Those Embarrassing Moments

"I'm two and my mom is forty-two." We were in the supermarket. She said it to the clerk doing inventory in the frozen foods section. She said it to the elderly customer in the soup aisle. She said it to two cashiers.

Of course I didn't know what to do! I tried distracting her. Didn't work. I tried telling her, "Let's talk about something else." Didn't work. I tried telling myself "Well, it is true." That didn't help--I still didn't want her telling all these strangers how old I am! I thought, "I should be pleased that she can communicate so clearly at such a young age." Well, yes, I am pleased, and proud, too--but I still didn't want her communicating on this topic.

What did I do? I just kept smiling and kept my mouth shut.

Scenes like this happen all the time with young kids. They say things or ask questions (in public) that we don't want them discussing (in public). Sometimes it's trivial, like our situation above. Sometimes the topic is more sensitive or more embarrassing.

So how should parents handle these incidents? The expert advice I've found says: don't scold, don't make a scene. Explain that some things shouldn't be discussed loudly, in public, because they might make someone feel bad. Promise (and give) more explanations or discussions for later, in private. And expect it all to happen more than once.

What works for you? Let's have a discussion on ways to deal with embarrassing moments like these. (See "discussion" below.) And be sure to check out my list of parenting sites for more discussions and advice.

Next month, I'll give you information on shopping for toys and other kids' stuff on the Internet. Til then, happy parenting!

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