Category: life

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20 Parents Who Pretty Much Gave Up Trying to Win ‘Parent of the Year’

Good parenting doesn’t actually require you to be perfect, it just requires you to be good enough. Raising kids is a LOT of work, so it’s no surprise that we all make some mistakes along the way.

I mean, hey, who wants to win “Parent of the Year” anyway?

1. Yup

Photo Credit: Twitter

2. An honest mistake

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3. What day is it?

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4. Thanks a lot

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5. Way to go

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6. That’s awkward

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7. Losing my religion

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8. You’re gonna love it

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9. Not even close

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10. So proud

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11. I give up

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12. Sure….

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13. Learn how it’s done

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14. You can do that in jail

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15. Raised by the telly

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16. That’s the way it goes

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17. Could be any day

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18. Dark humor

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19. Sounds like a winner

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20. On the fly

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Well done! Keep up the okay/decent/passable work, parents!

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Scientists Say Beards Keep You Healthy and Handsome

I mean, as a bearded fella myself, I might be a little biased about this but I, for one, couldn’t be happier about this news.

A study from the University of Southern Queensland, Australia, found that men who have thick, rugged beards receive benefits that make them healthier and more handsome.

Photo Credit: Pexels

In what must have been a very strange sight, the researchers left mannequins in the harsh Australian outback and studied the results. Some of the mannequins had beards and some were bare-faced. The study found that the beards blocked 90 to 95% of harmful ultraviolet rays on the mannequins from the blazing sun. This help beards reduce the risk of skin cancer in the skin they cover.

But don’t think you can just get by with a little stubble. One of the researchers said,

“Facial hair has an Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) of anywhere from 2 to 21. The percentage of UV blocked to the skin depends on the thickness and angle of the sun…Provided the beard is of reasonable thickness, I do not think there is a need to slather sunscreen over the beard due to the protection it provides. It has to be a thick bushy beard and not just stubble.”

Photo Credit: pxhere

Having a large beard also protects the face from irritants and can keep the face youthful by retaining moisture and blocking harsh wind.

Bottom line: embrace that beard of yours if you have one! It’s good for you!

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Gorgeous Italian Village Wants to Pay You $10,000 to Move There and Start Procreating

We all have those moments when we feel a little bit at a loss for what to do with our lives. Ever feel like you just wanna get away from it all and start again?

Well, you may be in luck: this small Italian town is literally paying people $10,000 to move in and start a family. Yep, it’s 100% real, and 150% making me reconsider my life choices.

Photo Credit: 9gag

The town of Locana, Italy is offering new residents $10,000 to move there and procreate. The new initiative is an attempt to lure more youth to the town, which is rapidly shrinking.

Photo Credit: 9gag

The mayor, Giovanni Bruno Mattiet, explained his generous new offer.

“Our population has shrunk from 7,000 residents in the early 1900s to barely 1,500 as people left looking for a job at Turin’s big factories,” he said. “Our school each year faces the risk of shutting down due to few pupils. I can’t allow this to happen.”

The small Alpine village is not looking to attract slackers who just need a check, though.

“We’re looking to draw mostly young people and professionals who work remotely or are willing to start an activity here,” the mayor added.

The $10,000 will be paid out over the course of three years.

Photo Credit: 9gag

Originally, the deal was available only to fellow Italians or to foreign residents of Italy. However, the mayor has become desperate enough to extend the offer to non-Italians, which means you totally have a shot. I mean, what else are you going to do for the next three years?

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10 People Reveal the Moment They Lost Respect for Their Parents

When we’re kids, we view our parents as all-knowing and indestructible. Then we grow up and things slowly change – and we come to realize more about how the world works. Some of us even end up losing a lot of respect for our parents, which can be hurtful, difficult, and strange all at once.

But these 10 Reddit users came face-to-face with their pain by sharing their incredibly personal stories – so I think we owe them an ear, don’t you?

1. The Hypocrites

“When I found out that, despite my parents ostracising me for having The Gay, which is Sinning and means I’m Going Straight To Hell, it turns out my mum has had three affairs that we know about. But that’s okay, because it’s hetero cheating, which apparently is just fine.”

2. The Betrayer

“Right after I graduated high school, I got my first car and was on my mom’s car insurance policy. After a year I had been a very good driver and I wanted to call my insurance company to see if I could lower my rates. Turned out my mom kept the policy active for 1 month so I had an insurance card to put in my glovebox, but then cancelled the policy and pocketed the money for herself.

As much as the monetary aspect hurts, it’s crazy to think that my own mom would let me drive my car having me believe I was covered. I could have destroyed my life if I made some horrific mistake.”

3. The Thief

“When I was a teenager, my mom used to come in my room in the mornings when she thought I was asleep and steal cash from me.

Lots of other things happened after that, but that was the start of it.

Edit: To be fair, they had no money. But I started working at 14 to pay for everything for myself because they couldn’t/wouldn’t help me out with my expenses. Last thing I needed was my mom taking a few bucks from me every morning. I started keeping tabs eventually and she took a few hundred dollars, a couple dollars at a time.”

4. The Favorites

“Oh… so many things.

Mom says she doesn’t have favorites but there are obviously favorites.

I could be the first US woman president and still be a disappointment because I don’t want/have kids

Dad telling me I may as well hurt myself when I went on Prozac as a teenager

Mom and dad bought my twin sister a fully refinished 67 mustang on our 16th birthday. I got a 95 Corolla that would regularly turn off randomly

During the early 2010s my parents needed money. We loaned them 10k. Never got it back. The following year they gave my sister 5k to help pay for her wedding because “she’s always dreamed of being a bride”.

Mom hates dad. Refuses to recognize they should have split up a long time ago. To make sure they don’t have to actually come to terms with their marriage, they continue to let two of my sisters, their husbands, and kids live in their house. When one of those sisters decided to get a divorce (hm, wonder why… perhaps living in a house with 6 other adults doesn’t work well for a healthy marriage?), they stopped talking to that sister. Which is hard because… you know… they all still live together.

I could go on. Let’s summarize with they pretend their lives and their family is pure gold and instead we’re just as f*cked up as everyone else.”

5. The Mental Abuser

“About two years ago, I struggled heavily from depression. My mom is one of those people who doesn’t really understand the depth of mental illnesses, and on top of it, she was verbally abusive and always made cutting remarks about my academics, appearance, anything to degrade my self worth. She broke me down to a point where I said I didn’t want to live anymore and wanted to kill myself. She told me to do it.

I ended up in foster care for about a week because my friends called because they knew I wasn’t safe with her, and she is a manipulator and finessed the system to get me back quickly, and made it sound like she did nothing wrong.

I finally got therapy, but it wasn’t family, just me since she felt she did nothing wrong. She is treating me better and learning to respect my boundaries, but I will never forget my own mother scoffing, telling me to kill myself. I will never be able to respect her after that.”

6. The New Wife

“When my father came home from a tour in Korea he brought with him a new wife. We had never met her nor heard of her until he said he was coming home. We all moved together to his next posting. Three months later, wifeypoo gave him an ultimatum. “Either the kids go or I go.” He called up our mother (I have a sibling) and told her he was sending us to her. He then called us to the phone to “talk to your mom”. I had no memory of her.

In fact a prior step parent told us she was dead. I believed her. So he sent us to meet this stranger with the intention of giving custody to her under the guise of vacation without him. Our belongings followed. He gave us back to woman he divorced and believed was a danger to us just 11 years prior.

I lost a little respect for him for placing his new wife (she left him once she got a green card) over his children.”

7. The Bad Mom

“My mom:

-compared me to friends constantly but would also use my grades or achievements as a way to compete with my aunt

-fakes illnesses when she wants attention or to guilt my siblings and I. She’s lied about having cancer, strokes, etc. When we figured out she was lying and stopped going to the hospitals, she calls family members and cries that we won’t help her/how she’s basically terminal/how we don’t Care

-has basically scammed my sisters, elderly grandma and I out of thousands and thousands of dollars. Just found out about 6 months ago, that she had gotten a pretty sizeable settlement from when I got hit by a car 20 years ago. She denied it and when i showed her proof, she threw my late father under the bus (he was a recovering addict) and claimed he was in charge of all that

-she was a nurse and when I attempted suicide, she didn’t want to get me professional help because it would look bad on her and my problems “aren’t everybody’s business”… so she just medicated the shit out of me for a bit.

Believe it or not, there’s more.”

8. The Terrible Advice

“My mom believes that if you just believe hard enough, you always get what you want.

I challenged her as to why we haven’t won the lottery. She said because she let past experiences influence her thinking as well as evidence. She then said, “I try not to let evidence influence my beliefs. I know I’m not supposed to…”

Yeah. An anti-evidence stance. :/ “

9. The Grown Child

“My parents are divorced. Mom had to move in with my dad for a bit because she didn’t have a place to stay. She wouldn’t clean up after herself or her daughter (my half sister) and she took over my brothers room and would just stay locked away in there doing seemingly nothing to change her situation.

When my dad confronted her calmly about her rudeness telling her that she needs to be courteous and clean up after herself she screamed at him and cursed him out saying things like “I don’t have time to be courteous” and “You’re not my parent”. I’ve never been so angry at another person, and although it was a stressful time for everyone she had no right to be so ungrateful. I didn’t have a whole lot of respect for my mom at this point in the first place, but that definitely made me lose any that I still had.”

10. The Unfair Expectations

“They put my sisters through their undergraduate degrees, but have not provided me with any finances.

I am not trying to sound like a spoiled brat, but it sucks that I am expected to be at the same place they were at when they were 24 – yet I am in student debt, not done with my degree & have to pay everything on my own.8. The Hypocrites

“When I found out that, despite my parents ostracising me for having The Gay, which is Sinning and means I’m Going Straight To Hell, it turns out my mum has had three affairs that we know about. But that’s okay, because it’s hetero cheating, which apparently is just fine.”

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15 Young People Share the Life-Altering Advice They Got from an Elder

One of my favorite things to do is try to strike up some conversation with the elderly. It’s the folly of youth to think you know everything, and you better believe I am all ears whenever an elder wants to share some valuable life advice with me.

As these stories from Reddit prove, we have a LOT to learn from old people, so treat them with respect!

1. You can’t ignore it

“Once you become aware of a wrong doing or injustice – the responsibility to correct that in yourself can not be ignored.

Basically if you know better – you’re required to do better.

Olowale was his name , he was a family friend originally from Nigeria. He was super smart and very humbled. He taught 14 year old me a lot about self responsibility and has no idea how much that one thing clicked for me and changed my life.”

2. Stop being a coward

“A street preacher who was homeless told me to stop being a coward and switch to the career I wanted.

He had earlier helped me when I was lost in bad part of the town I was living in. We talked for a while – him about his life, me about mine. He told me that he worked in finance for years before quitting because he was miserable, had forsaken his physical possessions, and decided to live on the street and spread the gospel. We had very similar educational backgrounds.

He didn’t want anything, except a promise that I wouldn’t waste his advice. I never saw him again.

If you believe in angels, it would be hard to find a better candidate than him for being one.

I followed his advice and am very happy I did.”

3. You might still get nothing

“My Nannie grew up in rural NC after the Great Depression to a poor family. She had hundreds of great stories about life growing up “on the Charles” or her grandparents’ farm, but one that sticks with me, and will color how I raise my daughter, was about Christmas. She and her siblings believed in Santa, but they rarely got more than fruit or maybe new clothes as presents.

She would return to school and see a little girl in her class that was a notorious bully and particularly cruel to Nannie with fancy new dolls, new clothes, things money could get you and she felt awful because she believed she was doing her best to be a good student, to be a caretaker for her younger siblings, to follow her religious beliefs. Traditional Santa mythos tells you good gets rewarded but that’s devastating for kids who work hard at following the rules, being kind, etc. and still get nothing.”

4. Don’t put work before family

“I was at a close friends wedding and most of his family was fairly well off. Many of them were feeling nostalgic because they were surrounded by family and everyone has grown up. Many said they regretted how many hours they worked when their kids were young in order to be a better provider. Up until recently I was making great money and working 60+ hours a week.

When I noticed what I was giving up I did some networking and took a job as a contractor in a small consulting company. I work 40 hours a week now and leave my laptop at the office and don’t have work email on my phone. I now feel like more of a provider because I’m a lot more active in my family’s lives and it’s awesome.”

5. One at a time

“Don’t do more than one illegal thing at a time. That’s what gets you caught.” Security guard at my high school. It’s good advice.”

6. Them’s the rules

“One of my high school teachers who just passed away a couple years ago gave me advice that I still live by to this day. He called it the “Four rules to breaking rules.”

Don’t break the rules
If you break the rules, don’t get caught.
If you get caught, take responsibility for your actions and make yourself better.
If you can’t do number 3, refer to rule number 1.”

7. Tell the truth

“Tell the truth all the time so you if you have to lie they will believe you.”

8. Wise words

“Met a woman in a nursing home while on clinicals who the nurses called a nightmare. Actually talked to her and she was not only incredibly kind, but also wise.

Not an anecdote, but she said something she lived by was a poem she had memorized in grade school. “Suppose”, by Phoebe Cary. Just a snippet, but I recommend reading the whole thing:

And suppose the world don’t please you, Nor the way some people do, Do you think the whole creation Will be altered just for you? And is n’t it, my boy or girl, The wisest, bravest plan, Whatever comes, or does n’t come, To do the best you can?
She allowed me to record her reciting the poem. I’ll remember her fondly, and I hope the nurses treated her well after we left.”

9. Sticks with them

“Met an elderly hispanic lady at a bus stop in Albuquerque. We went back and forth in Spanish for a bit (I’m a white guy so she was pleasantly surprised) and she told me about her travel plans to go to her son’s wedding–a real cute story involving him and his high school sweetheart finding each other after a long time being broken up.

I had recently been dumped, and said something a bit mopey like “I wish I could find love like that someday.”

She smiled, shook her head and said “Chico, love like that isn’t just found. It’s built. How many perfect, decorated temples do you think my ancestors stumbled across in Tikal or Tenochtitlan? No. They found a good, level spot, maybe some water nearby, and said ‘Here. We can build something here.’ Look for a clearing in the forest, young man. Not a hidden city.”

That one will stick with me for years.”

10. Get through it

“Sometimes you’re not meant to go over, or under, or around it. Sometimes, you’re meant to go through it. You just have to get through it.

Elderly client in a lucid state, describing his battle with dementia.”

11. Right now

“My old friend (he was 99) HATED when people said, “if only it was like the good ol days.” He would always say something along the lines of “the good old days??? Picking cotton every day for $2 a week wasn’t ‘the good ol days’ right now are the good days!” “

12. Do it smart

“If you’re going to do something stupid, do it smart.” We were playing with… “Fireworks” at the time

That was a lesson that I’ve taken to every job I’ve worked at since. Every time I go to do a job I look it over and see the stupid things I am about to do (Dangerous parts of my job) and try to figure out how to do it smart (Figure out how to minimize the danger in my work.)”

13. Just do it

“The path looks tougher and longer before you start walking.” My grandad used to say something similar to that , can’t translate it perfectly. He passed away a couple of years back. When I think of him, I always remember these words.”

14. Always present

“For my college religion class, we visited a Jewish Synagogue and observed their service. They have a ritual where they pray for loved ones who have died, and an old woman (80-90) participated with tears in her eyes. The Rabbi explained to us that she was a Holocaust survivor, and only she was able to escape as a girl. She didn’t know if anyone in her family was dead or alive, but since they’re presumed dead, she still prays for them every service.

That really hit me, because people my age tend to think of the Holocaust as more of a historical event that happened a long time ago. But for these people, it’s ever present in their lives. They also had a Torah that was badly burned that had been recovered from the Holocaust, I think as a reminder of those that were lost.”

15. Patience

“Take your time (with answering questions), whoever is listening can wait.”

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Science Agrees – Husbands Are Just Big Babies Who Actually Make Life Harder for Their Wives’

Fellas: Listen up and get your s***t together.

Married women have undoubtedly known this forever, but science has finally confirmed it – having a husband can sometimes feel like having another kid, rather than an equal partner who will help shoulder the load of managing the home and raising the kids.

A recent survey of 7,000 moms across the U.S. asked them to share the reasons behind their daily stress, and guess what? Moms are stressed. Shocker!

Photo Credit: Pixabay

The majority of mothers rate their stress at an 8.5 out of 10, and a whopping 46% of them feel that their husbands cause them more stress than their kids.

“A 7-year-old is going to be a 7-year-old. But a 35-year-old acting like a 7-year-old is more stressful because they should know better,” says mom Deno Fleno.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

The reason? 75% of moms say they feel the need to do all of the household and parenting chores because otherwise, they won’t get done at all.

1 in 5 mothers claim to be stressed all the time because their husbands refuse to help out at all. With anything. 

Yikes.

“I am exhausted emotionally and physically when my husband comes home. He feels like another job,” a mom who wished to remain anonymous added.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Sure, not everyone’s husband fits this mold, and more of them fit it sometimes but not always. That said, guys, you need to pull your weight more with the kids and the house, and without being asked (aka nagged) to get off your butts and pitch in.

Ask yourself this: if you’re making your wife’s life harder and not easier, why would she keep you around?

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Fed-Up Dad Creates App That Forces Kids to Respond to Parents’ Texts

Parenting has always been a tough gig, and each generation has had its own unique challenges.

For millennial parents, the challenges come from the realm of technology. We’re faced with the dilemma of how much screen time is too much for our young ones. That said, we also live in an age where kids need cell phones at a certain point. Sadly, while cell phones were supposed to be a way for us to stay in constant contact with our kids, they’ve become yet another way for our kids to ignore us altogether.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

As a parent, few things are more frustrating than your kid refusing to respond to your texts.

So, one dad decided to do something about it.

Nick Herbert couldn’t stand it when his son continually failed to reply to his texts.

Photo Credit: CBS 11 Dallas

“My son has an iPhone, but I still can’t get hold of him very easily as it’s always on silent because he is playing games or has been at school and forgotten to turn the sound back on. There didn’t seem to be a solution out there that allowed me to send a message to him, that would override the silent function, appear over whatever he was doing and tell me when he had seen it.”

He created an app in response to this problem, calling it ReplyASAP. It works by taking over your iPhone when you get a message, not allowing you to ignore it or go back to playing a game or using social media. It also sounds an alarm, and tells the person who sent the text that it has been read.

Your child might be resistant to it at first, but chances are they’ll eventually see the use for it – it helps them remember that their parents are wondering whether they’re still alive.

Photo Credit: CBS 11 Dallas

In Herbert’s experience, this works out well.

“It is key to discuss with the child that they understand the reason for having it. It is not a punishment or a tool for tracking them, nor will it remotely lock or freeze their phone. It is simply a means of allowing them to carry on using their phone however they want, but giving a means of getting them an important message when you need to.”

You’ll probably want to also come to an agreement with your child on when and how you’ll use the app. For instance, it shouldn’t be something you employ every single time you send a text (especially if you know they’re in the middle of class). They should learn to associated ReplyASAP messages with something important and/or timely.

Communication is key in all relationships, so don’t skip on the chat and just download the app.

It’s currently only available on Android, but will be coming to iOs soon.

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10 Facts That Debunk Some VERY Commonly-Held Misconceptions

There are plenty of things we grew up learning as being the gospel truth turning out to be wrong. For instance, I thought Milli Vanilli were the greatest thing ever as a kid, but as new facts came to light, I had to reconsider my stance.

Learning something brand new that dispels your common knowledge is always a weird experience. These facts might just fall into that category for you.

1. You won’t die

Photo Credit: did you know?

2. Only two

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3. Interesting…

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4. Ancient mistake

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5. No negative impact

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6. Sex change

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7. All a lie

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8. Wow

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9. Only use one

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10. Rewriting history?

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Debunked!

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7 Great Facts to Improve Your Small Talk

Small talk is one of life’s necessary evils. Sure, it can be a little awkward fumbling around for something to say to fill the silence, but if you work through it, you may be rewarded with some truly great conversation.

I’m here to give you these conversation starters so that you’re not fumbling around as long next time.

Consider it a gift.

1. Lock ’em up

Photo Credit: did you know?

2. Never ignore the Waffle House

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3. Good engineering

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4. I like the sound of this

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5. Might want to do that…

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6. Calm down

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7. No time for that

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Now you have no excuses for not bothering random strangers.

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Single Mom Shared Badges From All Her Jobs, and the Evolution is Inspiring

Faye Lewis is a nurse today, but while she was pursuing her Doctorate degree to become a nurse practitioner, she took a trip down memory lane by looking at all old work badges from jobs she’d worked in the past.

She decided to share photos of her old work badges on Facebook to give herself a little extra push of inspiration and her posts quickly went viral. Lewis said, “I just needed to remind myself how far I’ve come. I never in a million years would think it would also motivate other people to go for what they want.”

She got her first job at Kentucky Fried Chicken at the age of 16. She went away to college and continued to work at KFC but received two B’s in classes and was rejected from nursing school. In 2010, she also gave birth to her son AJ.

Photo Credit: Facebook,Faye Lewis

Lewis was eventually promoted to manager, but she never gave up her dream of becoming a nurse.

Photo Credit: Facebook,Faye Lewis

She also took a job as a housekeeper.

Photo Credit: Facebook,Faye Lewis

Lewis continued to work toward her dream, completed her certified nursing assistant training and began working at a medical center.

Photo Credit: Facebook,Faye Lewis

She then decided to pursue her Associate’s degree in Nursing. While in nursing school, tragedy struck her family. Her father and three cousins were killed in a house fire. Lewis said, “When I heard the news, I dropped to my knees. My mom made it out alive just by a miracle of God. I had a supportive family and I knew my Dad wouldn’t want me to quit.” So Lewis continued pushing forward.

Photo Credit: Facebook,Faye Lewis

Lewis worked as an LPN during the day, at KFC at night, was raising her son, and was continuing her education all at the same time. She earned her Associate’s degree in 2014 and her Bachelor’s degree in 2016.

Photo Credit: Facebook,Faye Lewis

Photo Credit: Facebook,Faye Lewis

Today, Lewis is working toward her Doctorate. Lewis has advice about the adversity she faced: “Keep trying. Never give up and stay positive through all of it.”

Photo Credit: Facebook,Faye Lewis

Great work Faye! And let this be a lesson to all of us: never give up and keep moving forward, even when things seem like they’ll never get better.

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