A Santa Claus is being applauded for supporting a young girl who told him she didn't want to sit on his lap.
Katie Love took her daughter Adley to meet jolly old St. Nicholas on Sunday and told "Good Morning America" the 3-year-old had been "so excited" and talked about seeing him for weeks.
"As we got in line and she started to see a lot of the kids sitting on Santa's lap, she tugged on my shirt and said, 'Mom, I don't know if I want to do that.' And I said, 'That is completely OK Adley. You can say no, whatever makes you most comfortable,'" Love recounted.
The mom, who is also the CEO and founder of the social media agency Love Social Media, said she wasn't surprised her daughter felt uncomfortable but was taken aback to see her 3-year-old "so confidently voice that she did not want to do it in real time."
Love captured her daughter's encounter with Santa and shared the moment in a TikTok video post, which has since gone viral with 2 million views and counting.
More than 3,000 TikTok users have commented on the video so far, with many sharing positive reactions.
"I love this. No reason to pressure her to be uncomfortable for a picture," wrote one TikTok user.
Another added, "I just cried. As a child who was uncomfortable w touch and fam who pushed me, this is so good to hear."
Love said she is "so proud" of her daughter for voicing her feelings at the time.
"I was so proud of her in that moment," Love said. "I want Adley, even as a toddler, to always feel in control of her body, of her actions."
Steve Lantz, a reverend and part-time Santa was at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Key Biscayne, Florida, that day, and said that when he heard Adley's request, he didn't hesitate to respond.
"When this little girl said no to sitting on my lap, I'm like, 'Way to go! Way to go!'" Lantz recalled to "GMA." "I wasn't thinking, 'What would Santa say?' I just [thought], in that moment, 'What's the right thing to say and the right thing to say to a kid?' Like 'That is awesome. I applaud you. I support you.'"
"I didn't want her to think, 'Oh, I'm not gonna get what's on my list because I didn't sit on this old man's lap or whatever,'" the 51-year-old, a father himself, added. "I wanted her to know, 'I approve of you. I believe in you. … Thank you for coming. It means so much that you can came to see me.'"
After the encounter, Lantz, who said he keeps a journal of his experience as Santa, said he reflected on what happened, which Love described as a "special moment."
"The best thing I did that night was talk to a little girl who said no and I affirmed her decision," Lantz said. "I said, 'You're a young woman now. And when you grow up, you're going to be a powerful woman because you know how to stand up for yourself and say what is true and what is right, and you're not going to accept someone bullying you.'"
Love also said she wants her toddler to learn that she can and should speak up for herself whenever she feels it's necessary and encourages other parents to have similar conversations with their kids.
"I think it's never too early to start talking about you being in control of your body. We come at it from a place of not being afraid of the world -- more, 'I'm empowering you, Adley, to have this choice, to be able to voice your concerns when you're uncomfortable,'" Love said.
Both Love and Lantz also said they think it's time the tradition of having children sit on Santa's lap is reconsidered.
"I love a big bench where kids have plenty of room and they can sit far away if they want," Lantz said. "I'm not against the tradition of visiting Santa or pictures with Santa. I just think it has to be done in a way that respects the child."
"It's something we've been doing for how long, this tradition? And I think it's somewhat antiquated," Love added. "I don't think that you should have to sit on a man's lap that you don't know in order to feel the joy of Christmas, or to ask for presents."
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