We've All Been the Mom Who Does Nothing During Their Child's Public Meltdown

"A friend told me that she saw a mum in a cafe whose kid was throwing a royal f*ckery of a tantrum and she had the audacity to just sit there," writes Constance Hall in a post to Facebook. "I have been that mum."

Haven't we all?

When your child shows the beginning stages of a public meltdown, it's human instinct to quickly bribe, coo, and beg for them to calm down, to not do what they're about to do. Sometimes that works, but usually it doesn't — something that Constance completely understands. "Any seasoned expert will tell you that sometimes the only thing you can do is nothing," she says. "Time will heal all tantrums."

Her message to her friend, and all other people in the presence of this particular situation, is simple: "I asked my friend to not see her as the mum who 'just sat there' while her child melts down. And instead see her as the mum who 'is always there' while her child melts down. Because being there and doing nothing are two very different things."