While shopping for school supplies this year, I found myself in a position where I needed to make a decision that could have an impact on Elliott, as he moves forward. 

For some reason, Elliott decided that he was going to go a completely different direction in deciding what backpack he was going to get for the new school year. As a Dad, I was sorta caught off guard when he picked out the backpack in the picture below. 

There were some really cool backpacks he could have chosen from and I made sure he had plenty of choices. We searched Amazon but in the end, he had his heart set on this pink backpack at Walgreens. 

I’m very open minded and have raised my kids to be true to themselves, regardless of what anyone else says they should be.

When Lizze and I talked about whether or not to allow him to get this backpack, it wasn’t an easy decision. Neither one of us had a single issue with getting this if it’s what made him happy. The difficult part was in regards to how he would be treated by the other kids at school. 

I’ve said this before while we were dealing with Elliott’s bully last year, kids can be assholes. Kids can be so cruel to each other, it’s no wonder we’re dealing with all the hate in the world right now. 

My main concern with Elliott wearing what would likely be deemed a girl’s backpack to school, was how he would be able to handle any teasing. Elliott’s a really sensitive kid and the bullying that went on last year was horrible for him.. 

Marching into school with a pink backpack is asking for trouble. Isn’t it? Would that be an open invitation for kids to be cruel? 

I spoke with Elliott about how some people might react to seeing him wear what some might think is a girl’s backpack. It was his response that helped me make the decision I did. 

Elliott said that he didn’t care what anyone else thought. He said that he wanted to be true to himself and that he wants to show the other kids that it’s okay to be yourself. 

I went from being nervous about this whole thing, to being filled with pride, because he’s growing up to be an amazing person. 

When he asked me if he could get it, I said absolutely, if that’s what makes you happy.  I’m not gonna lie, I’m really nervous about how today has gone for him. I’m so proud of him but at the same time, I don’t want to see him get hurt either. 

When I dropped them off this morning, I spoke with the principal and another staff member who were very supportive. They’re going to look after him, to make sure things go okay, but they didn’t think there we loud be a problem. 

Some might looked at this whole thing and say I made a big mistake. Maybe I did. But if allowing my son to be himself, take a stand against bullying and make a statement about being true to himself – is wrong, than I guess I made a mistake.