Kid's Public Meltdowns - The funny stories

[CuriousParty]

Not public and not hilarious. Just odd.

We were heading out to dinner and my daughter (4 years old) realised that she had left her brand new stuffed doggy present at home. She was heartbroken, but we didn't turn around (I think we had time, but neither of us wanted to set that precedent). After she stopped wailing and while we were still driving I told a story of a time when I had found this  wonderful glass rod on the beach and I loved it and I took it to school and my friend dropped it and it broke and I was inconsolable and miserable.

Anyhow, a couple weeks later, my daughter has gone to bed and then 15 minutes later, my husband hears weeping (very odd) and heads in and finds her with her face coated in tears. He asks what is wrong and it turns out she was weeping over my glass rod. 

Then  a week later it happened again in the middle of the day. I guess my story was more impactful than I thought.

That's so sweet!  I got a LEGO Technic set for Christmas, and I was going to have the girls help me put it together a day or two after Christmas when my husband reminded me that we really needed to clean up the living room first.  So I set it aside and we cleaned up.  A day or two later, I wanted to put my set together, and... I have not been able to find it since.  Seriously, it's been three weeks since Christmas and it has still not shown up!  And it's not a small box!  The other night I said something to my daughter along the lines of, "Poor Mommy.  Her very own special LEGO set for Christmas, and it's lost.  Poor Mommy."  She immediately said, "Mommy, I'll save up my allowance and buy you a new one!  Even if it takes a year!"  So sweet. 

(Remind me not to tell her about the plastic bendy ruler I found in middle school and adored, until the day I bent it too far and it broke.)

Have you checked for the Legos with the Christmas decorations?  That's where they'd be in my house...

[JennJenn68]

My darling son has actually had very few meltdowns in public (which is odd, considering he is offically diagnosed with Asperger's) but the few he's had have left me not wanting to scream in rage but trying to keep from snickering.

The most memorable one?  "Dat's... Dat's... Dat's not ASSEPATABLE!"  (Shrieked at the top of his lungs, but very, very clearly enunciated.  Kudos to his two-year-old self.)

(I guess that DH and I had used the words "not acceptable" just a little too much around him.  I almost wet myself trying not to laugh.  Seriously.)

And then there was the time that he managed to break one of those dollar-store "water noodle" water guns at his grandparents' pool.  I could see that he was going to lose it, so I gently took him aside and asked him what was the problem.  He sobbed and stuttered, "That... that... that was my best friend!"

I'm glad that he's a teenager now.  Really.  Although sometimes I miss the... utter randomness of the toddler and childhood years.  Sort of.

[Snooks]

Not so much a meltdown but definitely wanting the ground to swallow you up.  My mum's friend has a son about 6 months older than my brother, at the time my brother was 3 and the friend was 4.  They decided to take the boys to a safari park (so you never get out the car), they pull up at the window, noting that the charge was lower for under fours just asked for two adults and two under fours, just after they've paid the four year old pipes up  from the backseat "BUT MOMMY I'M FOUR", cue squealing wheels as they head into the park.

[Jape]

Not a public one, unless you count the neighbours who could probably hear my son's screams.  My son was in full-on melt-down mode, throwing himself backwards, kicking and screaming.  He was about 4 and it was extremely unusual behaviour from him.  He was normally extremely placid.

DS: I don't love you any more!
Me: That's very sad.  Why not?
DS: Because you won't let me iron my own clothes!

 

[Hmmmmm]

Not a public one, unless you count the neighbours who could probably hear my son's screams.  My son was in full-on melt-down mode, throwing himself backwards, kicking and screaming.  He was about 4 and it was extremely unusual behaviour from him.  He was normally extremely placid.

DS: I don't love you any more!
Me: That's very sad.  Why not?
DS: Because you won't let me iron my own clothes!

 

Oh, gosh.  That's one you'll wish you had on video for when he's 16 asking you to iron his shirt.

[twoferrets]

A story my mom likes to tell about me, but I'm sure she's making it up because I was a perfect child:

I was maybe 4 or 5 years old.  She'd taken me shopping and had me trying on dresses, I think for some special occasion.  I guess I was at the end of my rope for the day and starting to get cranky, and was at the point where I'd run back and forth in each dress when she wanted to see how it looked on me.

Last dress: mom puts me into it and tells me very sternly to WALK down the dressing room and WALK back.  "Don't you DARE run!"

So I walked demurely down the aisle, flopped to the floor, and rolled back up.  In full view of the room attendant, who I'm told tried very hard (but failed) not to laugh openly.

[mmswm]

My favorite meltdown story:

The boys were about 6, 3 (almost 4) and 3 (just had a birthday...the two little ones are less than a year apart). We were in the grocery store.  Middle DS decided he wanted honey dew.  I had several honey dew melons at home already, so I said no.  He then started begging for strawberries.  I told him no to that, as it was strawberry season and I had several plants loaded down with strawberries in my garden.  Things were going okay, but then the youngest decided he wanted "white broccoli" and the oldest wanted me to buy green peppers.  I also had a bunch of peppers in the garden, but I didn't have cauliflower, so I put some cauliflower in my cart and started to walk out of the produce section.

Well, you would have thought I'd started beating them.  Middle DS starts wailing "I NEED FRUUUUUUIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTT" at the top of his lungs and oldest DS start stomping around telling me loudly that I'm a terrible mother and they always knew youngest DS was my favorite and I must hate him because I won't buy green peppers. 

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, two of my three kids had a very public meltdown because I wouldn't buy produce.  The people around me were staring at me like I had 4 heads, since what parent says "no" to a kid's request for fruits and veggies?

[*new*mommyagain36]

^ Hilarious^
My DD had a day last weekend where all she wanted to drink was water.  She hadn't eaten too much, just wanted to drink water.  We're out with my Mom in the early evening and having a snack.  I order DD a milk.

DD:  Mama, need water.
Me:  It's ok, let's drink some milk now.
DD:  Nooooooo.  Water.
Me:  You have had a lot of water today.  It's ok, let's get something else.
DD:  No milk!  Water!
Cue my Mom:  Well, if she wants water, let her drink it, it's good for her.
Me:  Really, she's had plenty of water today...
Mom:  But, it's good for her, if that's what she wants...
DD:  WATER  WATER  WATER
Me:  I'm just saying maybe she can drink something else..
DD:  WATER WATER WATER

Then the milk comes and she happily drinks it all.
Ahh, those "terrible 2's"   

[KimberlyM]

My favorite meltdown story:

The boys were about 6, 3 (almost 4) and 3 (just had a birthday...the two little ones are less than a year apart). We were in the grocery store.  Middle DS decided he wanted honey dew.  I had several honey dew melons at home already, so I said no.  He then started begging for strawberries.  I told him no to that, as it was strawberry season and I had several plants loaded down with strawberries in my garden.  Things were going okay, but then the youngest decided he wanted "white broccoli" and the oldest wanted me to buy green peppers.  I also had a bunch of peppers in the garden, but I didn't have cauliflower, so I put some cauliflower in my cart and started to walk out of the produce section.

Well, you would have thought I'd started beating them.  Middle DS starts wailing "I NEED FRUUUUUUIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTT" at the top of his lungs and oldest DS start stomping around telling me loudly that I'm a terrible mother and they always knew youngest DS was my favorite and I must hate him because I won't buy green peppers. 

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, two of my three kids had a very public meltdown because I wouldn't buy produce.  The people around me were staring at me like I had 4 heads, since what parent says "no" to a kid's request for fruits and veggies?

My now 16 year old son did that at the produce dept when he was about 3, full on throwing himself to the ground screaming because I wouldn't buy broccoli.  People looked at me the same way...if I'd had the money, I'd have bought it just because it was so embarrassing having people look at me like I was depriving the poor child of veggies.   

[Redneck Gravy]

My 8 year old daughter lost it after another long busy summer day and burst into tears because we had to eat fast food again....

"You never cook anymore.  And when you do it is always leftovers."

[Marisol]

Anyhow, a couple weeks later, my daughter has gone to bed and then 15 minutes later, my husband hears weeping (very odd) and heads in and finds her with her face coated in tears. He asks what is wrong and it turns out she was weeping over my glass rod. 

Then  a week later it happened again in the middle of the day. I guess my story was more impactful than I thought.

She must be a really good empathizer.