When it comes to parenting, no one should be able to tell you the right way or the wrong way to do things.
And for mom Jen Anderson Shattuck, a complete stranger tried to do just that.
Shattuck's three-and-a-half-year-old son Roo has a wide variety of interests. But he also happens to enjoy wearing tutus because they make him feel "beautiful" and "brave."
However, not everybody agrees with letting Roo wear the clothes he wants to wear. In fact, one stranger went so far as to accuse Shattuck of child abuse for allowing him to wear a tutu.
Scroll through below to see what happened when this stranger tried to tell this mother how to be a parent, and why this story is going absolutely viral (it's been shared over 40,000 times).
What would you do if someone tried to tell you how you should let your child dress? Let us know in the comments.
This mom posted on Facebook:
"My three-and-a-half-year-old son likes to play trucks. He likes to do jigsaw puzzles. He likes to eat plums. And he likes to wear sparkly tutus.
"If asked, he will say the tutus make him feel beautiful and brave. If asked, he will say there are no rules about what boys can wear or what girls can wear.
"My son has worn tutus to church. He has worn tutus to the grocery store. He has worn tutus on the train and in the sandbox.
"It has been, in our part of the world, a non-issue. We have been asked some well-intentioned questions; we've answered them; it has been fine. It WAS fine, until yesterday."
"Yesterday, on our walk to the park, my son and I were accosted by someone who demanded to know why my son was wearing a skirt. We didn't know him, but he appeared to have been watching us for some time.
"'I'm just curious,' the man said. 'Why do you keep doing this to your son?'
"He wasn't curious. He didn't want answers. He wanted to make sure we both knew that what my son was doing — what I was ALLOWING him to do — was wrong."
"'She shouldn't keep doing this to you,' he said. He spoke directly to my son. 'You're a boy. She's a bad mommy. It's child abuse.'
"He took pictures of us, although I asked him not to; he threatened me. 'Now everyone will know,' he said. 'You'll see.'
"I called the police. They came, they took their report, they complimented the skirt. Still, my son does not feel safe today. He wants to know: 'Is the man coming back? The bad man? Is he going to shout more unkind things about my skirt? Is he going to take more pictures?'
"I can't say for sure. But I can say this: I will not be intimidated. I will not be made to feel vulnerable or afraid. I will not let angry strangers tell my son what he can or cannot wear."
This mother's post has since gone absolutely viral, with over 46,000 likes and 43,000 shares. The message has gone viral as well. The post continues:
"Our family has a motto. The motto is this: We are loving. We are kind. We are determined and persistent. We are beautiful and brave.
"We know who we are. Angry strangers will not change who we are. The world will not change who we are — we will change the world."
The support for little Roo and his tutu has been enormous.
Another mother even posted this photo on Facebook, writing:
"A friend of mine wanted to share this photo of her son and daughter dancing in their tutus, in solidarity with Roo."
While the support of strangers for Roo has been great, even sparking the hashtag "#tutusforroo," there is no greater gift to the young boy than that of his loving and fiercely devoted parents.
What would you do if a stranger tried to tell you what your child should and shouldn't wear? Let us know in the comments.
Please SHARE this loving mother's story as a sign of solidarity for young Roo!
