A Florida mother was touched by Santa's reaction when he encouraged her three-year-old daughter to respect her boundaries after she refused to sit on his lap last week.
“Thank you Santa for respecting my daughter's decisions and even applauding her for them,” Katie Love, mother of three-year-old Adley, said on TikTok last week, The Independent reported on Monday.
At the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne in Miami, Florida, early last week, the mother was surprised by Santa's reaction when her young daughter reportedly refused to sit on his lap after standing in line to meet him meet.
“It’s her body and she controls her body. I asked her if she wanted to sit on my lap and she said no and I said “Great way to stand up for yourself and say what you believe to be true.” Santa replied immediately, we're in the video which reached more than 275,000 views on Tuesday.
For the mother who wants to teach her daughter to respect herself in all situations, even in front of Santa Claus or a family member who asks for hugs or kisses, this “outdated” trend of sitting on her father's lap at Christmas does not apply conform to the norm.”
“I was so proud of her. Children have so little control over their lives, and Adley took control of the situation […] “We can celebrate the joy of Christmas and Santa Claus without making them feel like they have to sit on a stranger's lap to receive presents,” the mother continued in an interview with British media.
“Growing up, I was always taught to be polite and do what I was told, even if it meant making unwanted physical contact with someone. [Elle] “You don’t have to feel uncomfortable to make someone else feel comfortable,” added Katie Love.
Encouraging comments poured in under the video as many netizens took turns applauding Santa Claus.
“Here is the REAL Santa Claus,” one of them pointed out, receiving more than 3,400 likes.