[sisu]

My son is a few months younger and generally a super sweet kid, but he turns into a hot mess when he's tired and hungry. I think if I had been in that situation with him, I would have left my other child with my friend and taken my son somewhere quiet to cool off for 10-15 minutes, maybe tried to get him to eat something, and talked to him about appropriate behaviors before going back. If he's being blatantly disobedient in public, DS gets a time out then and there, but when there are extenuating circumstances like that, I'd rather help him get his emotions under control than punish him for not being able to control himself. Some people may think that I'm too lenient, but doing this has worked well for us the few times that DS has gone off the deep end in public.