Q: Your 5-year-old behaves terribly in restaurants. Should you stop dining out with her?

A: “Going out to a restaurant seems to me a privilege, especially given today’s economic hardship,” said child psychologist Richard Bromfield, author of “How to Unspoil Your Child Fast.” “Parents have two choices: Take strong steps to teach their children to handle that privilege or bag going out to eat.

“Foremost, they may have bigger and louder children who forever ruin meals and every other family outing,” said Bromfield. “More importantly, it can be a sign that children are — dare I say — spoiled or overindulged.

Next time your child acts up at, say, her favorite pizza joint, view it as an opportunity to “shock and awe” her into proper behavior, says Bromfield. Immediately get up and leave the restaurant with her, head home and stay there. Do not take the pizza home with you.

Don’t stay for the sake of siblings or friends who are with you. “Different children need different parenting at different times, even within one family,” he said. “Strong parenting knows this — and the kids who are innocent bystanders will survive and understand it, too.”

Pay your bill and don’t look back. “Take it from me, a professional child psychologist,” Bromfield said.