my list of “no thank you”s is:

• Calling the police (unless it involved the public and not just us)
• Trying to intervene
• Making shitty comments
• Eyerolling
• Offer any unhelpful suggestions. Including but not limited to “tell him to behave” or “let him run off.”

I don't have a kid, but I wouldn't think much, would just go further away because I can't stand screaming or loud noises.

Unless there’s good reason for it (ie the child is a place that’s bothering everyone else) I don’t think anyone should be meddling.

I would assume he had additional needs and not think more of it and would carry on with life. I might ask my own children not to stare if they were.

If I felt unsafe or that my children may be in danger of being hit I would quietly leave the park with them.

You politely ask if there is anything you can do to help and then, if the answer is no, you move yourself and your children out of the way. You do not stare and tut.

I’d think shut up you spoilt brat

How nasty.

Distract my kids so they stop staring and leave them be.

If it was a lone parent who looked like she/he may appreciate help of some kind, I'd offer it.

It's me. I'm the parent of the giant 8 yr old 😂

When I see someone else in the same position I keep half an eye from a distance Incase anyone dashes for the road or the mum has an actual nervous breakdown and needs a second pair of hands.

There seemed to be some concensus on a Facebook post that the mum should get her kid immediately out of the way of others and not being them around civilised people if they 'behave like that'

Thank you all for restoring my faith in human nature, the weighting her seems to be more towards sympathy and less towards condemnation than the Facebook post (which wasn't about my child but was a story that could just as easily have been from any random day in my life)

I’d just ignore and go about my life tbh

Ah hes only ever throwing punches at me and I'm well able to dodge them and settle him eventually. He's massive but he's only 8. What will I do when he's 12? Keep implementing strategies and hope we're beyond some of this and his therapies and interventions are helping. If not? Who knows, I'll come back and tell you if you like.

"teaching moment"? Seriously?

Feel sympathy. Keep an eye (my kids are a little older and would know to stay clear) in case she needed help.

If it looked like she might, then I would see if I could catch her eye so she could signal yes or no.

Why not? I will say to my kids 'not all kids find it easy to understand their feelings or they get very worked up and upset, they've got their mum with them, they'll be ok'

At five feet tall and with their parent there, i'd think he had SEN. I'd probably be there with my ds who has very obvious needs and at least one other adult so I would probably go over and asked if they wanted me to help, get their bags or items if they've ditched them to look after their son or ask if there was anything they needed. I'd not shoult it but I wouldn't get too close incase it made the situation worse. If they said no, i'd leave them to it, if they said yes i'd help them.

My kids wouldn't stare. My disabled kid wouldn't realise and my older kid knows how it feels to be stared at because of his disabled brother.

I am so pleased you said it’s your child.

For a second, I thought someone had seen mine in a park and posted on FB about it without my knowledge 😂