Little outings, big emotions: accompanying your child with kindness

Family outings should be simple: a walk, a museum, a shared ice cream...
But sometimes, an emotion boils over, a child breaks down in tears, and everything seems to go off the rails.
What if we learned to see these moments differently, as opportunities to accompany our children rather than fight their emotions?

In this article, I invite you to change the way you look at emotions when you're out and about, to find a little more serenity... and a lot more pleasure.

Emotions are not whims

When your child cries at the restaurant, screams at the park or sulks during a visit, he's not trying to make your life impossible.
He's going through a strong emotion that he doesn't yet know how to handle on his own.

A whim is a sudden, often unreasonable craving.
An emotion is an intense feeling that overflows and overwhelms your whole being.

At his age, your child doesn't yet have the resources to regulate everything he feels. His cries, his screams, his tantrums are not premeditated: they're genuine.

Why your child sometimes explodes on outings

Getting out of your usual environment is great for discovering the world... but it's also very demanding for a little brain under construction.

During an outing, your child may be :

Tired of walking, noises, new things
Frustrated at not being able to do everything at your own pace
Over-stimulated by places, people, the hustle and bustle
Hungry, thirsty, or simply overwhelmed

And faced with this accumulation of sensations and frustrations, the emotional system overloads.
Hence those dreaded crises.

The importance of welcoming rather than denying

When faced with an outburst, our reflex is often to try to silence the emotion as quickly as possible.
However, denying or minimizing what your child is going through will only accentuate his discomfort.

What really helps is:

- Validate your feelings ("You look very sad/angry/tired.")
- Put into words what he's going through ("It's hard to leave when you're having fun, isn't it?").
- Offer comfort (a hug, a hand, a soothing look)

Welcoming an emotion doesn't mean reinforcing a whim.
It's about helping your child to feel understood... and thus to regain inner calm more quickly.

Being benevolent without letting everything slide

Supporting an emotion doesn't mean giving in to every request.

You can say "no" to a second ice cream, or "it's time to go", while still listening:
"I understand you're disappointed. It's normal to feel sad sometimes."

By combining empathy with a clear framework, you help your child grow up safely and trust.
You show him that it's okay to feel what he feels... without having everything change to suit his emotions.

Family outings: rhythm first

Emotions often boil over when the pace is too fast, basic needs are forgotten, or a program is imposed that leaves no room for breaks.

Here are a few simple keys to more serene outings:

Take regular breaks (even if the tour isn't over)
Respect hunger, thirst and the need to be active
Lighten up the day (less is better than too much)
Accept the unexpected as an integral part of the adventure

And above all: accept the fact that going out with a child is a rich experience... not always perfectly fluid, and that's normal!

In a nutshell

- Your child's emotions are normal, even (and especially) during outings.
- It's not a whim to be repressed, but a need to be heard.
- You can welcome her emotions while setting clear limits.
- And don't forget: you're already doing your best.

Family outings are not about striving for perfection, but about learning together, growing together... sometimes amidst bursts of laughter, sometimes amidst tears.

And that, too, is the beauty of parenthood.