A Father's Love! Dad Lets His Son Be A Mermaid On His Birthday, 'Wag Mo Hayaang Ibaba Nila Ang Bandera Mo'

At this day and age, a photo of a boy wearing a mermaid costume is not at all shocking, but a photo shared by a dad carrying his son as a sirena is everything.

John Alexis 'Papa B' Avestrus, a 34-year-old dad from Parañaque City shared on April 1 a photo of him and his son Santino who was in his mermaid-themed birthday party. His original post has received over shared more than 34K times.

He wrote, "PINANGANAK KANG LALAKE PERO PUSONG BABAE [emoji]DI AKO MAGICIAN PARA GAWIN KANG iHa!PERO MAHAL KITA KAYA, SUPORTA AKO, SA KUNG ANO MAN ANG GUSTO MO [emoji]

In the comment sections, most of the response were positive, saying Papa B showed courage and expressed the real meaning of a father's love.

One netizen said, "Everyone deserves a father like you."

Another one said, "Judging from the comments, the world is healing."

One of the top comments said, "Swerteng ng bata dahil pinanganak siya sa magulang na very supportive at accepting. Halos lahat ng magulang kayang mahalin ang anak pero di lahat kayang tanggapin."

Papa B told Smart Parenting that he is happy with the heartwarming comments. "Nakakatouch, na-appreciate ko talaga. Thanks sa kanila," he said.

However, since gender remains a sensitive topic here in the Philippines, there were a few who said that Papa B's parenting is a failure. He said he respects other people's opinion, citing "Freedom of speech."

Papa B has four other kids, and Santino was the fourth one. He said, Santino wished to be a mermaid on his 8th birthday, but he already observed that his son is gay, "This March lang [sinabi na gusto maging sirena] Pero yung lambot niya, mga 3-4 years old."

So the doting father granted his son's wish, "Ayan ang wish mo isa ka ng sirena."

When Smart Parenting asked what's his message to his son, amid all the bashing, Papa B maintains, "Wag mo hayaang ibaba nila ang bandera mo!"

His now viral post ends with this line, "I Love You SANTINO" and he even closed it with "Papa B [heart emoji]."

READ ALSO: 'The Best Way To Love Your Children Is To Love Their Mother,' 7-Year-Old Kulot Reminds Us In Trending Video

In an article by CNN, an organization that supports lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer-identified  (LGBTQ) children and youth, says support from parents and caregivers can make an impact on a child’s mental health.

Caitlyn Ryan, director of the Family Acceptance Project, said, "When a child comes out, parents don’t always know what to do and what to say, and that’s OK." She added, "The main thing is that you are there for your child, she added."

Read the dos and don't when your child comes out to you as LGBTQ+ here.