Is it right to discipline someone else’s child?

Originally posted by Karen Dennis from The Next Best Thing To Mummy

After watching a child have a major temper tantrum in a supermarket,  a customer ( who was not the parent) told him to “Shut up!”

Is it okay to discipline someone else’s child?

I used to work as a registered child minder and therefore I had to manage the behaviour of the children in my care; who were not my own. Parents would often ask  how I did this before deciding on whether to leave their children with me: – read how I did it  here

I was once told by a parent who had a child with special needs that when he was misbehaving people would often stare or mutter under their breath, she then told me that on one occasion  a woman  ( who had obviously realised that her son had some additional needs) came over and politely asked if she could help. The parent said that this was just what they needed; a helping hand to get the child back under control without feeling that she was being judged.

The Right To Discipline Someone  Else’s Child?

If you feel that a child needs to be disciplined  you should speak to the parent before taking it upon yourself to tell the child off.

How would you feel if a stranger told your child off? I know that I wouldn’t like it.

I now volunteer at a toddler group since ill health forced me to give up child minding.

When I was playing with the play dough along with the children one boy took all the rolling pins so the others couldn’t have them. I looked towards his mother who was looking at her phone, so I decided to have a try, I asked him calmly if he would let another child have a turn with a rolling pin; to my amazement he handed one over, so I gave him lots of verbal praise.

Would you discipline someone Elsie’s child?Please share any thoughts and experiences.

As always comments and questions are welcome.

Until next time.

Karen