Astronaut Responds To Little Boy Who Threw Away His ‘Outer Space’ Shirts After Being Bullied
He was reminded to reach for the stars — literally.
Kindel Media / CanvaPro When we think of “typical” bullying, it’s the high school scene of name-calling and abuse — something almost a quarter of students still experience today. However, the truth is, that it can take many forms and avenues, from kindergartners to fully-grown adults.
“Kindergartners are brutal.” That's exactly what big sister Meg, known as @eggiemegg_ on TikTok, captioned her video sharing the heartbreaking story of her little brother’s school day.
She revealed that her "6-year-old brother came home from school and threw away all of his shirts with outer space and astronauts and planets on them.”
After being ridiculed and teased by his kindergarten classmates, the little boy felt like he had no other choice — he could only wear “cool clothes like Nike or Under Armor” if he wanted to fit in. His once-excited demeanor about space turned into resentment, breaking his sister’s heart into a million pieces.
While this boy’s classmates might’ve made silly comments about his shirts or compared their own so-called cooler hobbies, the truth is, it’s just as hurtful. At such an impressionable age, kindergartners are growing into their own identities, and something as small as an “offhand” comment can radically change their lives.
“Some kids keep calling them stupid,” his sister wrote.
The bullying didn't just change his demeanor, but it fueled him to trash the shirts he used to be ecstatic about wearing. However, when she posted the video of her adorable little brother, she never expected the attention it would garner. From the Star Wars franchise to NASA astronauts, the little boy found his new friends in the comment section — and learned a lesson about confidently sticking by your passions, even when they’re mocked.
Jose Hernandez, a NASA astronaut, saw his video and gave him some words of encouragement.
NASA astronaut Jose Hernandez knows just how hurtful these kinds of comments can be. He even recalled the bullying, name-calling, and ridicule he received for his own passion for space at around the same age.
After the little boy’s video was brought to his attention by his own young daughter, Hernandez made sure to set time aside to send him a message.
“I wanted to tell you that you should still keep wearing your clothes with space, rockets, and planets,” he started. “If I would’ve listened to my friends when I told them I wanted to be an astronaut and they said it was a dumb idea, I would’ve never been able to wear this flight suit and go up into space.”
“I’ve wanted this for over thirty years,” the actor portraying Hernandez’ says in the trailer for his film “A Million Miles Away” — a movie that details his own childhood dreams of becoming an astronaut.
It’s true that this little boy and Hernandez are bonded over their dreams. Whether or not they are fulfilled in the same way, the astronaut reminded the boy that his passions are valid, even if his classmates disagree.
“I never gave up even though my friends said it was a silly idea,” he continued. “I just kept going forward and forward and forward."
Photo: FamVeld / CanvaPro
"This is why you shouldn’t be afraid to wear your space-themed clothes. You should be proud of them," Hernandez added. "Hopefully, if you study hard, I’ll see you working at NASA with me.”
In a reaction video, the young boy looked amazed, with his sister on the edge of tears as Hernandez told the boy to hold onto his dreams.
Thousands of people flooded the comments of this sister’s original video, but even more were ready to share their compassion after Hernandez’s heartfelt response. From hundreds of brand accounts to other space engineers, everyone made sure to remind this boy that his passions were valid — and that he was special.
“Space rules,” the Star Wars TikTok account wrote. “Don’t let anyone tell you differently.”
Just a few days later, Meg recorded another TikTok with her brother — this time showing him the heartfelt message from a “real-life astronaut.” As his face lit up and he made silly faces at the camera, his sister sat back in admiration. In the comments, she made sure to mention that her family had found his space-themed clothes and that he hadn’t thrown them away after all.
“Afterwards,” she wrote, “he said ‘Okay, maybe I’ll wear my space shirts’.”
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a news and entertainment writer at YourTango focusing on pop culture analysis and human interest stories.