They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. When we’re in our teenage years, or maybe even early 20’s however, we can get a little bothered by people who “copy” us, as this is the time when we’re struggling with self expression an image. But for young children, imitation is not only part of life, it’s imperative. It’s how we learn to speak, walk, and otherwise learn the basics. When we start to copy our friends, it just means that we see something in them that we want to emanate.
When 5-year-old Jax Rosebush’s mom told him that they’d soon have to do something about his “wild hair”, the precocious little boy knew exactly how he wanted it done. He told his mother that he wanted his hair cut just like his friend from school. His classmate, Reddy, had very short hair, and Jax wanted his to look the same.
Jax’s mother Lydia loved the idea, and took her son to get his hair cut so he could like his buddy.
“He said he couldn't wait to go to school on Monday with his hair like Reddy's so that his teacher wouldn't be able to tell them apart. He thought it would be so hilarious to confuse his teacher with the same haircut.” Lydia recalled. She said her son was so enthusiastic about getting the same hairstyle as his friend, that he was certain their teacher would be mixing up the two!
Now, things like this may have happened before, we’ve all probably had a friend that looks a similar to us. After his new haircut, Lydia posted a picture of Jax and Reddy side by side.
“Here's a picture of Jax and Reddy from their Christmas program. I'm sure you all see the resemblance.” she writes. Perhaps one of the first things you’ll notice in this picture- aside from the boys’ great haircuts- is the fact that Jax is Caucasian and Reddy is African-American. To us, it may a bit silly that Jax thought his teacher may mix up the two because of this notable difference, but in Jax’s mind, they look identical.
“If this isn't proof that hate and prejudice is something that is taught I don't know what is. The only difference Jax sees in the two of them is their hair.” Lydia says.
The loving mother shared the adorable photo on her Facebook page, explaining Jax’s story and reasoning behind his haircut. The photo went viral with over 225,000 likes and more than 106,000 shares. The comments section was flooded with words of positivity, and people who were overjoyed by this adorable story.
Jax’s story is a great reminder to all of us what really matters when it comes to friendship: a person’s heart. Little Jax didn’t see a classmate with a different skin color- he saw a friend with a great haircut.
What do you think of this cute story?
