'You set the standard': Woman praises random dad for how he handled toddler's Target meltdown
The dad "grounded him" and brought him "back to reality."
TikTokker praises a dad for his amazing parenting skills.
One of a parent's biggest fears is dealing with a toddler having a full-blown meltdown while shopping. The common sense parenting suggestion is to ignore the meltdown and the child will eventually stop. Easier said than done. There’s nothing more embarrassing than doing nothing while your kid is kicking, screaming and flailing in the cereal aisle.
It can also feel humiliating to have to reason with a 3-year-old in front of dozens of peering eyes, silently judging while they pretend to be grabbing a box of Frosted Flakes.
On the other hand, a toddler’s tantrum can be an opportunity to showcase your excellent parenting skills. That’s what one dad did in a Target store, and his ability to bring his son back to reality earned him praise from a stranger on TikTok.
In a video that’s been seen over 370,000 times, TikTokker Cari Izaguirre shared how a father brilliantly handled a toddler throwing a tantrum in the Target book section.
I legit felt like i was grounded and came back to reality at that moment😃 #parenting #incredible #toddler #shopping #grounding
@cari.izaguirre I legit felt like i was grounded and came back to reality at that moment😃 #parenting #incredible #toddler #shopping #grounding
"This is to the dad that was just in Target with your young boy. You guys were walking past the books and he threw a huge fit because you didn't allow him to get a book," Izaguirre began in her video. “So he started throwing himself all over. I just wanna say bravo to you. You did the most incredible job with him.”
The father took the boy to the side and asked him to take a deep breath. The father hugged his sobbing son and asked him directly: “Where are we right now?”
“Target,” the little boy responded.
“What are you standing on?” the father asked.
“The floor,” the boy responded.
“Is it carpet or is it tile?” the father continued.
“Tile,” the boy responded.
"He was grounding him, bringing him back to reality was like 'Dude, it's all gonna be good.’ It worked," Izaguirre said in amazement. “This little boy came so quickly back to his senses and stopped crying and was having this really awesome conversation with his dad. It was incredible.”
Izaguirre thought the father’s performance in the Target was commendable because he didn’t lose his temper which has always been hard for her. “I was that mom that lost my temper,” she admitted.
The father did a great job calming down his child with a few choice questions. But is that the only way to stop a public tantrum? Dr. Daniel Siegel, co-author of “The Whole-Brain Child,” says that you'll get two types of tantrums in a store. The first is the “upstairs” tantrum where a child is pushing your limits and making a power play. The second is the “downstairs” tantrum, which results from a child being overstimulated, also known as a meltdown.
Dr. Siegel says that when your child throws an upstairs tantrum, it's best to ignore and not react because the kid is looking for a power play. In the case of a downstairs tantrum, it’s best to try to calm the child’s emotions like the dad did in Target.
This article originally appeared on 12.5.23