A dad's TikTok video recently went viral when he captured his son's immense joy in opening a gift he'd hoped for on his birthday.
What might surprise some was that Aaron Gouveia's son, Sam, really wanted a Singer sewing machine to continue his hobby of sewing and working with unique fabrics.
In the video, Sam was presented with a fairly large, wrapped box, which was also contained in a plastic grocery shopping bag. Sam struggled against the bag and the wrapping paper before tearing open one corner and discovering the box.
But it wasn't just any box; it was a Singer sewing machine box.
Sam bounced on the couch, grabbed his hair, and exclaimed loudly his excitement before tearing away more of the wrapping paper and carefully studying the features of the sewing machine contained inside.
You can watch the video here:
In follow-up videos, Gouveia showed Sam already utilizing his new sewing machine by making a bag his aunt intended to take with her to New York Fashion Week, as well as another video in which Sam was gifted a variety of unique fabrics from a TikTok fan.
TikTok's collective heart was warmed by Sam's passion and the support he received from his family.
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After receiving so much praise for the videos, Gouveia confessed that he had not always been so open-minded.
In a follow-up video, Gouveia explained that when his oldest son, who is now 14 years old, was a baby, Gouveia was against seeing his newborn paired with anything that was not socially gender qualified as "boyish" or "male."
Gouveia explained:
"I have to admit, I do feel a little guilty because some of the comments have been like, 'Oh, what a great, supportive dad.'"
"Maybe it's novel to see a dad advocate for things like sewing, but I've got to tell you, my oldest son is 14. And I distinctly remember, years ago, when he was a baby, and I was in my twenties, [my wife] put him in pink socks."
"And I lost my mind. I said, 'What are you going to do? People are going to think he's gay!' All because he had pink socks on."
"I was that guy. I'm not that guy anymore. I've changed a lot."
"But I've only changed because of my wife, first and foremost. And then all of the friends I've made and the people who've set me straight. I'm a convert, but my wife was always on the right side of this."
You can watch the video here:
Gouveia also hoped that someday, gender roles wouldn't be so prominent, and a story like this wouldn't even rate as news.
"The response has been 100% positive. I think people are craving good news and wholesome content more than ever (especially after 2+ years of the pandemic), and Sam's reaction to getting a sewing machine was just one of those moments."
"The irony is, in a perfect world, this wouldn't rate as news, because no one would bat an eyelash at a boy liking sewing, because sewing should not have a freaking gender assigned to it."
"I hope Sam's video has played a small part in breaking down that stereotype and changing a handful of minds."
While Gouveia is right that activities like sewing should not be viewed as an inherently feminine or masculine activity, the internet still greatly appreciated the work Gouveia was doing to improve himself and to set a good example for those who still had more work in their own lives regarding their views of gender norms and roles.
But also, even if Sam's gift wasn't newsworthy itself, who doesn't want to see a reaction video in which a child receives what they believe to be the coolest gift ever and that clearly lights them up from the inside out?
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