Our children are the light of our lives, and nothing leaves us smiling like Cheshire cats quite like watching them developing into their own unique and amazing people.
This is something that Devon Berryann truly embraces about her six-year-old son – which is why it’s heartbreaking to see her so worried for his future.
In a now viral Instagram post, Devon explained how her little boy is beautifully unique – he wears nail polish and girls’ clothing, and has admitted to her that he likes boys and would like to one day marry one.
Devon admits that she doesn’t know whether or not this is a phase, but she is accepting of it either way – the only thing that worries her is a lack of acceptance from the rest of the world.
“A couple days ago he came home and told me again about kids teasing him at school for his nail polish, and for the first time ever I considered talking him into taking it off. Into hiding that part of himself. Because for the first time ever I was scared that he would be gunned down one night when he was out having a good time with his friends. In that moment I was so terrified that I wondered if it would be better to stop appeasing him,” she recalled.
However, something stopped her from following those instincts – that motherly hope for a son to just be the person he wants to be.
“I remembered all the reasons I let him be who he wants. Because it makes him happy. Because nothing hurts more than seeing your child truly sad. Because pretending to be someone you’re not to please other people only leads to self-loathing. To depression and to suicide. And that too made me afraid. Why do I have to fear for him because of what he likes and who he cares about? Aren’t we past all this yet?” a clearly emotional and torn Devon wrote.
Now, she is hoping to bring about a change for her son and all those other equally wonderful children who are unique in their own ways – and she wants all those reading her post to help.
“I want this world to change. To be better for him. To DESERVE him. Because he is a wonderful, amazing person. As scared as I am, I know that this world is not going to change with more fear. It has plenty of that. What it needs is more love and acceptance,” she added.
As you can imagine, Devon’s post has touched hearts and minds all over the world, striking a chord with many other mums and dads.
Let’s hope Devon – with a lot of help – can make this world a more accepting and loving place for her little boy.
