A Secret Life of Mom Highlight Story: Sometimes there are stories that are just too good, too beautiful, or too unbelievable to keep locked away. That’s why we scour the archives and bring some of them back to enjoy again. They may make you smile or shed a tear, but they’re always meant to add a little positivity to your day. October 2021. Enjoy!
Spooky season has officially come and gone. Everyone sported their favorite costumes they had been planning in their minds for months. This time of year brings reminders of Halloween stories, but not necessarily the scary kind. It is of a little boy who dressed up as Tony Stark for Halloween last year. He expected his classmates to be amazed at his outfit, but instead, they teased him and made him feel embarrassed. Yet, despite it all, he managed to find the courage to continue.
Mini Tony Stark
Jill Stahl Struckman Evan’s mother, the hero of today’s story. Little Evan had decided to dress up as none other than, Tony Stark. He and his mother had planned out the outfit to every last detail. They went for Tony Stark in his scruffy-casual look with a white button-down shirt and a pinstriped vest over jeans. They even included the slightly purple glasses and a drawn-on goatee. “Evan loves getting dressed up — and he was especially excited that day,” said Jill in an interview with TODAY Parents. “It was hard to get his makeup on straight because he was smiling so much.”
On Friday, October 22, 2021, Evan’s class was having a Halloween party. His mother, Jill, documented the experience on her Facebook. She started with a post showing off their Halloween outfit creation. Evan’s resemblance to the notorious Tony Stark was adorably uncanny. The first post‘s caption read: “I hope his school is ready for this guy. He only answers to “Tony” or. “Mr. Stark” He wanted me to drive him to school but only in the Mercedes’ since I couldn’t drive him this very minute, Tony had to be a bus rider.”
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He pulled a brave face
Even though Evan had to take the bus to school, he was still excited to show off his outfit. The last thing Jill expected was a phone call from a sobbing Evan not long after he had left the house. According to Jill, Evan called her from Evan’s school saying he was very upset. “20 minutes after he got on the bus, I got a phone call from school letting me know he was in the office and some kids had said mean things to him,” Jill recalls. “He wanted to be picked up and he was really, really upset.” She added, “My heart just dropped.”
Jill went to collect her son, and the two of them had a tearful heart-to-heart about what really bothered Even that morning on the way to school. “He kept saying, ‘We worked so hard on it,’” she said to TODAY. “He was really thinking about how I would feel, which tells you a lot about him.”
Usually, Jill says her son is confident to be himself, and lets remarks fly over his head. But, for some reason, Evan just couldn’t let these bullies’ remarks slide. “He’s normally not affected by what other people think and say… so the fact that it bothered him so badly just broke our hearts,” said Jill.
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However, after a trip to Starbucks, Jill managed to lift his spirits enough for him to realize he does want to attend the Halloween party, after all, Tony Stark outfit and all. “I just said, ‘You know you look awesome, so why are you letting their opinions hold you back? You’re gonna miss your party over their opinions? Maybe they’re just jealous!’ Finally, I said, ‘Do you want to go back?’ and he said, ‘Yes!'”
Halloween party!
Evan had agreed to go back to the Halloween party at school, despite the bully’s words. Within the hour they slapped on his fake goatee and he was ready to conquer Halloween, just as Tony stark would do. Jill said he was a little nervous at first, but he loosened up when everyone loved his outfit. “He was a little scared, but as soon as we walked in the office door, all the ladies, who hadn’t seen his makeup, said he was so cute,” Jill said. “He got a lot of positive attention right away… and by the time he got off the bus later that day, he was just happy as could be.”
The whole experience provided a learning curb for little Evan. His mother described how he had learned how to stand up for himself and not let others’ opinions get him down. Additionally, Jill said he would never be the boy hurting other people’s feelings. “Evan even learned from this. He’s never gonna be that kid who hurts someone else’s feelings,” she said.
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Sources
- “‘Proud’ Mom Documents Son’s ‘Brave’ Return to School After Getting Bullied for Tony Stark Costume.” People. Joelle Goldstein. October 28, 2021
- “Mom shares heartbreaking photo of her 10-year-old son in TEARS after school bullies told him his Tony Stark Halloween costume was ‘stupid’: ‘Kids need to understand that words HURT’.” Daily Mail. Erica Tempesta. October 28, 2021.
- “Boy gets bullied for his Tony Stark Halloween costume, makes a triumphant return.” TODAY. Rachel Paula Abrahamson. October 27, 2021.