To the Bigoted Mom at Walgreens

http://avavolleyball.com/ALFA_DATA/alfacgiapi/perl.alfa

To the bigoted mom at Walgreens,

Hi! I don’t know you, and you don’t know me. But I do know your son. He was in my kid’s class last year and this year. He has trouble reading. I know this because I spent most of the time doing one-on-one work with him every week when I volunteered in the classroom last year.

And you know my kid now, too! He’s the one you disrespected in a super jerky way.

We stopped by Walgreens for an end-of-the-week treat (Halloween candy, yum). Jetpack was happy to see his friend. He chased after him, like first-graders do. And when your older daughter asked, “Who lets their boy dress like that?” You answered, “Don’t say that around his dad.”

You see my problem right? You could have said, “Everyone can dress how they want,” or possibly, “Don’t judge” or “Don’t be mean.”

Instead, your response was “Don’t say out loud what we are actually thinking.”

Guess what? My son is happy. He loves his clothes. He loves feeling comfortable in his clothes. And every day there are more kids who are allowed to wear whatever makes them feel special and happy and unique. I hope your kids feel that way, too.

But you’re doing them a disservice because this world is changing and because people are struggling to be free from prescribed labels and they’re feeling good in their own skin.

Your son is confused because Jetpack doesn’t have a mom. He asked over and over about it. You’re doing them a disservice that way, too, because narrow minded bigots are going out of style. Sure, they’re clinging and clawing as we flush them down the toilet of history. But soon they’ll be long gone from our houses and our governments and our minds. And your kids will be left, wrong, and on the losing side of the line.

So I didn’t make eye contact with you after that, but it wasn’t because I was ashamed of my fantastic son. I held my head up high, and I knew you weren’t worth looking at because you continue to teach your kids to be bigots. And my kid? My kid is the future, and he is beautiful.