Oh, the inevitable meltdown . . . or tantrum or fit or whatever you wish to call it. They often seem to catch us off guard and in the worst places (usually public places)! It's an embarrassing, frustrating, and awkward situation that even the most perfect mom can't always avoid. Over the years I have witnessed many many of these meltdowns and, of course, I have had to deal with my fair share of them. Definitely not one of the highlights of my day! Timeouts, sending a child to his room, or taking away a favorite toy as punishment is not always an option either. As a nanny, I have worked out a little system for diffusing most of the bombs before they go off. Say something positive. If your child is yelling about how he can't do this or he's so angry about that or life is just unfair, usually the first thing I will try to do is get him to say yes to something. "That made you so angry didn't it?" "Yes! Because I . . ." It may seem strange, b...