A Santa Claus from Florida has been praised for his response to a little girl who didn't want to sit on his lap.
In a video posted to TikTok, one mom decided to commend a Santa Claus figure after his response to her daughter, who didn't want to sit on his lap - a tradition that is seemingly popular with kids during the festive season.
Children would often be expected to sit on a man's lap and tell him what they wanted in the hopes that they would be treated to some exciting gifts under their tree on Christmas morning.
Katie Love and her three-year-old daughter, Adley, were visiting their local Santa at the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne in Miami when the toddler expressed that she didn't want to sit in his lap.
Rather than forcing her to - which has become a nasty and uncomfortable habit of some parents and even some of the figures dressed up as the character - this particular Santa had a wonderful response to the little one setting her boundaries.
After witnessing the moment in person, Love asked the man to repeat his response so that she could share it on social media.
"This is her body and she’s in control of her body," he told the camera. "I asked if she wanted to sit on my lap and she said 'no,' and I said: 'Way to stand up for yourself and way to say what you believe is true.'"
Have a look at the heartwarming moment below:"You can’t let even Santa Claus - if Santa Claus says: 'Do you want to sit on my lap?' If you don’t want to, you say: 'No,'" he added.
"This response was [fire emoji]," Love wrote in the caption of the 20-second clip. "Thank you Santa for respecting my daughter’s choice and even applauding her for it!"
Others were also just as impressed.
"I just cried. As a child who was uncomfortable w touch and fam who pushed me, this is so good to hear," commented one user, while another added: "We love an educated Santa."
A third also joked: "Santa is not about to get accused of NOTHING this year" with a laughing emoji.
And this user shared her personal experience writing: "At the mall in my area the kids don’t sit on Santa’s lap, instead they just sit next to him," to which, Love responded: "Love that."
In an interview with The Independent, the influencer discussed how Adley felt leading up to the moment she had to meet Santa.
"I was so surprised Santa took the time to tell my daughter it was her body and her choice whether she wanted to sit on Santa’s lap. He could have brushed her off or even made her feel bad," Love said. "I was so proud of her. Kids have such little control in their life and Adley took control of the situation and voiced what she wanted."
Love was inspired to share the special moment on TikTok because she wants fellow parents to know that "this antiquated trend of sitting on Santa’s lap doesn’t need to be the norm" during the festive season.
"We can still celebrate the joy of Christmas and Santa without making children feel in order to get presents they have to sit on a strange man’s lap," she added.
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