Halloween is one of the most unique days of the year. It is a day where people get to express their creativity or explore their spooky sides with a costume.
One little boy put his heart and soul into his unique costume only to be torn down and bullied by his classmates. Luckily, he had many people nearby to build him back up.
Why a Little Boy Was Bullied for His Halloween Costume
Jill Struckman’s son Evan, who is ten years old and lives in Missouri, was excited to dress like his idol Tony Stark for Halloween. He didn’t want to go the predictable route and dress as Iron Man, he wanted to be the billionaire genius behind the superhero.
He set out to collect the necessities: a pinstripe vest, cool glasses, and face makeup to create Tony’s signature goatee. As his mother explained to People, Evan was “really, really excited” and “thought he looked awesome.” She agreed!
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Jill proudly shared some snaps of her son on Facebook before they went to school for the day. Unfortunately, her happiness was short-lived.
Only 20 minutes later, Jill got a call from Evan’s school telling her that he had gotten bullied for his costume. His classmates had told him that he looked stupid in his clever costume. Jill was heartbroken.
"20 minutes after he got on the bus, I got a phone call from school letting me know he was in the office and some kids had said mean things to him. He wanted to be picked up and he was really, really upset," she said.
Why a Little Boy Didn’t Let His Bullies Stop Him From Having Fun
Evan was sad and embarrassed. He ran to the bathroom to scrub off his makeup after being humiliated by his peers. When his mother arrived to pick him up, Evan's eyes were swollen from crying. She snapped a photo and shared an update to her Facebook, writing:
"Here's what my little Tony Stark looks like now. We both have swollen eyes from crying and are on our way to try to find ice cream. Kids need to understand that WORDS hurt."
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Jill was especially upset because Evan always marched to the beat of his own drum, rarely letting the mean things other kids said bother him. She felt that their words had finally broken him down.
Luckily, once the two were able to talk about what had happened, they decided Evan should go back to school and attend the Halloween party he had been so excited for. After all, Evan knew his costume was cool -- why should he let the opinions of some mean kids get to him and rob him of the great day he was hoping to have?
How One Little Boy Proved the Importance of Being Brave
Evan was a little apprehensive, but with encouragement from his mom and a freshly painted-on goatee, he went back to school with his head held high.
"He was a little scared, but as soon as we walked in the office door, all the ladies, who hadn't seen his makeup, said he was so cute. He got a lot of positive attention right away... and by the time he got off the bus later that day, he was just as happy as could be," Jill said.
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The post Jill shared to her Facebook, which was updated and included the positive ending to the story, was shared over 250,000 times. Not only that, but the bullies were handled by school administration and eventually apologized to Evan.
The lesson is clear: words hurt. Even the most resilient, independent thinkers can be affected by negative chatter. Being brave and unapologetically unique can be hard but is well worth it.
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