When I was in high school, I woke up one morning feeling overwhelmed. I was an honors student, I was involved in various activities and clubs, and for whatever reason, I felt thoroughly unprepared for the day. I don't recall if I had a test or a presentation or if it was just a normal school day that I couldn't face—I just remember feeling like I'd hit a wall and couldn't make my mental gears turn right.I usually walked the mile and a half to school, but I was running late so my dad offered to drive me. In the car, I tried to keep it together, but halfway to school, the tears started to fall. My dad looked over and asked if I was OK."I don't know," I sobbed. "I feel like … I just … I need a day."He knew I wasn't sick. He could have told me to tough it out. He could have given me a pep talk. He could have forced me to go. But he didn't do any of those things.With zero hesitation—and just a simple "OK"—he turned the car around and took me home.I have no memory of what I did the rest of that day. Three decades later, the only thing that sticks out is the basic-but-profound lesson my dad instilled in me the moment he turned that steering wheel: It's totally OK to take care of yourself.We talked about it briefly on the way home. As it turned out, he was also taking a "mental health day." My dad was a social worker and, as an adult, I can totally understand why he would need to take a random day off sometimes. But it didn't really matter what he did for a living. Most of us need an occasional mental health day—adults, teens, and kids alike. Girl relaxing in nature. Image via Canva.Some schools have begun incorporating this understanding into their school attendance policies. Utah passed a bill in 2018 that allows a mental health day to count as an excused absence from school. Oregon enacted a similar law in 2019 and Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Nevada and Virginia have followed suit. In a 2023 article, Verywell Mind noted all the US states that are either allowing student mental health days or have proposed bills to get the ball rolling. “Mental health days are not only good for the practical aspect of giving young people a break," psychologist Caroline Clauss-Ehlers, Ph.D., told Healthline in 2020, "but they also validate that the community and society are saying, 'We understand and we’re supporting you in this way.'”Occupational therapist Shelli Dry concurs, telling Healthline that acceptance of mental health days can help eliminate the stigma that often comes with mental illness.“For schools to recognize that sometimes it’s better to take a mental health day than push through when you cannot seem to cope, is a tremendous support for students to feel understood and accepted, and [this, in turn, encourages] students to understand and accept themselves more,” she said. Kids relaxing.Image via Canva.Sometimes we forget how hard it is being a kid. In some ways, I think it's way harder than being an adult. Considering the fact that 1 in 6 kids between the ages of six and 17 experience a mental health disorder each year, we need to acknowledge that a lot of kids have days where they're struggling. But even kids who don't deal with mental illness sometimes need a down day. Modern life is busy and complex, no matter our age. Managing it all daily—and then also handling whatever extra stuff life throws at us—is a lot.Part of good parenting is teaching kids to persevere through challenges, but encouraging perseverance has to be balanced with insight and wisdom. Sometimes kids might cry wolf, but it's important for parents to understand that kids might be dealing with more than we know. Sometimes kids need to be encouraged to dig deep for resilience. Sometimes kids have already been resilient for a long time and need a little time and space to just be.My dad knew me. He understood that I wasn't just being lazy or trying to get out of doing something hard. He trusted me to know what I needed, which in turn taught me to listen to my inner alarm and trust myself. As a result, I've spent my adult life with a good sense of when I need to push through and when I need to pause and reset—a gift I'm immensely grateful for.All of that said, this advice does come with a caveat. As a parent of kids who are learning to manage anxiety, mental health days can be a mixed bag. There's a difference between taking a mental health day because you really need it—which happens—and taking a mental health day to avoid facing fears—which also happens. Avoidance feels good in the moment but fuels anxiety in the long run, so parents and kids have to be aware of how the idea can be misused and unintentionally make certain mental health issues worse. Dad walking child to school. Image via Canva.The bottom line, however, is that kids need breaks sometimes. And when you allow them to take an occasional day here and there to breathe, to do some self-care, to reconnect with themselves and reset their mental and emotional barometer, you teach them that their well-being matters. You teach them that it's OK to acknowledge when they've hit a limit and pause to recoup their strength.It's OK to turn the car around when you know you need to. That's a lesson we all need to learn, and one we need to support with work and school policies in addition to internalizing individually. We're making some good strides toward that goal, and the sooner we all get on the same page, the better everyone's well-being will be.To learn more about how to help kids and teens with their mental health and self-care practices, The Kids Mental Health Foundation has tons of resources for parents, caregivers, teachers, coaches, and more. This article originally appeared three years ago.

As the father of a 9-year-old, let me try to put it gently: What in the absolute hell?! Somewhere along the way, our education and training as parents failed us. We knew having a baby would be hard due to a lack of sleep and all the crying. We know toddlers would leave us feeling touched out and exhausted from tantrums. We also know to brace ourselves for the emotional rollercoaster of puberty in the teen years. But...nobody told us about what happens at ages seven or eight.A doctor on Instagram is raising eyebrows for teaching parents a hard truth: puberty starts much earlier than we've been told, and it's these behind-the-scenes changes in body chemistry that explain a lot. Inside Out is a masterclass in the emotions of young kids Giphy Dr. Carmen Briner, a doctor specializing in hormones, puberty, and periods, took to her Instagram Reels to drop some knowledge."Wondering why your 7 or 8-year-old is suddenly so moody? Well, puberty starts before you might think, with the brain signaling the hypothalamus and pituitary glands to start secreting hormones, which happens before any visible physical changes of puberty start to take place," she says.General knowledge tells us to expect a certain amount of teenage grumpiness when the body odor, growth spurts, and hair growth kicks in, but according to Briner, there's a secret "pre-puberty" phase called Adrenarche. This phase is when those puberty hormones surge behind the scenes, leading to "moodiness, irritability, or even sudden bursts of energy or excitement."Most parents of a kid this age have seen it play out in real-time where a minor mistake or inconvenience leads to half an hour of hysterical tears. "These early hormonal shifts have a huge impact on their emotions, so you might notice new sensitivity or sudden mood swings or a newfound intensity in their feelings," Briner says.Listen to her break down the science here: See on Instagram Needless to say, frustrated parents of kids aged seven to ten are in the comments feeling incredibly seen. Boy and girl moms alike were relived to get an explanation for why parenting suddenly seemed so damn hard, right when it was "supposed" to be getting easier:"All this plus acne for our 7 year old son. I wasn’t ready.""My friend's 9yo is starting to act up and I told her it must be puberty starting. She said it's crazy, she's too small and she's just being petty on purpose. Thank you for this video, I might not be crazy after all""It’s been a nightmare since she was 8. She’s almost 12""My almost 8 year old girl has been a moody NIGHTMARE. Always nice to know its not my fault""So my 8 year old boy did not suddenly become possessed by a demon?""Save me" one tired mom joked. Parents of 7 and 8-year-olds desperately need help. Giphy See? If your pre-puberty kid is, let's say, a handful, it's not just you. We're all going through this together, and it's not your fault. It's also not your child's fault. "They are not being difficult on purpose," Briner reminds us.Experts say the best way to handle this volatile phase is to have empathetic but firm conversations when the heat of the moment has passed. There's no use hooting and hollering when your eight-year-old is in the middle of a hysterical meltdown. Just be there for them and support them as the feelings pass through. Then, when things are calm, discuss strategies for how you two can handle things better the next time around.And don't worry—the mood swings won't last forever. They should settle down dramatically by the time your kid is 16 or so. Only eight more years—you've got this!

Some people can't wait to fly the coop. At 18, their bags are packed and, while they may very well love their families, the idea of living with them any longer is simply not tenable.But others are glued by a bond so tight they stay warmly in the nest. For many, it begins as a financial decision. Discover reports, "The United States Census Bureau found that in 2023, the median gross rent was $1,406 across American households." Those costs continue to rise, with home mortgages often even higher.Six years ago, financial adviser Dave Ramsey shared the statistic that "one in three adults are still living with their parents, three times as many as in 1970." Ramsey doesn't seem to approve of this figure. But according to a study by Pew Research Center, they have a different angle: "Multigenerational living has grown sharply in the U.S. over the past five decades and shows no sign of peaking." And although those stats remain in 2025 for adults between the ages of 18 and 34, not everyone agrees with Dave Ramsey that it's something to be ashamed about. dave ramsey what GIF by Ramsey Solutions Giphy One family in Grand Rapids, Michigan decided that having four generations living under one roof is beneficial for many reasons—not just financial. Exemplifying a trend that's on the rise, the Lowe family initially made the choice to "prioritize stability." But, according to a piece for Good Morning America, they later realized what a wonderful advantage it brought all around. - YouTube www.youtube.com Jade Lowe is 29 with three kids. They all live with her mother and 84-year-old grandmother. Nicole Curtis reports that Jade wouldn't have it any other way: "Between my grandma, my mom and my sister, they kind of all just, like, help out. And the price of rent—I pay my mom a portion versus having my own mortgage."In the Good Morning America clip, Jade points out a black and white photo of her grandmother. "This is my grandmother at the age of 22 with her husband." Over 60 years later, all three generations under her grandmother have the joy of sharing a tight-knit life together.Pew Research also notes, "A quarter of adults in multigenerational households say caregiving actually is occurring in their homes, either in the form of personal care for another adult in the household or care for a child younger than 18 who is not the caregiver’s own child."Jade's mother, Gema, emphasizes how important the familial bond can be. "That knowledge that goes from generation to generation can also break down barriers to absorb, and every generation is getting better. We just don't think about ourselves. We think as a group, as a collective." Family photo. Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash Jade agrees wholeheartedly. "It allowed me to still live my best life in my 20s. It allowed me to honestly just be happy and not have to worry about those extra expenses." What's more is the time the living arrangement allows with her loved ones which, some could argue, is the most sacred of all currency. "We kind of bring those differences together under one roof. It is crucial to unite right now in today's climate. I think that just being under one household helps us with that. We're forced to be together, we're forced to have family dinners, which is beautiful."A commenter on YouTube reminds people that this was once the norm: "This is not a growing trend. It’s something that is coming back. My family grew up in a multigenerational household from the 1940s-2000s. That’s how we survived in San Francisco. I am glad it’s returning. Oldie and goodie."As far as the Lowe family goes, "Six women all under one roof isn't always easy"—but they make it work and they make it clear that its a situation they cherish.

As you start to get older, it's inevitable that your birthday begins to lose a bit of luster. Sometimes it's because of the other things you have going on in life. Parents usually focus more on their kids' birthdays and holidays, so their own birthdays become a bit of an afterthought. Others just get tired of doing the same kind of things year after year: throwing an unimaginative party to celebrate getting a year older. Yay, I guess? There's also the small matter of our diverse relationships. Most of us have different friend groups, family, in-laws—what are we supposed to do? Mix them all together in an awkward stew of forced small talk?And let's not even get started on presents. What does a 30- or 40-something-year-old really need when it comes to birthday presents? Maybe something meaningful or thoughtful from a spouse or a close loved one, but certainly most adults have no desire for all their friends to shower them with random gifts they don't want, need, or could buy themselves.One woman, Liz Migliaccio, decided to reimagine the grown-up birthday party. For her 36th, she invited all her family and close friends and asked them, in lieu of gifts, to bring something far more interesting.Migliaccio and her wife, Cayla DeRegis, recounted the invitation to Newsweek:"For my birthday...join me for some cozy wine and please come tell me your insane co-worker gossip or how your boss is the worst," it read. "Regale me with your salacious romantic encounter or unhinged dating story. Get really detailed about someone else's business and we can full form opinions that no one asked for. I'm 36—the world's hottest age and hot people like hot gossip."It was a clever way of throwing an entertaining party with family and friends from all walks of life, all while giving the strangers in attendance good icebreakers with one another. As seen in a now-viral TikTok from DeRegis, guests took turns spilling their juiciest bit of tea. The party go-ers are absolutely rapt as you can see in the clip: @cayladeregis the greatest gift there is ☕️ 11 million people watched the video on TikTok, with commenters unanimously agree: The 'tea party' was absolutely genius.In the interview with Newsweek, Migliaccio said the best story of the night came from a guest who attended a wedding that never happened."A friend of a friend went to a family wedding a while back," Migliaccio said. "[She] had to go buy a long-sleeve dress for the wedding. As the receipt is being printed out, she gets a text that the ceremony is being called off, and instead, the bride and groom are just going to 'celebrate their relationship. ... They got there and found out the bride and her family weren't coming anymore so it ended up just being a celebration of him. My friend said it was the most over-the-top, beautiful wedding she'd ever been to but there was no bride." This explains the popularity of Gossip Girl Giphy Other guests brought stories of dramatic breakups and relationship scandal. Others brought their best watercooler gossip from work. Every single person in attendance was entertained. So were the viewers and commenters on TikTok:"In this economy this is the best gift to bring""I can feel how HEAVY the tea is through the screen""You know it’s crazy tea when people have empty glasses but are INVESTED in the story""I LOVE this concept- this would make me want to go to a party ... just be messy and then go home to my drama free life"Dozens of users claimed they would be stealing this idea for their own parties in the near future.Why is the gossip party such a brilliant idea? It comes down to the power of storytelling.It's really stressful and challenging to mingle with people you don't know well or at all, whether you're dragged along to a spouse's work event or attending a party where the guest of honor has several different friend groups. It can be tough to find enough to talk about beyond just surface level small talk.But one thing all human beings have in common is that we love stories. Not only is a great story super entertaining (even one about mundane but juicy everyday drama), studies show our brain activity syncs up with others when they tell us a story. That's something small talk and get-to-know-you chat can't achieve. So, the genius of the Tea Party is that it offers every guest a perfect icebreaker with all the others, lots of laughs, and a feeling of having made great connections with the other guests by the end of the night.I think most people on their birthdays just want everyone to have a great time celebrating them with no drama. Well, maybe just a little bit of drama.

A close second.

Some great guitar work.

Some real talent.

Heavyweights of history.

"Missed the point".

The first steps of a giant.