Book Week blackface: The boy dressed up as AFL footballer Nic Naitanui. Credit:Twitter The mother of the child, whom Fairfax Media has chosen not to name, said she was originally worried about painting her son because of "politically correct extremists", but decided to dress him up anyway. She boasted that he "looked fanf---ingtastic" and described the moment as a "parenting win".

"He is pastey white and if I just sent him in a wig and footy gear, no one would tell who he was," she said. "So I grew a set of balls and painted my boy brown. Naitanui is another big name to have let West Coast down in the past. Credit:Paul Kane "After being told by everyone on Facebook not to do it and it's a horrible idea etc, my son won the f---ing parade!" The post, which has since been deleted, sparked widespread condemnation on social media.

The boy dressed up as Nic Naitanui. Credit:Twitter The mother later clarified that when she wrote she "grew a set of balls" she did not mean that she chose to offend anyone. "What I meant was, instead of sheltering my son and making him choose something else, I thought, no you have as much right as anyone else to go as who you want, especially your idol", she said. "How this has been twisted into such a nasty vicious thing is beyond me. "And a nine-year-old kid shouldn't have to be subjected to being called racist or even know what it is at this age."

In another Facebook post on Thursday night, the mother said she had been called "every single name under the sun" and had her words "twisted into other people's negative interpretations". "But I have also received literally a hundred inboxes [sic] from amazing women all over the world ... sending me inspirational messages to make me smile," she said. "This makes me believe there is still a little hope for humanity." It's been a bad week for claims of racism in the AFL, kickstarted by the banana-throwing incident that marred the Adelaide-Port Adelaide Showdown on Saturday. AFL stars will take to electronic scoreboards across the country during this weekend's round of games to deliver a strong anti-racism message. - The AFL says the campaign had been arranged for weeks and was not linked to the recent incidents.

On Friday, Naitanui addressed the controversy, saying it "hurts my heart". "It's a shame racism coexists in an environment where our children should be nurtured not tortured because they are unaware of the painful historical significance 'blackface' has had previously on the oppressed," he wrote on Twitter. "I don't believe the mother had any intention to cause harm, just wanted her kid to simply be 'Nic Nat'. However, [she] may reflect on this and choose an alternate method next time." Naitanui said he had encouraged this "mistake" in the past, but had since educated himself about the history of blackface. "Let's grow together," he said.

Naitanui is currently recovering from knee surgery and hopes to return to play for the West Coast Eagles in 2017. While the AFL star is not a character in a children's book, school children across the country were on Thursday encouraged to dress up either as their favourite character or their personal hero. The WA Department of Education refused to comment.