When a father’s 2-year-old daughter had a tantrum while grocery shopping, both he and his father shared a moment together of patience, gentleness and good parenting.
Justin Baldoni was shopping at a Whole Foods with his wife, Emily, his father and his 2-year-old daughter, Maiya, when Maiya became emotionally overwhelmed and began crying in the store.
“Emily took this [photo] in Whole Foods,” Justin shared in a post online. “It’s now one of my favorite photos ever of me and my dad. Two men, standing together in silence, forever bonded by an unconditional love for both each other and this brand new, raw and pure soul who we would both go to the ends of the earth for.”
Justin reflected on this moment he shared with his dad, realizing how many times he must have had normal tantrums in various places while he was a young child.
“I can only imagine how many times I did this when I was her age. My dad taught me so much about what it means to be a man, but this post is about one thing and one thing only: Being comfortable in the uncomfortable. Something I grew up watching him do with me over and over again. There are no perfect parents, but one thing my dad taught me is to not parent based on what anyone else thinks.”
Justin’s father allowed him to feel his feelings as a child, and never belittled him or criticized him for doing so, and this allowed him to fully emotionally develop as a child.
“My dad always let me feel what I needed to feel, even if it was in public and embarrassing. I don’t remember him ever saying “You’re embarrassing me!” or “Don’t cry!” It wasn’t until recently that I realized how paramount that was for my own emotional development. Our children are learning and processing so much information and they don’t know what to do with all of these new feelings that come up.”
As a father, Justin is helping Maiya develop a healthy self image; letting her know that it is okay that she has deep feelings, and that he is not embarrassed by her behavior.
“I try to remember to make sure my daughter knows it’s OK that she feels deeply. It’s not embarrassing to me when she throws tantrums in the grocery store, or screams on a plane. I’m her dad… not yours. Let’s not be embarrassed for our children. It doesn’t reflect on you. In fact.. we should probably be a little more kind and patient with ourselves too. If we got out everything we were feeling and allowed ourselves to throw tantrums and cry when we felt the need to, then maybe we could also let ourselves feel more joy and happiness. And that is something this world could definitely use a little more of.”
Thousands of hearts online have appreciated the Baldoni family’s gentleness for their children.
“This post right here changed my view on tantrums forever!” commented Shilpa P.
“I love this post ❤️ My son has a sensory processing disorder so this is a daily occurrence for me when he gets too overwhelmed. I never feel embarrassed as it is his way in expressing how he feels, his frustration in lack of being able to communicate with me as he being non verbal really overwhelms him most days. No parent should ever feel the need to justify when their child is in a moment of rage, frustration or anger, and just overcome with emotion. I as an adult sometimes wish I could do this myself,” wrote Shannon S.
“I struggle with this all the time, I am a culprit of telling my four year old to stop crying but over the past year I’ve been trying to make the effort to let him know he can cry and asking if there is anything that I could do to make him feel better. I agree that children should be allowed to feel the full range of emotions and not embarrassed or scolded. This is critical in raising emotionally aware humans,” shared G. M.
“This is so beautiful,” wrote Georgia L.
You are Loved.
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See Also:
Kind Woman Helped Tired Young Mother Comfort Her Crying Child So She Could Continue Shopping
Kind Waitress Holds And Gently Calms Woman’s “Fussy” Baby So She Can Finish Her Meal
