It's ok to kill people like that. I'll sign you a note.

My kids did that plenty, as did every other toddler I knew.

dontcha just love the way people can be so very helpful?

Ha! One time when we were on the train home, after a long tiring day, my little brother was about to have a meltdown. To cut it off, my mother read the story ‘Lisle, Lisle Crocodile’ out loud (she is an excellent storyteller and reader). She finished with a flourish and the entire coach applauded, whether from appreciation or relief it was over, I was never sure!

Yikes. My husband and I have always observed that if there's one thing having kids has done to us, it's made us incredibly blasé about other people's kids having meltdowns in public. There's something nice about it not being my problem to deal with. I guess that feeling is not as universal as I thought.

I handled meltdowns in public to with an older child, and that's awful. One woman followed me at the mall as I carried my child then 4 yo to privacy of the car and she asked him if he was safe. I used the same voice on her and said we were fine, sped-up. She stopped. All ages meltdown. They know nothing.

It kinda did because my kid got so scraed of her that she stopped the meltdown. So I bet the lady thinks I only needed some yelling to sort my kid out.

Her own poor kid certainly never feels comfortable expressing feelings.