Justin Baldoni is best known for playing Rafael in the popular show Jane the Virgin, but recently went viral on Facebook for something completely different: his parenting advice.
Baldoni, who was born in Los Angeles to a Jewish mother and an Italian-American father, is a devout practicer of the Bahá'í faith: a religion that was born in 1844 as a new interpretation of Shia Islam, and teaches the worth of all religions as well as the unity and equality of all people. He regularly posts quotes from the head of the Bahá'í faith `Abdu'l-Bahá on social media underneath photos of his family; his daughter Maiya, and his wife Emily Baldoni, who is currently pregnant with their second child.
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.
The much-loved actor recently shared a photo of Maiya, throwing a tantrum on the floor of a Whole Foods supermarket. Baldoni and his father are standing on either side of the wailing toddler, staring down at her as his wife Emily takes the photo.
While many parents would desparately try to 'shush' the child, or grab them and run out of the store out of sheer embarrassment, the father and grandfather are calm. They are certainly not embarrassed, as many parents in that situation would be.
Justin Baldoni posted this image to his social media as parenting advice - it has since gone viral. Source: Instagram / @justinbaldoni.
The caption on the Facebook photo is a story of Baldoni's own childhood, and what his father chose to do when he was upset and crying in public spaces:
"My dad always let me feel what I needed to feel, even if it was in public and embarrassing," Baldoni wrote.
"I don't remember him ever saying 'You're embarrassing me!' or 'Dont cry!'. It wasn't until recently that I realised 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."
My dad always let me feel what I needed to feel, even if it was in public and embarrassing... It wasn't until recently that I realised how paramount that was for my own emotional development.
The photo that Baldoni posted shows the technique in action.
However, Baldoni also stresses that being a good parent does not equate to 'never getting upset' - a pressure that many parents (particularly new parents) often feel.
He continues on the post, "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."
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