When a father’s 2-year-old daughter threw a temper tantrum while grocery shopping, both he and his father shown tolerance, tenderness, and wonderful parenting.
Justin Baldoni was shopping with his wife, Emily, his father, and their 2-year-old daughter, Maiya, at a Whole Foods when Maiya became emotionally overwhelmed and began crying in the store.
“Emily snapped this [picture] in Whole Foods,” Justin wrote in an online post. “It’s now one of my favorite images of myself and my father.” Two men standing silently together, permanently bound by an absolute love for each other and this brand new, raw and pure soul for whom we would both journey to the ends of the planet.”
Justin reflected on this moment he shared with his father, recognizing how many natural tantrums he must have had in numerous places as a young child.
“I can’t tell you how many times I did that when I was her age.” My father taught me so much about what it means to be a man, but this piece is about one thing and one thing only: being at ease in the midst of discomfort. Something I grew up witnessing him do time and over with me. There are no perfect parents, but my father taught me not to parent based on what others believe.”
Justin’s father enabled him to feel his feelings as a child and never ridiculed or scolded him for doing so, allowing him to completely develop emotionally as a child.
“My father always allowed me feel what I needed to feel, even if it was uncomfortable in public.” I never heard him say, “You’re humiliating me!” or “Don’t cry!” I didn’t realize how important that was for my own emotional development until recently. Our youngsters are absorbing and processing so much information that they are unsure what to do with all of these new feelings that arise.”
Justin, as a father, is assisting Maiya in developing a healthy self image by letting her know that it is okay for her to have profound sentiments and that he is not embarrassed by her conduct.
“I try to remember to tell my daughter that it’s okay to feel deeply.” It’s not embarrassing to me when she screams on a plane or throws tantrums in the grocery store. I’m her father, not yours. Let us not be ashamed for our children. It has nothing to do with you. In reality, we should probably be kinder and more patient with ourselves. If we let ourselves feel what we were experiencing and allowed ourselves to throw tantrums and cry when we needed to, we might be able to feel more love and happiness. And that is something that the world could use a little more of.”
Hundreds of people have expressed their admiration for the Baldoni family’s tenderness toward their children online.
“This post has forever changed my perspective on tantrums!” Shilpa remarked on this.
“I adore this post.” Because my son has sensory processing disorder, this is something I have to deal with on a regular basis when he becomes overwhelmed. I’m never ashamed because it’s his way of expressing how he feels, his frustration at not being able to connect with me because he’s nonverbal most of the time. No parent should ever feel the need to excuse their child when he or she is filled with rage, frustration, or anger. “As an adult, I sometimes wish I could do this myself,” Shannon S. wrote.
“I struggle with this all the time; I am guilty of ordering my four-year-old to stop crying, but over the past year, I’ve been making an effort to let him know he may cry and ask if there is anything I could do to make him feel better.” I agree that children should be able to express their emotions without being humiliated or chastised. “This is crucial in producing emotionally aware beings,” G. M. explained.
“This is very lovely,” Georgia L. wrote.
