One of the most wonderful things about childhood – besides afternoon naps and pancakes for breakfast – is the endless possibilities. Little ones are not afraid to dream about seemingly impossible things such as owning a zoo or becoming an astronaut. A 6-year-old boy was obsessed with all things related to space and would wear cool t-shirts featuring planets and astronauts. Sadly, he got bullied by other kids for being “uncool” and became ashamed of it. That is until a real-life astronaut reached out to him and encouraged him to be brave.
More info: TikTok
Like many children, a 6-year-old boy was obsessed with all things space and loved to wear shirts with planets and astronauts on them
Image credits: eggiemegg_
How often does TikTok make you cry? If you spend a considerable amount of time there, the answer is probably “every day”. 14.9M people cried when they saw an emotional video from Meg, who shared a heartbreaking story about her little brother being bullied at school for loving space. Teary-eyed, she wrote in her post:
“Just me crying because my 6-year-old brother came home from school and threw away all his shirts with outer space, shirts with astronauts and planets on them because some kids keep calling them stupid.”
Oh, how our hearts break for this little guy. Children – and adults – should never be made to give up on something they love just because someone considers it uncool.
Sadly, one day he returned from school and started throwing his space-themed clothes out. Turns out, kids at school bullied him for being "uncool"
Image credits: eggiemegg_
“Now he will only wear 'cool' clothes like Nike and Under Armour. Kindergardeners are brutal,” added Meg.
That’s the scary part about the internet being so accessible to young children – they are exposed to trends and fashion years before they should start caring about it. The only acceptable debates are whether the pajamas with Spiderman or Batman are cooler (obviously Spiderman).
Fortunately, there are days when the internet reminds us that it’s not just doom and gloom. Thousands of people flocked to the comment section, expressing their support for the young space lover. Meg read many of the kind words to him, which cheered the little boy up. However, there was one very special message waiting for him.
His sister Meg posted a TikTok which garnered 14.9M views and hundreds of wholesome replies - including one from an astronaut
Image credits: eggiemegg_
"I wanna tell you that you should still keep wearing your clothes that have space, rockets and planets"
Image credits: eggiemegg_
Jose Hernandez, a real astronaut, reached out to Meg’s brother. His daughter Vanessa showed him Meg’s TikTok and he wanted to support the little astronaut. Jose began the video by saying:
"I wanna tell you that you should still keep wearing your clothes that have space, rockets and planets."
Turns out, this guy with the coolest job on the planet was once bullied for his interests, and he would’ve never gone to space if he had listened to them.
His journey to space was long and arduous – he was rejected by NASA 11 times before finally flying on the Discovery space shuttle. Because he stayed true to himself, he achieved his dream. I wonder what those who ridiculed him are up to now?
"I never gave up. Even though my friends said it was a silly idea, I just kept going forward, forward, forward."
The boy was delighted and even considered wearing some of his space stuff again
Image credits: eggiemegg_
“You should not be afraid to wear your space-themed clothes. You should be proud of them, and hopefully, if you study hard, I’ll see you working at NASA with me.”
Now that’s the best motivation to get good grades!
Meg made a reaction video with her brother – it has gathered 6M views. The boy was delighted that a real-life astronaut reached out to him – I believe it makes him the coolest kid at school.
His genuine joy was infectious – a stark contrast from the sadness in the earlier video. However, he’s still not there yet and is not wearing his space shirts yet.
“He got a little silly, but he can’t believe a real astronaut saw his video!!” Meg wrote.
And after a little while, he said: “Okay, maybe I’ll wear my space shirts.”
Little ones often have special interests like space or dinosaurs and they should be encouraged
Image credits: eggiemegg_
Many children get obsessed with certain topics – space, dinosaurs or animals. It is a normal part of their development and should be encouraged by adults as it aids in their development. It might be annoying answering “Do you know who is the biggest dinosaur?” or “Who was the first astronaut?” but it helps deepen the connection with the little ones. There are other great things about their “dinosaur” phases:
- Encourages them to read and seek new ways of gathering information which can help them to become better students in the future;
- Develops better social ties with other children of similar interests;
- It’s easier to find them birthday and Christmas presents they will truly love.
Hopefully, Meg’s brother will be back to wearing his planet shirts and dreaming of space in no time. Thanks to Jose, he now knows that NASA is waiting for him. And we know that the world is a kind place.
Did you have any special interests as a child? Or maybe you have a current obsession with something?
Watch the video here
