Letting a child be themself is a sign of a truly loving parent.
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Season Wilwert knew that her son Ethan had the desire to learn more about makeup. His creative interests brought the mother and son to a MAC store where they met makeup artist Joey Killmeyer who’s been doing makeup for 15 years for such events like Miss America.
Ethan approached Killmeyer and told him that he wanted to learn how to do makeup, such as he’d seen from YouTube videos of makeup tutorials.
Killmeyer told Huffington Post, “When Ethan and his mom, Season, came into the store, I felt an immediate connection. He reminded me of myself at that age.”
We as parents should be our child’s biggest cheerleader.
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So the makeup artist shared his secrets with the eight-year-old boy. Killmeyer painted half of Ethan’s face and Ethan followed his techniques on the other side of his face.
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His mother, Season, explained her reasoning for letting her son learn makeup techniques by Killmeyer:
“Children need to be loved unconditionally, nurtured and encouraged to discover themselves through their true talents and passions. By doing so, and receiving the necessary support from parents, they are building confidence and security in who they are. We as parents should be our child’s biggest cheerleader.”
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For those parents or people with assumptions about allowing a boy to learn about makeup, Season has a message for them, too.
“Society needs to steer away from what is typically known as the gender roles and stereotypes and accept the fact that it’s OK for a boy to wear makeup to express himself as an artist,” Ethan’s mother said. “This does not define his gender identity nor his sexual preference. He’s just exploring and being a kid! Being judgmental and close-minded on such issues not only is hurtful to our children, but it also inhibits their freedom of self-expression and prevents the opportunity for them to embrace their true identities.”
Well said, mom.
Though it’s clear that Ethan had a blast with the makeup tutorial session, Killmeyer was just as honored to be a part of the experience.
“It touched my heart that I was able to help him learn what he wanted to know.”
“I was so touched by his mom and that she was allowing him to do this. [Ethan] also wants to learn to do makeup on others. He thought learning to do makeup on himself that it may be easier to do on others… It is about being creative, having fun and being yourself. And that is what Ethan’s mom is letting him do.”
It’s heartwarming to hear of adults sharing their skills and knowledge to help younger generations, and even more amazing to hear wonderful stories about parents who accept their children and encourage their interests. That’s what parenting is all about.
By Alex Temblador
Originally published on The Next Family.
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Photo: Getty Images