Florida mom helps her 8-year-old follow his passion for makeup artistry

It’s always exciting when a creative talent manifests itself in a child. One Florida mom recognizes that her son has a unique talent for make-up artistry, and is doing whatever she can to help him develop that artistic skill.

With the help of Florida make-up artist Joey Killmeyer, mom Season Wilwert was able to realize one of her 8-year-old son Ethan’s dreams: to learn how to apply make-up like he’s seen on some favorite YouTube channels.

Killmeyer told The Huffington Post that he felt an “immediate connection” with Ethan when the 8-year-old and his mom walked into his store: “He reminded me of myself at that age. It touched my heart that I was able to help him learn what he wanted to know.” And learn he did. During their tutorial, Killmeyer applied make-up to one half of Ethan’s face, and Ethan mirrored it on the other side. Here’s the result:

Who did which side? You can’t even tell. This kid is amazing. I’m 42 years old and I still haven’t learned how to apply eye shadow.

The kid is great at it, he has a passion for it, and he’s lucky to have a supportive mother who’s allowing him to discover what his interests and talents are. Season told The Huffington Post, “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.”

We as parents should be our child’s biggest cheerleader. That’s some of the best parenting advice out there.

The story is making news for obvious reasons: because unfortunately there are plenty of parents who wouldn’t allow a young male child to explore an interest in drag makeup. But the fact that the story is gaining traction is proof: we’re growing. And it’s the best, possible growth for our kids. Imagine what your life would be like if your parents were 100% supportive of your unique passions. Those of you who had that type of support are lucky. It’s the best gift we can give to our children, and receive for ourselves.

Killmeyer explains that Ethan wants to learn to do makeup on others, and thought doing it on himself would be good practice. His mom just wishes everyone would relax on projecting gender roles onto kids: “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,” the mom said. “This does not define his gender identity nor his sexual preference. He’s just exploring and being a kid!”

Good for you, mom, for giving your son that space. He’s clearly got talent. What a lucky kid he is to have a mom who’s willing to let him embrace it.