Scary Mommy loves teachers, okay? Just not this one. Last week, 3-year-old Ashton Shearhod came home from preschool with some devastating news: his teacher told him that nail polish was only for girls, not boys. Luckily, the little boy had better luck finding acceptance (and fun) at home: his dad Christian not only set the record straight that nail polish is for everyone, but whisked his toddler off to the nail salon for a mani/pedi.
He shared how everything went down on TikTok, and the video quickly went viral, tallying over 4 million views in just a few days.
“Yesterday my son came home from school upset because his teacher told him that painting his nails is only for girls,” he opens the video. “So today I’m taking him to the nail shop!”
On the way to the salon, the father and son pair go over what happened at school, with Ashton relaying the story with tears in his eyes.
Upon entering, Ashton is giddy as heck as he immediately gravitates to the very pinkest shade of polish and asks to do both fingers and toes (treat yourself, Ashton!!). He’s terribly happy with the whole event, but especially that his mom Eden picked the same color.
Christian ends the video with a strong message: “Let boys like what they want: trucks, Spider-Man, Paw Patrol &&& maybe painting his nails.”
In an interview with NBC News, Shearhod said he and his son have painted their nails together since Ashton was 2.
“I really just wanted to make sure that he didn’t have guilt or shame, because it is something that he enjoyed, and we had done together multiple times,” Shearhod said.
In the almost 15,000 comments, almost everyone was incredibly supportive of Christian and Eden’s parenting.
“Good dad! Painted nails are for whoever wants them painted,” one person wrote.
“As a teacher, I am so sorry,” an educator wrote. “I always tell my kids that there aren’t ‘boy’ or ‘girl’ things, just things that we like.”
“I’m a girl and I work on cars,” another viewer wrote. “My brother in law loves the color pink. my son likes his nails polished. The earth still turns the right way.”
These were some off comments of course, because it’s the internet. Shearhod posted a response video to one person who wondered if his son is gay.
“My son is literally three years old,” he responds. “He can’t be gay because he doesn’t have a sexuality yet. And I’m going to assign him — and your not going to assign him — a sexuality because he likes feminine things, things outside of his typical gender norm?”
He also posted a follow-up talking to his son’s preschool about the messages his son is bringing home about gender norms. And it’s super refreshing to see him talking super openly with his school about his feelings, not just posting on TikTok.
In the caption of the video he wrote: “So before anyone tries to cancel his school; we have to remember that different cultures have different gender norms. & His teachers love him and are really so good to him! As a teacher myself I know his teacher probably thought she was helping him and I highly doubt there was any malicious intent. We’re all on the same page now.”
As teacher himself, and as someone in a relationship with a transgender person, Shearhod says his parenting philosophy, his teaching philosophy (and his TikTok channel) are all about being yourself and accepting others. And if that means more manicures for everyone, let’s bring it on.
