Little girl came home in tears after an 'accident' at school. Dad came up with a clever plan to show her she had nothing to fear
Incidents that embarrass us can sometimes be completely out of our control. However, where adults can overcome embarrassing situations with ease, children might find it harder to move on from such situations. A little girl who had an "accident" at school was feeling really upset about it as well. Her mom noticed that it was considerably hard for the girl to shake it off and keep going. She called her husband and told him what had happened. So the man came up with an elaborate plan to make his daughter feel better about what had happened. The mom, Alyson Kenny, who goes by @chasingcivility on Instagram, shared her husband's ingenious plan with the platform. The reel received over 6.6 million views.
As the video began, the dad entered with the front of his pants wet. His younger daughter asked him, "Did you pee your pants?" So the man patiently answered, "Yeah, the bathroom at work was broken and I tried to hold it, but I just couldn't and accidents happen. It's okay." In the caption, Alyson explained that her daughter had an accident while leaving school. "For context, I can count on less than one hand how many accidents she has had since she's been out of diapers and the last one being when she was only 2 years old." So the incident was a really rare one for the girl and she came home looking really embarrassed and upset.
"I texted my husband how sad it was to see her feeling so down," the mom went on. Her husband immediately told her to tell their daughters that he had an accident as well. "He would need to change when he got home from work and not make a big deal out of it." She added, "I am reading a book right now about how there is no exact toolbox for parenting and how it's all about just following your instincts and I absolutely love that my husband's instincts were to show her empathy and compassion in this lighthearted way." Many people praised the dad for his response and shared their own experiences in the comments section of the video.
@dustypudding wrote, "I babysit a toddler and every time she's worried about having an accident, I reassure her that it's completely normal and that I used to have them. I never thought to make her feel unashamed, not because it's something she'll get past eventually, but simply because there's nothing to be ashamed of. This is a really sweet video." @kristawoodsrider remarked, "I was so shy when I was a kid that on my first day of first grade, I was too scared to ask to use the bathroom and I peed my pants and all over the floor. I was mortified. My teacher was so kind and nice about it. She still remembers me to this day and I hope her story about why she knows me isn't about peeing my pants, lol. But I've told my kids the story and they are all fascinated that Mom was a kid who had accidents too."
@lannalottaluv commented, "This is the highlight of parenting. Not knowing what to do but doing something completely out of the norm and your kids feeling seen and not stuck. Feeling heard and not ashamed. Mom, I don't think you needed the book you were reading. This was the opening to create your own book. You and your husband aced this and didn't embarrass her on social media by showing her that accidents happen." The mom often shares sneak peeks of her life as a parent. In one video, she shared how she was teaching her daughters to show up for their "village." The mom was going to donate to local blessing boxes and involve her daughters in the process.
You can follow Alyson Kenny (@chasingcivility) on Instagram for more lifestyle content.