As every parent can most certainly relate to, sometimes children just tend to cry rather hysterically at the wrong times, and mostly at the wrong places.
Crying or weeping children in public places such as parks, restaurants, or malls are never amusing, for both the parents and bystanders.
However, it’s no secret that sometimes toddlers just have to let their emotions run loose by crying which usually involves hefty tantrum.
As a result, parents might often feel embarrassed when they’re put into this situation and might start to wonder what people would think about them if their kid was crying – even when there’s not really a reason to.
Justin Baldoni, an actor most famously known for his role in the television series ‘Jane The Virgin’, experienced one of his daughter’s small meltdowns and decided to share a heartfelt message.
He remembered what his father always did to him in similar situations, and shared a message to the world with a picture on his Facebook page.
Justin was actually shopping with his father and daughter Maiya. The actor shared a picture where you can see the two men looking at Maiya, who is seemingly crying and laying on the floor.
However, the two decided to stay completely calm and didn’t want to feel embarrassed, despite being in a quite crowded mall.
Justin remembers what his father did when Justin himself was a little kid and says that his dad always let him feel exactly what he needed to feel.
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
The amount of pressure that is being put by the community – a lot of it that is perhaps unconscious – can make parents doubt themselves.
As Justin so beautifully wrote, children are learning to take in all the elements of the world around them and sometimes that just results in a burst of emotion. Sometimes, crying is just absolutely fine.
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