For a myriad of reasons, most of us grow up with unrealistic standards of beauty and what our body should like. So, even the slightest deviation from the 'accepted' beauty standards, tends to cause a lot of stress, loss of self confidence and the feeling of not being good enough.?Something as natural as birthmarks, if they are significantly big, can cause people - especially kids - to feel conscious.
A father from Alberta, Canada has won people's hearts by getting a tattoo of his 8-year-old son's birthmark to make him feel less self-conscious.?
The father, Derek Prue Sr, spent 30 hours getting a brown patch tattooed to his torso to match his son's. His inspiration was when he noticed that his son was becoming self-conscious about his birthmark.?
He got the tattoo done from Juicy Quill Tattoo,?by artist Tony Gilbert.
"This is something that really affected his everyday life, giving him more confidence, letting him know he wasn't the only person with this big mark. Now it's forever,¡± said Gilbert.
Derek added that even though his son was proud of his birthmark, he refused to take his t-shirt off at the swimming pool one day.?
"He was always proud of his birthmark and then I saw he started to kind of cover it up. I think he was maybe a little bit self-conscious about it. I wanted to get the same thing so he wouldn't be the only one," said Derek.
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So, Derek showed his tattooed patch to his son during a visit to the swimming pool, to let him know that he had nothing to be ashamed of and that he wasn't alone in this.
A short clip showing Derek Jr. reacting to his father's new tattoo has been widely shared on social media.
"I just kind of took my shirt off. He was wearing his shirt. I showed him that I had the exact same mark as him," said Derek.
The father and son visited Juicy Quill Tattoo together to see how the new tattoo matched the birthmark on Derek Jr's torso.
Not only was the man's gesture extremely moving and heartwarming, its impact will make a huge difference in his son's life. It will make him more comfortable with his body and also inculcate in him, the sense of acceptance and self love.?
No matter how we look, there's much more to a person than just that. More often than not, we forget this little life lesson.