How emotion coaching with your kids can help calm a tantrum in seconds.

At the supermarket the other day, before I even stepped out of my car, I witnessed a common shopping interaction between a mum and her child. This beautiful young mummy — obviously in a bit of a hurry, as we often are — was struggling to convince her little girl to move.

Some days kids love supermarkets, all the bright colours, the music, maybe getting to pick a treat….and then some days they develop supermarket allergies.

My kids are older (8, 12 and 26 now) so luckily I don’t get supermarket battles anymore but I haven’t forgotten what they were like! I totally sympathised with this young mum.

“Come on!” she (sort of) calmly insisted.

“I’m scared!” the little girl screamed.

“Of what!? The supermarket?”

(Now, I am certainly not judging this mummy for what she said next. I have said the same in frustration to my own children a number of times. When you have little ones you are so busy and just SO tired. I get it.)

“Oh for goodness sake! Whatever!” and she picked her little girl up, still saying she was scared, still crying, and charged into the supermarket.

It made me think…how else could that interaction have gone? What would it have looked like…