What to do?
1.Assess the situation to see if your intervention will help or only increase the stress. If you are unsure, ask. And ask not in general terms, but how specifically you can help. 2. Provide as many small signs of attention as possible: open the door, watch the grocery cart. 3. Express sympathy with a look and approving words. 4. Offer to bring mom a cup of coffee or tea. 5. Introduce yourself as a grandmother, a mother of three, or an uncle of twelve to show that you have the relevant experience and that you are not a pervert who wants to come into contact with a child. 6. Intervene if the child is in danger (for example, running into the street).
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What not to do?
1.Do not approach or touch the child without the parents' permission. 2. Do not advise the mother what is best to do in such a situation. 3. Do not offer the child sweets or any other products. Firstly, you do not know if he has allergies or other health contraindications. Secondly, you should not teach children to take food from strangers' hands. 4. Do not stand as a gawker. No one needs spectators in the worst moments of a child's life. If you can't help, just smile encouragingly and pass by.
