A NASA Astronaut Contacts Young Boy Who Was Teased For Loving Space

Kids can be cruel. As a former young person who was bullied quite frequently in elementary school and junior high, I still remember exactly what was said to me and more so, how absolutely awful those hurtful words made me feel.

Enough digs and jokes at anyone’s expense will drive them to want to change whatever it is about themselves to ease the hurt, especially when you’re young and just want to fit in with the crowd. It’s only human.

One TikTok user shared that her six-year-old brother came home from school crying after being teased for his outer space-themed shirts, and vowing to never wear them again.

“Now he will only wear ‘cool’ clothes like Nike and Under Armor, kindergartners are brutal,” she wrote in the caption.

After her video went viral, several TikTok users reached out to the young boy, encouraging him to keep being himself despite what mean kids in his class think are “stupid.”

“Kids who like outer space are undoubtedly, the coolest. GET YOU SOME SPACE SHIRTS, BIG SISTER. 👏” one user wrote.

“Hey little dude. Don’t worry about what they say. I love space, it’s one of my absolute favorite things in the world. Don’t let people take away that,” another wrote.

Some popular brands also encouraged the young boy on TikTok and commented on the viral video.

“Space is awesome, and so are YOU, young scientist! Proudly wear those space shirts—we know a future astronaut when we see one! 🚀,” the official TikTok account for the California Science Center wrote.

The official Star Wars account chimed in and said, “Space rules. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.”

However, there was one woman who noticed this heart-wrenching video and decided to get her dad involved. Her dad, Jose Hernandez, just so happens to be an actual NASA astronaut.

“@Meg I saw this and had to get my dad to say a few words,” Vanessa Hernandez wrote in the caption of her viral video.

Then, her dad took center stage.

“Hello, I’m astronaut Jose Hernandez, and I want to tell you that you should still keep wearing your clothes that has space rockets and planets because, I tell you, if I would had listened to my friends when I told them I wanted to be an astronaut, and they said it was a dumb idea I would never have gone been able to wear this flight suit and go up into space,” Hernandez said, addressing the bullied six-year-old boy.

“Because I’m an astronaut, and I flew on space shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station for 14 days on a mission, and it took me 12 attempts. NASA rejected 11 times, but I never gave up. Even though my friend said it was a silly idea.”

He concluded: “This is why you should not be afraid to wear your space-theme clothes. You should be proud of them and hopefully, if you study hard, I’ll see you working at NASA with me. Take care. Okay. Bye-bye!”

After the NASA astronaut’s encouraging video caught steam, Meg and her brother sat down to watch the video in a duetted video on TikTok. As Hernandez speaks about going up into space, the young boy’s eyes light up with wonder in a truly touching moment.

“I’m so glad he got to see my dad’s message!! ❤️” Vanessa commented on Meg’s duet.

“Someone did this for my son who wanted to quit karate. I KNOW this means the world to them. AN ASTRONAUT is now part of your village✨” another user commented.

Another wrote, “This is beyond amazing, yes you listen to Jose Hernandez and keep wearing those clothes! 🚀🧑‍🚀✨💫”

Jose Hernandez gave just a few moments of his time and quite possibly changed a little person’s life. Kindness goes a long way!