Unfortunately, in a society where people are often finding fault with one another, children are not exempt from this practice. One of the most effective strategies is to educate one’s children in the art of maintaining their composure in the face of criticism. These problems, which might take the form of gender stereotypes or concerns about one’s appearance, are still prevalent in the modern world.
In September 2023, a doting father named Aaron Gouveia came to TikTok with the handle “daddyfiles” to relay the story of how his 7-year-old son, Tommy Gouveia, defiantly fought against gender norms in school after reacting to a lady who chastised him for wearing nail polish. Tommy Gouveia was wearing nail paint at the time, and the woman had reprimanded him for wearing it. This was not the first time the father of three boys had brought up the topic of people questioning his children’s enthusiasm for nail polish; in fact, it was one of his favorite topics to discuss.
In October of 2018, Sam Gouveia, Tommy’s brother, was also called out at school for having his nails polished. According to ABC, Aaron said to GMA that his kid, who is five years old and attends kindergarten, came home from school and sobbed in his mother’s arms. He related how Sam had contacted him at work to tell that other children at school had told him to “take that off.”
Aaron went on to say that prior to that event, his kid did not have any embarrassment about wearing nail paint since his grandma was a manicurist and did his nails on a regular basis. In a tweet that has since been removed, the man who is a parent to three children vented his anger at the way in which his kid learnt about toxic masculinity.
Sam became disheartened as a result of the encounter, and by the time he got home from school that day, he wanted to remove the nail paint. The next part of his statement was that Sam “felt bad because he had never been made fun of before.” Sam, on the other hand, regained his confidence after reading the uplifting remarks left by other males. When he went back to school, he wore nail paint that had “a little bit of glitter on it.”
Tommy, in contrast to his brother Sam, did not show any reluctance when confronted with criticism over his nail paint. At the beginning of the video, Tommy could be seen standing in front of their house while sporting a football shirt in the color navy blue.
In the video, Aaron urged Tommy to demonstrate his nail art for the camera. Tommy complied. The little boy, then 7 years old, extended his hands and showed off his nail paint, which was a dark blue color to match his clothing. Aaron asked Tommy, “What happened at football today?” after showing off his manicured nails. “What happened at football today?” Tommy divulged with self-assurance,
“Someone’s mom told their kid that girls can only wear nail polish.”
Aaron pursued his line of inquiry with his kid by asking, “And what did you say?” In response, Tommy had an excellent retort, saying, “And then I said your mom’s only mad ’cause I got more taste than you.'”
Aaron praised Tommy for his courageous reaction, and then he proceeded to address the broader audience. Aaron expressed his gratitude for Tommy’s response. He also clarified that “anyone can wear nail polish, even football players, even baseball players, anybody.”
Other users of social media rushed to the comments section in order to express their approval of Tommy’s self-assurance. Someone said, “YESSS, if I had that mindset when I was this age, my life would’ve been so much better.”
Someone another wrote, “Congratulations, buddy! I didn’t have nearly as much self-assurance when I was younger, and I really wish I had it now! Another individual thought the same thing, and they expressed their agreement by writing, “Kids like this guy give me hope for the future.” What a wonderful father!
When children are put down or insulted, it may cause serious harm to their sense of self-worth and confidence, which can carry over into adulthood. Every kid has to be endowed with unshakeable confidence so that they can navigate through society, which is something that parents need to understand since society will constantly critique.