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About Me

I'm a 33-year-old father and husband born and bred in Massachusetts. I have a beautiful son named Will, a gorgeous wife named MJ who is far too hot to have married me, a dog I love and two cats I put up with. I'm a smart-ass former newspaper reporter with a penchant for turning a phrase, who decided to go corporate and is now enjoying life as a content manager for a website.

This blog is not just another "daddy blog." Sure I write about my son, but these pages are a record of my life. I don't just highlight the fun milestones like first steps, I also chronicle the "other stuff." The fights, the torment and the doubt that inevitably come with being a husband and father. It's not always puppy dogs and rainbows, but it is very real. And often there is beauty in the sadness, redemption in the struggle.

Thank you for checking me out, giving me a try and sticking around for the journey. If you'd like to contact me you can email aaron_gouveia (at) yahoo (dot) com.

Dad Bloggers Group

If I Die, Give My Wife Some Breadsticks

“If I died, would you get remarried?” I’m sure that’s a question all married couples have tackled at some point. For me it’s no question — I’ll never get remarried. My wife, however, had a different take. [...]

Explaining Death to Your Kids

We brought the bowl into the bathroom and Will told Red Death he loved him and gave the side of the bowl a kiss. And in that instant I saw he was sad, but it was also clear he possessed a grim and reluctant understanding. And suddenly I was a little sad. Not because our fish died, but because my little boy seemed suddenly so grown up. And as he grows up, I become more and more cognizant of the fact that I can’t protect him from sadness, hardships and death. It’s a tough pill for a protective parent to swallow. [...]

When Death Comes for Your Child

No matter how this turns out, Leah will never be forgotten. Her character and spirit in the face of adversity will always be remembered. And when I lecture my son about the kind of person he should aim to be, I will tell him about Leah. And Peter, Rhiannon and Lukas. And I will hope he turns out half as amazing as them. [...]

“So Grandpa Was Eaten By a T-Rex?”

Talking about death with kids is tough, and Disney movies don’t make it any easier. [...]

Felissa

“Aaron, I don’t know what to do. Felissa’s dead.” That’s the news I got from my friend John — exactly 10 years ago to the day — late at night on a nearly deserted North Adams street corner. I had just started my senior  year at college, and having turned 21 the previous month I [...] [...]