In a world where people constantly criticize others, kids are sadly not left out. One of the best solutions is to teach your kids how to stand their ground in the face of criticism. These issues could range from gender stereotypes to body image, and they remain an issue in the world today.
Doting dad Aaron Gouveia took to TikTok in September 2023 with the username @daddyfiles to share how his 7-year-old son, Tommy Gouveia, confidently stood against gender stereotypes in school after responding to a woman who scolded him for wearing nail polish. This was not the first time the father of three boys had talked about how people questioned his children’s love for nail polish.
In October 2018, Tommy’s brother, Sam Gouveia, was also criticized at school for having his nails polished. Per ABC, Aaron shared with GMA that his 5-year-old son returned home from kindergarten and cried in his mom’s arms. He shared that Sam called him at work to explain that other kids at school said he should “take that off.”
Aaron continued that before that experience, his son had no shame wearing nail polish because his grandmother was a manicurist and did his nails often. The father-of-three took to X in a since-deleted tweet to express his rage on how his son learned about toxic masculinity.
The incident discouraged Sam; after school that day, he wanted to take the nail polish off. He continued that Sam “felt bad because he had never been made fun of before.” However, after reading encouraging comments from men, Sam got his confidence back. He returned to kindergarten wearing nail polish with “a little bit of glitter on it.”
Unlike his brother Sam, Tommy did not hesitate to clap back at criticisms over his nail polish. The video started with Tommy wearing a navy blue football jersey in front of their home.
In the video, Aaron encouraged Tommy to show his nails to the camera. The 7-year-old then lifted his hands and flaunted his dark blue nail polish, which matched his uniform. After flaunting his nails, Aaron asked Tommy, “What happened at football today?” Tommy confidently shared:
“Someone’s mom told their kid that girls can only wear nail polish.”
Aaron further questioned his son, ” And what did you say?” to which Tommy shared his impressive response, “And then I said your mom’s only mad ’cause I got more taste than you.'”
This bold response was well appreciated by Aaron, who commended Tommy and then went ahead to address the general public. He explained that “anyone can wear nail polish, even football players, even baseball players, anybody.”
Tommy’s confidence was also applauded by other social media users who dashed to the comments. One person commented, “YESSS if I had that mindset at this age my life would’ve been so much better.”
Someone else wrote: “Way to go bud! Wish I had that much confidence when I was in school!” Another person agreed and wrote: “Kids like this guy give me hope for the future. What a great dad!”
Talking down on children could do a number on their self-esteem or damage their confidence when they become adults. Parents need to learn that since society will always criticize, every child needs to be equipped with unshakable confidence to surf through.
Isn’t it amazing how little Tommy could not be cut short by stereotypes? What other ways do you think kids’ confidence can be boosted? Let us know, and be sure to pass this on to others.