Last week I had the most challenging child to paint ever. I was at my hometown's fair and a child of about 8 years old came up wanting a butterfly mask. I knew from the start it was going to be a challenge because this child screamed everything she said. I don't mean she was just a little loud, she was screaming at the top of her lungs like someone was killing her.
Well, i sat her in my chair and i asked her to close her eyes so i could sponge over her eyelids. The moment I touched the eyelid she opened her eyes and screamed because she now had paint in her eye. I wiped her eye clean and told her again to keep her eyes closed, but she opened them yet again when i touched her. So, after the third time I decided to just go around her eyes. This is when she began to yell at me that i wasn't doing it right. About five times while i was painting her she jumped up, without warning, to look at the mirror and then at the picture on my sign after which she would scream at me again that I wasnt doing it right. I will say it didn't look the best but everytime i touched her she would jerk her head away and continually wipe her face. Finally i got the painting done (though i will admit it didnt look the best) and i got out my liquid bling. When she saw it she began to scream that I was going to poke her with a needle. I tried to explain to her that it wasn't a needle but just a squeeze bottle but she couldn't be convinced, so, I just got out a poof bottle of loose glitter. I put a little on her and after looking in the mirror she simply yelled "MORE!" ....seriously. I added more and she yelled again "MORE" I told her I had put on enough and she said I should just use the whole bottle. I explained i couldn't do that. Finally, she left my booth and I in a way I felt bad about taking any money for the job because it did not look good, but then again it was the hardest i had worked all day.
There is a strong chance that I will encounter this child again because she is from my home town and I try to do a lot of events here. What would you do in this situation? Has anyone else had a child act this badly? I'm just at a loss.

Was this child alone or with an adult? What was the adult's reaction?

Next time, you know better and can modify the design to not cover the eyes and not pull out any liquid bling or glitter.

I think that it is more important that the other people in line see that you are being polite and trying to accomodate this child's needs without getting upset or becoming rude.

To me it's not worth the money.. Sounds like this was not child afraid, just one very bossy and used to getting her own way. So far not one that bad. If I have one I'm wondering if they'll really let me do the eyes, I do a dry run, meaning a brush or sponge without any paint and swipe a few times to guage their reaction, if one is touchy I don't do the eyes at all. Usually encouragement to be still so it will look good works, or watch me in the mirror [depending on the kid]. Or hold the table so it can't move while I paint your face [does nothing but gives the kid something to focus on while I'm busy". Some times make a game out of freezing, I think if I had one that was as you discribe, by the second chance I would tell her no I wasn't going to do it , but I would do a small one on her arm so she could watch me if she wanted that and even if she left in a huff so be it. I'm sure the other parents watching you with her though you had the patience of a saint.

Is this a "special" child? Or just one who needs smacked. I have gotten to the point that I DO NOT deal with rude, abusive children I simply tell them to leave.

One good thing about a problem kid is that eventually he/she is going to grow up. Worst case scenario: he will be around for a few years, but you won't have to deal with him forever. Now problem parents are an entirely different matter.

I do not face paint, but occasionally have a loud rude child approach for a balloon. I politely and firmly let the child know that I am in no way obligated to provide rude and loud children with anything, and if they are willing to behave, then we can continue, otherwise... like Sean mentioned above, I ask or tell the child to leave the line. If this child is "special needs", then whomever is guardian or parent should be present to deal with the kid, if not, then the loud rude child should leave, imo. Good luck, Pretty Paisley.

spank her butt and send her on her way if parent complains spank their butt too (kidding)

Well Love, I think you've got the second part right......If the child isn't "special needs" then the parent needs a good whack on the backside for not teaching the child right from wrong behavior!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I strongly feel it's the parents responsibility and I don't feel a bit bad letting the parent know (in the most polite way that I can) that I can and will not deal with an abusive child. All that does is shows the other children in line that bad behavior is rewarded and I can't in good conscience condone that.......

I think that even if the child is special needs there needed to be something done other then giving the child their way. The first time she opened her eyes and got paint in them I would have not touched her eyes again.

I agree that asking them politely to leave would have alleviated a lot of your stress. Having done this in a balloon line where the parents of the terror got upset I, still politely, told them I would make their kid a balloon as soon as he learned to wait in line like the other kids and stopped making a scene. Needless to say they didn't stick around. The rest of the line applauded as they left.

I think that even if the child is special needs there needed to be something done other then giving the child their way.
Yeah! Dylan, special needs kids need to know appropriate behavior gently if possible but they still need to know the limits! Hey I'm 'Special" I don't think you guys spared me the rubber chicken when I needed it!
Sara K.

I used to work with developmentally disabled adults and one of the biggest challenges we had was getting the general public to treat our clients like people no different then any others.

The Facepainters I know let the parents know if the child will not sit still and or screaming that I can not finish right now I will take someone else till they calm down. Then mom and Dad take charge because they don't want to wait. As a balloon twister I ignore rude kids and I 'll keep taking the kids behind them and I say to each child remember 'PLEASE and THANK YOU" If a parent gets mad I just tell them I am very sorry but I have 2 screaming kids at home I don't hear them when I am out. If they reach in my balloons I stop altogether and let the whole line know that if you get in my balloons I'll stop twisting. Another Balloon Twister I know has 2 feet spray painted on a rug and if your feet leaves that spot he stops. You don't have to be rude and you can act silly and still get your point across.

I was twisting with a person one time that a child reached out and touched the balloon he was twisting and it popped. So he screamed "GET OFF MY @*&( BALLOON!" That my friends is wrong and I will never twist with him again. Good luck I hope my suggestions helped.

To answer a lot of the questions here...
No she was not special needs... and she was definaly old enough to know better
Her mother was there but she didnt even seem to notice her child's behavor was inapproprate
I accually thought about asking them to leave, but her little sister, and her mother as well, were wanting to get their faces painted. The little sister had her face painted after her big sister and was an absolute angel but her sister was still giving me heck about my work on the little one.

I have had rude and misbehaving children before but I have never seen a child act this way before, i think i was just so shocked at this behavior i couldnt even process on how to react. Thanks for all ur advice.

Ooh, I'd have wanted to give her a good wallop on the backside, as well. What a brat.

Someone (Ashley Pickin?) said she puts a sign out that says, "This is a GOOD MANNERS zone" - I added that to my board, and not only have I had some parents comment that they liked that, but I also feel now that if anyone's acting up I can point that out.

On the one hand, who wants to piss off a client? On the other, who wants clients like that, anyway?

I'm sure that everyone has encountered their fair share of brats. For what it's worth, the more kids you do the easier managing the kid's becomes. The parents, however, are a never ending source of irritation.

Generally I am pretty tolerant. Today I lost my temper (a little) with one of them. She launched into the so often heard litany of criticism towards her child, "I don't think little princess will sit still enough for you...blah blah..." and I kind lost it.

I snapped at her. I said, "Hon, I don't care what Princess here does or doesn't do. She doesn't have to do ANYTHING. It doesn't matter one bit -- whatever she does, I am going to make her beautiful. I am going to blow your mind." In print that doesn't seem that bad (arrogant maybe, but whatever) but I damn sure wasn't bothering to be polite. I was as rude as they were. I was at the tail end of a fourteen hour day and I was damn tired of hearing idiot parents insult their own kids. And believe me, it showed. Mom and dad were speachless, standing their with their jaws hanging, and you know what? I did blow their minds, so much so that they shut the hell up for the five minutes or so it took, AND mom hopped into the chair when I finished so I could do her makeup as well.

Not sure how this response could possibly help, other than to say this: if you are a professional then expect to be treated as such. Or you can look at it another way, do the best you can with what their brat gives you and smile as you take their MONEY.

I wonder how the child would have reacted if, in response to her screams, you had screamed back at her. Would she have even noticed?!