Mom’s Post Goes Out To The Parents Who ‘Just Sit There’ During Tantrums

Ultimately, Hall wrote, sometimes the only thing you can do while your child is having a meltdown is nothing. “Time will heal all tantrums,” she said.

Circling back to the conversation that prompted her to share these thoughts, Hall said she asked her friend not to see this mom as “just sitting there” and to instead see her as the mom “who is always there while her child melts down.”

She concluded, “Because being there and doing nothing are two very different things.”

Hall’s Facebook post received over 55,000 likes, and the comments section is filled with stories from fellow parents who have dealt with their fair share of tantrums. 

Commenter Brenda Balash wrote that her son has autism and often melts down. “A few months ago at school pick-up, he had a massive meltdown in the footpath. All I could do was lie on him on the concrete (he likes the pressure) and wait for it to pass,” she explained. “Stood up and walked through the sea of parents who were staring with our heads held high. It was the first time I didn’t give a fuck what others thought.”

Sarah Bee wrote, “Sitting with quiet love and empathy beside a child who is struggling with big feelings is not ‘doing nothing.’ It’s staying calm and showing your child that you care and that you will look after them and everything else until they calm down.”

Added Bee, “It’s modeling good behavior. It’s showing them you love them and you can handle their huge emotions. It’s supporting them gently through it.”

Here’s to all the moms and dads doing the best they can in this tantrum-filled parenting world.