Mom's Viral Post Reminds Strangers To Mind Their Own Damn Business

Mom fires back at a stranger who shamed her son for dressing like a princess

One of the hardest things about being a parent is dealing with nosy strangers who want to offer their opinion on your every move. Even worse, though, is when one of those strangers tries to force their opinions on your innocent kid. That’s when the “mama bear” comes out for most people, and it’s also the reason this mom just penned a viral Facebook post telling the stranger who shamed her son for his princess dress to back the hell off.

In the post, mom Haylee Bazen says she and her three-year-old son, Zackary, were standing at the bus stop when a stranger rudely interrupted them to comment on the little boy’s outfit. Zackary happens to be a huge fan of princesses, and was wearing an amazing get-up from Frozen, complete with matching cape, but apparently this woman had an issue with a little boy being allowed to wear a dress.

“I am NOT sorry you didn’t like how he was dressed nor am I sorry that you didn’t like our discussion topic of who our favorite Disney Princess is (Snow White obviously),” Bazen wrote in her post. “Zackary… can be who he wants to be. Today he was a Disney princess and YES I did send him to school like that. Why??? Because that’s what he wanted to wear.”

Bazen says Zackary was thrilled show off his dress to his teacher and friends, and that he planned on singing “Let It Go” for show and tell. Most importantly, though, he was wearing the dress because “he’s awesome” and he doesn’t see anything wrong with the things that interest him.

Writes Bazen, “He doesn’t understand the gender stereotypes YOU think he should conform to… He plays with cars and dolls, princesses and pirates. He rides his scooter or pushes his pram. He wears zombie face painting or lip stick and if he choose to wear a dress he can!! [sic]”

For Bazen and many other parents, myself included, allowing kids to figure out their own style and interests is very important. Increasingly, we’re moving away from rigid gender roles and stereotypes, and it’s not such a big deal if our daughter loves Batman and our son wants to be The Little Mermaid. As the 20,000 people who’ve shared her post so far will tell you: kids like what they like, and that’s totally okay.

What’s never okay is shaming children for their interests, or for how they choose to express themselves. If someone isn’t on board with a particular parenting style, that’s fine. But little kids don’t need your judgment, stares, or rude remarks, and as adults, we should know better than to go around picking on children and sticking our noses where they don’t belong. After all, who honestly believes a dress is harmful to a little boy, but thinks criticizing and publicly shaming him is totally fine?

As Bazen writes, “Next time you see us, dressed as a princess or cowboy, keep your disapproving stares to yourself, and unless you want to tell him how great he looks keep your poisonous words to yourself too. Your the one that should be embarrassed to leave the house not us!! [sic]”

Couldn’t have said it better ourselves.