It’s not uncommon to visit a store and hear a child’s outburst. You’ve been there, I’ve been there, we’ve all been there.
Usually parents are embarrassed and try to calm their children is the best way they know how. One father has taken a unique approach when his daughter started screaming in a local grocery store.
You might know Justin Baldoni from the television series Jane The Virgin, but he’s making headlines for a totally different reason, his parenting.
Baldoni was with his father and daughter Maiya at Whole Foods. While at the store, Maiya had a little meltdown. In the photo, Maiya can be seen laying on the floor while her father and grandfather watch. They both stayed completely calm, even with the abundance of people surrounding them.
Baldoni wrote a Facebook post detailing what happened:
Emily took this in Whole Foods. 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. I canonly 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. 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 “Dont 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. 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 throw 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’d could also let ourselves feel more joy and happiness.
And that is something this world could definitely use a little more of. #fathersday#redifinemasculinity #daddy #dearmaiya
How do you feel about the way he handled the situation?
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