19 Kids and Counting's Anna Duggar already has two sons and a daughter and another baby girl on the way, so she already has a lot of experience dealing with kids - even the much-dreaded kiddie public meltdown.
In the Duggar Family Blog, Anna shared some tips on how she handles her kids' public meltdowns. She believes that meltdowns are often caused by uncomfortable situations, so she tries her best to be loving and understanding towards her children.
"I speak to my children in a soft voice and ask what's bothering them. And then I encourage them to respond with positive behaviour: 'It's been a long day, but you are doing so well! We're in this together,'" she said.
Instead of telling her children what to do next, she asks them what they think the right response to the situation is, and then they practice that behaviour together. Once her children get things right, she praises them.
"Like Michelle, I try to lower my voice instead of raise it. I bend down and ask them to look into my eyes. With Michael, since he's a little boy and is so squirmy, I have him put his hands on my cheeks right by my eyes to remind him to maintain good eye contact," she added.
Anna goes the extra mile in figuring out her children's specific needs in order to relate with them more. She packs high-protein snacks whenever they go out because it's difficult handling a kid with an empty stomach.
"You can keep raw almonds in your purse for forever, if your kids are old enough to eat them," she suggested.
Anna said that she has a friend with children who cry very loudly, so they practice loud and quiet voices so her kids can learn how to distinguish the two.
"Then when her kids are crying, she comforts them and tells them that it is okay to cry but encourages them to cry softly," she added. "That's not to say that my children always cry softly, but it helps teach them how to deescalate a situation."
