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- Barbers all over the world are sharing wholesome moments with their clients.
- Joining the list is Vernon Jackson, whose adorable haircutting encounter with a 7-year-old recently went viral.
- The boy, named Ellison, has Down syndrome and has been struggling to find a salon where he's not judged.
When you go through social media, you are sure to find some wholesome videos between barbers and their clients, from barbers who shave their hair in support of their customers who are going through chemotherapy to those who give homeless people a haircut makeover.
The latest of these to surface on the internet is one between a barber and a 7-year-old boy with Down syndrome. The viral video has touched the hearts of many users, and the barber spoke to Good Morning America (GMA) about the moment.
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"There you go, you're doing an awesome job, man; I'm so proud of you," the barber, Vernon Jackson, says in the video. The boy, Ellison, responds to the barber, telling him to stop before telling him to continue again while laughing. Vernon tells the boy that he did a great job using his words." Ellison, you know, that's his second time coming to see me. He walks in; he was energetic, he was ready, he was on fire. He walks in like, 'Haircut. Haircut'. I'm like, 'Ellison! Hey, my guy," Vernon told Good Morning America.
READ MORE | WATCH | Heartwarming moment adorable tot with Down Syndrome takes his first steps
Vernon owns a shop in Cincinnati, Ohio (US) called the 'Noble Barber and Beauty'. He started 'The Gifted Event', where he donates haircuts to children who need accommodations.
"Ellison, his personality by nature is a class clown, so if he knows that what he's doing is making you laugh, he's going to continue doing it, and it just becomes the fun thing that he does. So, once he saw the reaction from Vernon, I'm not surprised that he just continued it," Ellison's mother, Julie Eubanks, said.
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Vernon also added that he couldn't help himself but laugh at what Ellison was saying and doing during his haircut. "I couldn't help but to get a kick out of it. At one moment, Julie was like, 'I'm so sorry, Vernon', and I was like, 'No, no, no. Listen, let him do his thing'. I would stop and go as many times as necessary to make sure that he had a great experience in the chair and we get through it," Vernon added.
Julie says she was also caught off guard by her son's behaviour when he got his haircut. "I was not expecting it. He's never done that before, and I was trying really hard not to crack up. Historically for Ellison, I normally have to sit him in the chair and bear hug him so that he doesn't swat the scissors out of the stylist's hand, or he's never wanted the clippers anywhere close to him. He's always freaked out about it, and it takes a very long time, and we're on display in the middle of the salon," the mother said.
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She continued to add that it's nice that she and Ellison have a place to go to now where they're not judged. Julie also spoke about the energy that Vernon has that makes them comfortable coming to his barber shop.
"I think that Vernon has a cool energy. He was just welcoming to him and treated him like a human being, like any other client and worked with him. That means a lot to any person, and Ellison appreciated that and, in turn, felt super comfortable with that," Julie says.
Vernon says his main goal is to talk to the child as a client and not to the parent. "Typically, the parents like to be to the side. I'll have the time with the child, so we could build our own connection and work through this process together. I know what it feels like to be insecure. I know what it feels like to not be accepted," says the now-famous barber.
Additional source: Good Morning America
