Showing posts with label sons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sons. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Dad's Twitter Rant Defending His 5-Year-Old Son Goes Viral

Aaron Gouveia and son, Sam (image via Twitter)
A proud father posted an epic Twitter rant that went viral after his five-year-old son, Sam, was the victim of bullying and ‘toxic masculinity.’



Aaron Gouveia is the proud dad of three sons.

His middle boy, Sam, who Aaron calls a ‘boy’s boy,’ likes all kinds of things. For instance, he’s big on fishing, dirt, trucks and knee drops on the couch.



Sam also likes some 'girl things,' like collecting purses because “he likes to carry things around," and wearing polish on his nails because they “look beautiful.”

I think Sam has great taste in colors, too.



Sam recently wore his red nail polish to kindergarten.

His dad says Sam has “absolutely no concept of nail polish only being for girls or reason to think anyone would possibly have a problem with beautiful nails.”

I'm with you there, Aaron. Sam is rocking that red!



But Sam’s classmates apparently have no sense of individuality or self-expression.

According to Aaron, Sam was “ridiculed for being a boy with nail polish.”

The kids called Sam names all day long and told him he should take it off.



Sam was extremely upset and crying when his mom picked him up from school.

Sam couldn’t understand why the kids made fun of him and was “devastated at how the other kids turned on him.”



When Aaron got a call at work from Sam, who was still crying, dad told him that “his nails are BADASS!” and the only thing Sam should care about is whether HE likes his nails.

I'm liking Aaron more and more here, folks.



But Aaron’s heart broke when Sam asked if his mom would remove the nail polish so the kids at school wouldn’t make fun on him anymore.



Noting Sam’s “huge heart,” Aaron shared his pride that his son has never been afraid to be different because “different has never meant ‘bad.’”



Aaron also pointed out that “this toxic masculinity bullshit is LEARNED,” and learned from parents.





Aaron shared that he and his wife have spent years “preaching tolerance, acceptance, and the importance of expression,” but in just a single day Sam’s classmates were able to teach Sam ‘shame.’



Dad had a long talk with his son, and the upshot was Sam should not only keep wearing his nail polish, but it should be “an even brighter shade tomorrow.”

He also told Sam he should ask the kids why the nail polish got them so wound up.

Alright! Go Aaron, go!



Aaron went on to tell the Twitterverse that his son “is a goddamn fireworks show of a human being” and he had no intention of Sam’s light being diminished by “restrictive bullshit” like this.

Aaron for 'Dad of the Year!'



Dad also rightfully pointed out to Sam that lots of guys like “Thor & Capt. Jack Sparrow” wear nail polish.

He even threw New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski in the mix, although he wasn’t too sure of Gronk.



More importantly, though, Aaron told Sam that what other people think doesn’t matter because “what you wear and how you look should make YOU look good.”

Yaassssss!



Not only did Sam decide to leave his nail polish on, his 10-year-old brother painted HIS nails in solidarity.



You know what happened next - Aaron decided to pain HIS nails as well.

Even though the shade, chosen by Sam, is a bit “understated,” dad liked it.

But Sam is sticking with his bright red because “it’s pretty and good luck for the Patriots.”



Aaron wrapped up his Twitter thread saying that even though “intolerant parents and their offspring scored a minor victory,” they would not “win the war.”



Dad signed off with a shout-out to his man, Sam, letting him know he always has his back.



This reminds me of the popular internet meme - “This is Aaron and Sam. They don’t care about other people’s rigid, intolerant views. Be like Aaron and Sam.”

Now, if Rob Gronkowski would just chime in with a pic of his nails painted red, that might just break the internet.


Posted by Randy Slovacek at 2:29 PM 0 comments
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Monday, July 13, 2015

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker Jumps Into 2016 GOP Race


Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker officially announced his presidential campaign today, joining an already crowded field of GOP hopefuls.

In advance of today's announcement, CNN’s Dana Bash traveled to Madison to speak with Walker’s sons – 21 year old Matt and 19 year old Alex.

It turns out that Matt and Alex, like the vast majority of younger Americans, are both supporters of marriage equality. Gov. Walker, however, is decidedly not. He called the Supreme Court’s ruling last month a “grave mistake” and has tested the waters with an idea of a constitutional amendment to allow states to continue banning same-sex marriage.

Bash asked the two sons about their father’s negative reaction to the historic SCOTUS ruling, and how they feel about his position on same-sex marriage.

“We talked to him, like any family we have disagreements,” said Matt . “He just explained his position and that was it.”

“Matt and I aren’t necessarily changing his stances on any issues,” added Alex. “We respect his opinion on things.”

Walker is considered a GOP front-runner along with Jeb Bush, both of whom are expected to be competitive in a general election.

We shall see about that.

Posted by Randy Slovacek at 7:52 AM 0 comments
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Sunday, July 7, 2013

Straight dad's letter to 4 year-old son goes viral


In all the hoopla about the recent marriage equality rulings from SCOTUS, the "bigness" of the decisions has really been the focus for the public.

But many people have stopped and related to the importance of what's "just happened" on very personal levels.

A straight father has written a letter to his 4 year old son about where we are now and how it will be perceived in years to come. Very touching. Here's just an excerpt:

Maybe you'll read about today's decision in a history book and it'll sound like a long time ago, the Dark Ages, when certain couples could marry and certain couples could not. You'll feel comfortable pursuing whatever kind of partnership interests you, no matter the person's gender, or color, or race, or class, or belief system, or whatever, and live in a country in which you can join in the legal state of matrimony with that lucky person.

I hope that by then American society will have a better understanding of what I saw all so plainly today. That if you prick our skin, the same red blood flows through all of our veins. These differences in appearance and behavior and belief in many ways are trivial, surface. How you treat other people, your stewardship of our planet and society and yourself as a functioning, contributing human on Earth, matters so much more than who you'd like to date, have sex with, or marry. As Kurt Vonnegut so succinctly put it, "You've got to be kind."

Other than that? Have fun, kid. And while this marriage thing sure ain't easy - in fact, I don't wish it on anyone who doesn't feel ready, 100% sure they want to make their commitment into a socially recognized, legal bond - I'm happy knowing that if, one day, you think you're ready to take the plunge, you can do it with whomever the hell you want. And I'll be right there (unless you decide to elope like your mom and me decided, which is totally cool too), cheering you on and wishing you well, no matter whose hand you're holding when you say "I do."

You can read the whole letter - that has gone viral in just days - by clicking here.

I love great dads.
Posted by Randy Slovacek at 11:41 AM 0 comments
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Wednesday, March 9, 2011

From GLEE: a father/son discussion that is and isn't about sex



There's something very moving about honest discussions between parents and their children.

From GLEE last night. As a gay man, what resonates about this scene isn't about being gay. It's about a father stepping up and having a really uncomfortable conversation with his son. A father who actually FATHERS a son.

I never had this conversation with my father. In any form. But I have a great amount of confidence that had my "old-world" father been born a little later - my dad would have been something like this.

I'm lucky to have known my father, to know I could say I loved him and to hear him say he loved me. He looked forward to meeting Michael, my husband. He even made us laugh when he met Michael. The first thing my father ever said to Michael was "You must be Michael. Hey - you're good looking." How do you not love that and feel good about where you come from?

Every situation isn't that Disney-wonderful and supportive. Speaking from a different personal perspective, I've been with my husband for over 16 years. Legally married for over 7. But his father has never spoken to me, and his father has never shown any interest in speaking to or meeting me. That's not a judgement. It's just the facts. (To be clear: The parents needed "time to adjust" to my husband's coming out, so I didn't push myself into their lives out of respect. I guess I never thought it would take 16 years to adjust...) Anyway - clearly there's a big chasm out there in terms of fathers, sons and communication.

I'm not a father. But I am a son. So I get half of this equation. And maybe I get a few points for knowing how much I love my god-son, for whom I have a great amount of respect, love and pride.

What would this world be like if all fathers really took the time and thought to have this conversation without judgement? What if....? Just the idea is amazing.

I think this is really amazing.
Posted by Randy Slovacek at 2:27 PM 2 comments
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