As parents, you know that kids are full of surprises. Sometimes, the unexpected isn’t such a good thing while other times, it tugs at the heartstrings.
Planning “Twin Day” at school
Brittany Tankersley, a mother from Foley, Alabama experienced an incredible surprise when her son Myles, who was in kindergarten, announced he wanted to dress up like his “twin” from school. The occasion? Twin Day of course.
The need for a quick solution
As Myles explained to his mom, he and his friend Tanner wanted to dress up like twins. Considering she didn’t find out until 8:00 the night before the special day, she had to quickly come up with a solution. With other things to do, she was somewhat irritated.
They look exactly alike
As Brittany explained, what made this so interesting was her son’s description of the two. “We both have brown eyes, we both have dark hair…” Even with her son’s prompting, she wasn’t too happy about trying to find something at the last minute for the two to wear.
Regardless, she headed to the local Walmart. There, she found matching flannel shirts with the words “Future Leader” on the front. Unsure of Tanner’s size, she bought identical shirts, hoping his would fit.
Proudly wearing his new shirt, Myles had the second one inside his backpack for his “twin” Tanner.
Myles had gone on and on about how much he and Tanner resembled each other. Since Brittany hadn’t yet met his school friend, she was excited to see the resemblance for herself. So, the boys asked their teacher to take a photo as proof.
The photo wasn’t anything like what the mom anticipated seeing.
Brittany was expecting one thing but when her son showed her the photo, she burst out crying. “I was basically crying because it was so sweet,” Brittany said. “Obviously, I know that they don’t look alike at all. But he didn’t see that, you know? I expect to get a picture of another white child with light skin and brown hair, whatever, but I didn’t get that at all.” Brittany added, “That is the sweetest thing in the whole world.”
As it turns out, Myles is white and Tanner black. Touched by the two boys and the friendship they share; Brittany posted the photo on Facebook. In no time, it went viral. What’s even more incredible? Her son really doesn’t see a difference between himself and his friend.
Brittany hopes the picture will help other people see that color on the outside isn’t what defines a person on the inside. Myles and Tanner’s friendship is a good reminder for everyone to be less color blind.
Spreading the word through innocent children
Along with the photo inspiring people through Brittany’s Facebook page, the two “twins” made a big statement at school that day. Not only did they help open the eyes of other kids, but dressing alike because they resembled each other so much also impacted the entire school’s faculty.
Brittany had no way of knowing how spot on the words “Future Leader” on the boys’ shirts would prove to be. With pure innocence, both Myles and Tanner are future leaders, showing the world that color is only skin deep. Talk about a great surprise.
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