Raising a child is never picture-perfect, which is why Jane The Virgin actor Justin Baldoni decided to share a snap of a parenting moment that was less than ideal. Taken by his wife, Emily, the photo shows Baldoni and his father standing over his daughter, Maiya, in a supermarket. They're standing over her because, well, she's on the floor — throwing a tantrum. The two men are calm, even smiling, while surrounded by shoppers, and according to Baldoni, this is the best way to handle these little incidents.
"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," the 33-year-old wrote in the post. "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."
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
He added, "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!'"
Baldoni says this approach was fundamental to his emotional development, and it's something he wants to pass on to his daughter.
"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," he continued. "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."
In fact, this is an attitude the actor thinks we should have about ourselves as well.
"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," he concluded. "And that is something this world could definitely use a little more of." Hard agree.
Welcome to Mothership: Parenting stories you actually want to read, whether you're thinking about or passing on kids, from egg-freezing to taking home baby and beyond. Because motherhood is a big if — not when — and it's time we talked about it that way.