9-year-old CJ Duron has always loved giving makeovers to dolls and family members and he recently offered to do make up on his dad, Matt — whose response is going viral.
When CJ asked if he could give Matt a glamorous makeover, some might be surprised to hear that Matt jumped at the chance.
Matt wrote on his blog about gender nonconforming CJ’s childhood, “Why wouldn’t I want to be a part of something that brings joy to my son’s life?”
“My son doing my makeup is the same as a dad throwing a football with his son. It’s not about what you are doing together; it’s about doing it together.”
“It’s about encouraging your children to engage with you. It’s about spending time with your child doing something they enjoy doing.”
“He loves doing my makeup because he can make me look silly or dramatic and it cracks him up. Sometimes he takes it very serious … other times it’s more of a face painting exercise.”
CJ’s mom Lori added, “Kids come to us with their gender intact. It’s as much a part of them as being right-handed or having red hair.”
“As parents, we just have to accept that our child’s gender identity and expression may not match the sex they are assigned at birth. We have to be open to the gender they tell us they are.”
“He loves doing [my makeup]”, says Matt simply, “And I love being a part of some type of activity that my son loves doing.”