When Brianna Lelos went to Target in Wilmington last month, she had no way of knowing her young daughter Bella would have a meltdown in the middle of the store or how people would react.
But toddlers are gonna toddler and there’s really no way to see a tantrum coming since there’s often no logical reason behind them. Of course, that doesn’t stop onlookers from shooting annoyed glances in a parent’s direction when their children misbehave.
So when Lelos’ daughter Bella decided she was done shopping and plunked herself down in the middle of the store to protest whatever it is that toddlers protest, her mother probably expected the worst.
Luckily, an employee standing by decided to try and help her out.
Lianna is also a mom, and so likely empathized with the situation. She was kind enough to come over to the toddler and sit next to her on the floor to see if there was anything she could do.
When Lelos looked over at the scene, she couldn’t help but appreciate the employee’s kindness and snapped a great pic of the two sitting together (you can scoll down to see some video as well).
She even took to Twitter later that day to express her appreciation for Lianna’s kindness and empathy.
“To Liliana of the Wilmington, MA @Target store: Thank you. I *think* every parents [sic] knows the feeling of their toddler/any age child having a tantrum in the middle of the store….. @target thank-you [sic] for having kind, caring humans working at your stores. It’s appreciated.”
The Tweet drew the attention of not only Target’s social media manager but Lianna’s mom as well!
Lynne Booth chimed in not to only to correct her daughter’s name but to say that this kind of behavior is typical of her generous daughter. She also thanked Lelos for recognizing Lianna’s kind heart.
Lelos in return apologized for getting her name wrong but complimented Lianna’s mom on raising such an amazing woman.
Then it was time for Target to get in on the action, thanking Lelos for recognizing their employee and her efforts to make Bella’s visit to the store better. They promised to forward the compliments to the store’s leadership team, presumably so Lianna could be recognized for her good actions.
It’s pretty clear Lianna has her own children and has dealt with more than one toddler meltdown in the past.
It’s not uncommon for stores like Target to get kids riled up. The sensory overload of so many different things, combined with bright lights and colors can send just about anyone into a fit.
And, of course, the best way to deal with a tantrum is to stay as calm as possible, especially if a child is already overloaded with stimuli. Of course, that’s hard to do sometimes when you’re a parent and you just need to get your errands done and get out.
Experts say the worst things you can do during a tantrum are give in to a toddler’s often irrational demands, get upset, yell at or punish them, or even try to reason with them. The best way to cope is to recognize the child’s feelings and actions. Of course, that’s easier said than done when they’ve decided to sit in the middle of the store and pout.
Luckily, Lianna was there with some extra energy to intervene in this particular situation and get Bella to realize that things were ok.
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