Bullied over his Tony Stark costume, boy bravely returns to school On October 22, 2021, Evan, then a 10-year-old fifth grader in Missouri, was excited to attend his school’s Halloween party dressed as Tony Stark. His costume included a vest, glasses, and a drawn-on goatee inspired by the Marvel character. But about 20 minutes after he boarded the bus, his mother, Jill, received a call from school: other children had made fun of his appearance. Evan was so hurt that he washed off his makeup and no longer wanted to attend the party. When Jill picked him up, she found him crying. “We both have swollen eyes from crying and are on our way to try to find ice cream,” she wrote on Facebook, adding that “WORDS hurt.” Over refreshments and a conversation at Starbucks, Jill and Evan talked through what had happened. She asked whether he wanted to return to the party. He decided he did. They went home, redid his makeup, and headed back to school in costume. Jill later said Evan was a little scared to walk back in, but he had a good rest of the day and felt proud. “This boy is tough and made me so proud!” she wrote. His return showed how a hurtful moment need not have the final word. 💖✨ - @thisispseudonym