If you think you’ve seen the most adorable, absolutely heartwarming thing already, you’re wrong. I’m not even sorry to say that. You’re just wrong. One little boy proves that he literally is the embodiment of all things cute and precious. His name is Alfie Shields, and he’s obsessed with performing–in this case, he’s a mini-Bette Midler.
Last week, his parents, Steven and Emma Shields, posted a video of Alfie performing am incredible rendition of “I Put a Spell on You” from “Hocus Pocus,” while Bette Midler’s performance as Winifred was on in the background. Of course, his outfit was on-point, with the robe and wig, not to mention his dance moves. Alfie was so passionate about that I basically felt like I was watching a majestic creature.
Not surprisingly, the video has gone viral, now with with over 938k views, 13k likes, 14k shares, and almost 5k comments. I’ve really never seen anything quite so perfect.
Because of the positive response the video received, Alfie’s dad posted an update afterward, explaining all Alfie wanted to know was if Bette Midler herself has seen the video:
“I have told Alfie how many views he has so far and he’s taking it in his stride, all he keeps asking is if Bette [Midler] has seen it yet!”
What makes this all so magical is the fact that Midler had, and complimented Alfie in a post:
“Alfie, you nailed it! I absolutely love it!”
Of course, this isn’t Alfie’s first time performing. His parents explained:
“Before Alfie could talk he was trying to sing and ever since, he has put on performances like this (I have videos to prove it!). We could be anywhere (supermarket, on a train, at restaurants, etc.) and he will all of a sudden belt out song.”
His parents then went on to mention how they would never change a thing about him, and encourage Alfie to continue expressing himself creatively:
“There is one thing me and my wife would never do and that is try and change who he is. There is no such thing as a perfect child; as long as they are healthy, show respect, and know right from wrong, then there is nothing else you can do apart from letting them be who they are.”
This story pretty much made my week. Besides the video being adorable, it’s so amazing to see parents allow their kids to defy gender stereotypes and allow them to dabble in activities that might be deemed “inappropriate” for their gender. In this case, Alfie is dressing up as a female character from a classic movie–and is using his imagination to have fun. I’m sure Alfie will continue to bring smiles to many and break boundaries for the years to come.
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Joanna Valente is the former Staff Writer at Kveller. Joanna is the author of Sirs & Madams, The Gods Are Dead, Xenos, and Marys of the Sea, and received an MFA at Sarah Lawrence College. You can follow @joannasaid on Twitter and @joannacvalente on Instagram.
