This “Jane the Virgin” actor explains why he let his daughter have a tantrum at the grocery store
We see and hear children having temper tantrums all the time. Some of us might think it’s annoying or call the parent irresponsible for letting their child carry on like that. But Jane the Virgin actor Justin Baldoni explains why he lets his daughter throw tantrums in public places, and his reasoning is extremely progressive.
Baldoni posted a photo on Instagram of himself and his father watching Justin’s daughter, Maiya, have a freak out in the middle of Whole Foods. Baldoni wrote in his caption,
"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."
Baldoni goes on to explain that his father never thwarted his feelings as a child. He let his son break down and never told him to stop because he was feeling embarrassed. Baldoni said he recently realized that his father’s parenting style towards tantrums helped his emotional development process.
“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,” Baldoni continues. “I try to remember to make sure my daughter knows it’s OK that she feels deeply.”
He reaches out to other parents, asking them all to be less embarrassed by their children’s behavior. Perhaps in doing this, adults will be less afraid to express their own emotions, those which society has told us to keep locked away.
Baldoni concluded his caption, saying,
"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."
Justin Baldoni has been sharing little bits of parenting wisdom via Instagram during his daughter’s toddlerhood. He shared a photo from Maiya’s second birthday party, where she cried just after her cake was delivered to her, reiterating that her crying is normal and not embarrassing in the slightest.
Perhaps if parents of young children take a page from Baldoni’s parenting book, the next generation will grow up to be more compassionate and more aware of their emotions. That could only lead to good things!
