A mother has publicly responded to a woman and son who shamed her three-year-old son for wearing "girly" socks.
Shona Campbell criticised the mum for laughing along with her son after they pointed out the heart-shaped pattern.
Campbell said she was proud of her son Harry, who makes his own decisions about who he wants to be and what he wants to wear.
"You may have thought I didn't hear you but let me assure you I did when your child pointed out my son had love hearts on his socks," Campbell began the letter on Facebook.
"When your child pointed out my son had love hearts on his socks, and mocked them for being girls' socks, you absolutely tore apart my faith in this world, because you agreed and laughed along with your child," Campbell wrote.
"My son is three years old, he loves love hearts, he loves the colour pink, he loves to play with dolls and prams.
"But what he loves more than anything is having the independence to make his own choices. He chose these socks in the shop and he chose to wear them today."
Campbell openly asked why adults shouldn't teach children that there are certain colours, toys or clothes for girls and boys.
"If my son wants to wear a dress, he can. If he wants to wear a big fluffy hat, he can," she continued.
"And if he wants to wear socks with love hearts, he can.
"I am bringing up my son to be whoever he wants to be and I do not appreciate people like you poking fun at him, telling him he's wrong for what he wears or dictating what he should or shouldn't do or wear."
She said her son is the "perfect age" to allow children to make their own decisions and let them figure out who they want to be, not who society says they should be.
Alongside the photo of her son wearing the heart-printed socks, Campbell added: "This is my son. And I love him. Love heart socks and all.
"I'd really like to make sure she, and anyone else that thinks it's ok to specify gender in clothes, sees this and hopes narrow mindedness is replaced with open mindedness."
Campbell wrote the post on Facebook on 24 March 2016 and was shared 95,000 times in five days.
She said she didn’t say anything to the mother at the time because she didn't want to cause a scene.
"By the time I had taken Harry home the words I wanted to say were so much clearer, so I took to Facebook to share my feelings," she told BuzzFeed News.
"I believe that actually we should be learning from them, who they want to be, and guide them along their way."
Commenting on the post, many parents agreed children should not be confined into certain categories for the clothes they wear.
"The world would be a much more interesting place if people just wore what they liked," one woman commented.
"Some people are just sheltered and not intelligent enough to notice things for what they are."
Another person wrote: "Society has shaped us to believe what is right for boys and girls. It sucks.
"We need to all just let our kids be, and find themselves, not fit into a box that someone made up."
Boredom Banishing Ideas For Creative Kids
Paper chains(01 of05)
Open Image ModalMaking paper chains is a great activity to do with young children. All you need is some brightly coloured A4 paper, a pair of scissors and some glue. Start by cutting the paper into strips (a width of about 2cm is perfect) and then create a loop with the paper, sticking it with glue on one side. Once it’s dry, feed the next strip through the loop and glue the end of that one too. Keep going until you have you desired length of chain. You could even think about drawing your own designs on the paper before you cut them up. (credit:D. Sharon Pruitt Pink Sherbet Photography via Getty Images)
Potato print making(02 of05)
Open Image ModalPotato print making or relief printing, to give it its proper name is a brilliantly cheap and effective way of creating artwork. Grab a selection of potatoes (big or small and any type) and cut them in half. Then draw on your design to the flat surface of the potato and carefully cut round the shape. A good tip is to blot the potato with some kitchen roll, so it’s not too wet. Next, choose your colours (poster paints work well). Paint on a very thin layer and print onto the paper to make your own homemade birthday cards or wrapping paper. (credit:Michaela Gunter via Getty Images)
Decorated biscuits(03 of05)
Open Image ModalEveryone loves a homemade biscuit, especially when it has your own design iced onto it. First up, there’s the baking (a light butter biscuit is ideal). They can be any shape you like round, heart or even star-shaped. Then it’s time for the icing, make up a thick, glossy paste with icing sugar and water and split the mixture evenly into different bowls, mixing a different gel food colour into each one. Scoop the icing into separate piping bags and you’re ready to go. Don’t forget to wear an apron. (credit:Donald Iain Smith via Getty Images)
Homemade glitter globes(04 of05)
Open Image ModalGlitter globes are a lovely idea to try out with children. There’s a few things you’ll need before you begin, a couple of empty glass jars with lids (make sure you wash them out first), a tube of glitter, some strong glue, a jug of water and a figurine of your choice. Open up the jar and glue your figurine to the lid (make sure its stuck fast), then fill up the jar with water and shake in your glitter (you can add a few teaspoons of glycerine if you want the glitter to shake better, but that is optional), then just screw on the lid. To make a really personal gift you could laminate a photo of yourself or a loved one and pop that in the jar instead of a figurine. (credit:Flickr CC-BY Amy Gizienski)
Bunting(05 of05)
Open Image ModalA variation on the paper chain idea is making bunting. Start by getting colourful or patterned paper and folding it in half, this way the design will be on both sides. Then cut out a cardboard triangle template so all of your bunting will be the same size. Carefully cut out all the triangles you need from the paper (they will look like a diamond shape if you open them out fully). Then lay out a length of string. Open up the triangle and hang it over the string and dot a little bit of glue at the point of the triangle, so it stays together. It’s a simple but effective decoration. (credit:journeyswithasimplegirl ~ Angela Hendrix Petry via Getty Images)