School can be physically, emotionally, and mentally draining for kids. After a day full of rigid structure, oftentimes the only thing they want to do is veg out and decompress. And this can cause some friction at home when parents expect them to immediately be present. But one dad, who just so happens to host a parenting podcast, has a great bit of advice to avoid those afterschool conflicts. And while his tips were geared towards parents of neurodivergent kids, it’s easy to see how this could help any family have more peaceful afternoons. “So many of you have strong-willed, neurodivergent ADHD kids who are tapped out mentally and emotionally and socially at school, probably by like noon or 2 p.m. every day,” Kirk Martin, host of The Calm Parenting Podcast, begins in a TikTok clip. The main culprit behind the fatigue? A lack of autonomy. @thecalmparentingpodcast ♬ original sound - Calm Parenting Podcast “Everything is out of their control at school. They don't really control what they do, where they go, where they sit, and people are telling them what to do all day.” With this in mind, the solution is rather simple, Martin notes. Instead of asking questions or getting onto them about thenings, give kids a sense of control. Martin then shares how he came about this revelation, saying “We used to do these after-school camps for kids, and they'd come in, they'd be really bossy with me. And so my initial response inside was, ‘Well, you're a bossy little jerk. No wonder you don't have any friends.’ But that was just me being a jerk.” Martin then switched his approach. For example, he’d tell his kid “in the basement, there's a broom that's broken. Do you think you can find some duct tape down there and fix it for me?” which gave them an opportunity to do something tactical that was within their control. “That is very, very settling for your kids,” Martin points out. Ideally, Martin suggests offering something that doesn't require sitting in front of a screen, and doesn’t feel like more school. “Give them an adult-type job, not a homework-type thing. Do a treasure hunt outside. Bet you can't find this. I hid it in the backyard. They get fresh air. All those things are really, really cool for your kids after school because it just calms them. It's a nice introduction to the afternoon and evening,” he says. Down in the comments, viewers shared how spot on they felt this advice was “Thank you for the reminder,” one mom wrote. “ADHD makes homework and chores feel PAINFUL for both of us (and takes forever) so the desire to start the second he’s home is strong..” “Love this,” wrote another.” My ADHD daughter takes hours to recoup from school!” Others pointed out that simply allowing kids to have that decompress time can work wonders. After all, that is still a version of them exercising control. “Giving them a space when they get home does incredible things! Veg and alon time is magic,” one person shared. “My children just like me needed some alone time doing absolutely nothing,” added another. Bottom line: no human can be “on” all the time.We all know how overwhelming it feels to be burnt out and in need of a break…and how reenergizing it is to have complete freedom once in a while. When we remember this simple truth, it becomes easier to extend a little grace, and find solutions that benefit everyone.

Kids often like to dream up ideas for the perfect house, the perfect bedroom, the perfect school and more. Children's imaginations can conjure up all kinds of things grownups might not think of, even if they're not always realistic.But in the case of an 11-year-old who dreamed up an ideal park design for her siblings, her idea was not only "perfect," but realistic enough for the city to use her plan to renovate a local playground. Rosili Olson, now 12, drew up her idea for a playground in 2023 after she realized that the playground near her house in Clearfield, Utah, was geared toward kids age 5 to 12. That was fine for her and one of her younger siblings, but it didn't have any fun and safe elements for her 3-year-old sister. Seeing the need for an all-age playground, Rosili drew a picture of her vision, took it to city hall and asked for a meeting with the head of the parks department.Here's what she showed city officials: Rosili Olson's idea for an all-ages playgroundPhoto courtesy of Clearfield City/Facebook"After seeing her initiative and detail, we knew we had to make her dream happen," the city shared on Instagram.To their credit, the city didn't just run with the idea of making a park that included safe fun for all ages—they actually included Rosili in the whole process. "We used her drawings as the basis for Bicentennial’s playground design mock-ups," the city shared. "She then reviewed multiple versions until we had checked all her boxes and got the colors right." Rosili chose the climbing elements, the equipment for the under-5-year-old area and the colors. Rosili Olson with her family and city officials looking at a mock-up of playground equipment. Photo courtesy of Clearfield City/Facebook“Rosili’s a very strong-willed and very wonderful person,” Annie Olson, Rosili's mom, told local news outlet Standard-Examiner. “When she brought it up, I thought, ‘This is a big deal.’ We’ve lived in Clearfield her entire life — we moved in when she was 6 months — so we’re really invested in Clearfield City itself. All I did was call and say, ‘Hey, do me a favor. Would you let my daughter come in?’ They were so gracious and so kind, a lot more than I ever could’ve imagined, for sure.”Eric Howes, head of parks and recreation for Clearfield City, told the outlet that the city had been planning to renovate Bicentennial Park but they didn't have a solid plan for it yet when Rosili brought them her idea.“It was budgeted but we didn’t have any specifics," he said. "When Rosili came to the city building and asked to talk to somebody about a playground, we sat down with her. After seeing all the effort she put into all of those drawings knowing we’d already ordered the playground for the park right by her house, the next best thing was to say, ‘We’ve got a playground coming in next year. Let’s use what you’ve done and build something there.’ It was just simply asking her, ‘Do you want to be involved?’ She said ‘yes’ and her mom was committed to bringing her every time. We met three or four times, reviewed different plans at different stages until we got here.”About a year later, the playground was unveiled. The playground at Bicentennial Park in Clearfield, Utah. Photo courtesy of Clearfield City/FacebookHowes was impressed with Rosili's desire to improve her community and her willingness to work with the city to make it happen.“I don’t see this from adults very often, to be very honest” he said. “I was just so impressed with Rosili. She saw something she didn’t like and she decided, ‘I want to do something about it.’ Not just draw her drawings and make her feel better, she made sure her mom brought her to City Hall. … She just put in so much effort, I felt like it ought to be rewarded.”Rosili is demonstrating what happens when a citizen, no matter what age, cares enough to notice a need and take the initiative to do something about it. Look out, Leslie Knope. This kiddo already has more civic sense than most grown-ups. As the city shared on Instagram, "We can learn a lot from Rosili’s example about how residents and the city can work together to create positive change." Indeed, we can. Thanks, Rosili and Clearfield City, for the inspiration. Watch the park project unfold: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Clearfield City (@clearfieldcity)

The Pentagon announced on Tuesday, October 15, that it has restored the honor of more than 800 LGBTQ veterans discharged from the military under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. "Under President Biden's leadership, the Department of Defense has taken extraordinary steps to redress the harms done by ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell’ and other policies on these former Service members," Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin announced in a statement.The Pentagon's discharge status upgrades from dishonorable to honorable are a way to atone for the discriminatory policies it has enacted in the past. However, they also unlock access to veterans benefits for those affected by the policy. For decades, many who bravely served their country couldn't access military benefits, including health care, college tuition, VA loan programs and some jobs. A defense official said that veterans affected by the upgrade will be sent information on how to get copies of their new, honorable discharge certification.“We will continue to honor the service and the sacrifice of all our troops—including the brave Americans who raised their hands to serve but were turned away because of whom they love,” Austin said. The restoration of these veterans' honor comes a year after the Pentagon launched a review of military records of LGBTQ people discharged with a less-than-honorable status. Under @POTUS' leadership, the Department of Defense has taken extraordinary steps to redress the harms done by “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and other policies on former Service members who are LGBTQ+. Read my full statement: pic.twitter.com/3wbh8nI3pP— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) October 15, 2024 The “Don't Ask, Don’t Tell Policy” came as a compromise between the Bill Clinton Administration and the Pentagon that began as an attempt to end 8 decades of LGBTQ discrimination in the military. Up to that point, over 100,000 LGBTQ veterans had been kicked out of the armed services due to their sexuality.The Clinton Administration promised to overturn the discriminatory policies until a Military Working Group determined that homosexuality was “inconsistent” with military service. These findings resulted in a compromise: Gay people could serve in the military as long as their sexuality remained a secret.The "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy was in place between 1994 and 2011, and during that time, 13,500 military members were forced out of service. The majority were given honorary discharges; however, about 2,000 were separated with less-than-honorary distinctions. — (@) “It’s really hard to truly wrap your head around the fear of living under ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ The possibility that if someone found out about you, your entire life in the military could go away – that fear was a constant. That is sometimes lost when we talk about this policy, how it drains on you … you have to act for your personal sanity,” Gina Ortiz Jones, Under Secretary of the Air Force, reflected on the 10th anniversary of its repeal. “The military is known for its bonds,” Jones continued. “But you can’t have those bonds when you can’t share your life or talk about your family with those you serve alongside. And when you’re in the military, your entire family serves – it’s hard to have seen how that would happen if the policy didn’t change.”‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ was repealed on September 20, 2011, and service members discharged for their sexuality were allowed to re-enroll. Future recruits who joined the military were now free to do so without fear of facing discrimination for their sexuality.

When you think of hiphop music a distinct image comes to mind and while there are a few anomalies in the world of rap, it's mostly a genre dominated by Black rappers. Traditionally, many of them grew up in inner cities and used hiphop to not only get out of dire circumstances but as a way to process their feelings around what they were exposed to while growing up. As things do, rap music evolved becoming popular with a wider audience causing people of different backgrounds to give rapping a try. As rappers age so does their audience, but the artistry continues to extend beyond their target audience. This is exactly how the rap duo Pete & Bas came to be.While spending time with his granddaughter, Pete would get frustrated when she would change the station in his car to drill music, a subgenre of hiphop that comes from the south side of Chicago. According to Underground Sound, Pete eventually got tired of fighting with his granddaughter about the radio station and began to listen to the music that discussed the dangers of crime. That was it for the grandpa. The music struck him so after introducing it to his friend Bas, the two decided to try the style themselves, with a little help from their grandchildren. @peteandbas Where should we play a show next? #newmusic #rap ♬ original sound - Peteandbas America may just be getting introduced to the pair that hail from the UK but they've been around since 2017. In fact, they released their first album "Shut Ya Mouth" the same year and have gone on several tours, though they're both in their 70s. The duo may not be from the south side of Chicago but they are from the south of London so they may know a thing or two about the streets that they rap about. @peteandbas Gloves are truly off this Friday. Something special coming your way. #newmusic #rap ♬ T Pain - Pete & Bas Recently the two went viral for their song T-Pain on TikTok. In the video the two are in a recording studio holding their pretty snazzy walking sticks rapping about being so cool that birds whistle when they walk and heads bob when they talk. Their dancing skills are exactly what you'd expect a grandfather's dance skills to be and it's beyond adorable, which kinda softens the aggressive nature of the songs the produce. Some people say the elderly grandpas bring comedy to the rap genre but they're bringing nothing but fire. So much fire that American rapper, T-Pain decided to collaborate with the two, adding his own verse to the men's single named after the rapper. When Pete received the news that T-Pain sent in his verse, he calls Bas which results in the most subdued excited calls you'll ever see. Something about their thick English accents makes the call feel that much cuter between the rap duo. @peteandbas T Pain remix featuring @T-Pain is officially out tomorrow at 6pm sharp #rap #newmusic #tpain ♬ original sound - Peteandbas As for Americans just discovering the UK rapping granddads, they have a lot to say. "Proud of the senior citizens,showing the young generation that it's never too late to follow your career," one person says."Eminem in 30 years," another writes."These two granddaddies got flow," someone else chimes in."It’s criminal how fire this song is," a commenter shares."Why can't I stop watching this they got bars," another person says. @peteandbas Let’s go people! T Pain remix featuring @T-Pain OUT RIGHT NOW! #rap #newmusic ♬ T Pain Remix (Feat. T-Pain) - Pete & Bas The compliments seem to be never ending for these two rapping grandpas but if Americans want to see them in concert, they'll have to hop across the pond. They've got their tour dates listed and their audience is full of people young enough to be their grandchildren but they don't care. They're living out their late in life dream proving to everyone it's never too late to dream big and go after it.

Working parents, stay-at-home parents, parents of all ilks — we all need a few minutes in the morning to get ourselves together. Unfortunately, young children don't always cooperate with that plan.My 4-year-old, for example, is a tornado in the morning. She might wake up at 5:30 ready to party or sleep until her alarm goes off. Anything goes. On those early mornings, it can be really tough to roll into the day when we're trying to juggle getting her set up with breakfast before we're even dressed ourselves, let alone caffeinated!Apparently, we're not the only one who has this problem.Morning Baskets are the solution to morning chaos currently taking the parenting world by storm.What is a Morning Basket?It's a basket full of toys, games, activities, or books that you set out for your kids the night before.When they wake up the next day, they excitedly look through the basket to see what you've added, and then enjoy playing by themselves for a little bit while you get dressed, drink coffee, make breakfast, or tend to other responsibilities.(Or just stare into the abyss until your brain wakes up.) Photo by Robo Wunderkind on Unsplash Morning Baskets seem to be an adaptation of a popular idea from the homeschooling world, where the first lessons and readings of the day are placed in a basket the night before. Now the basic concept has been adapted to fit the needs of working parents, work-from-home parents, stay-at-home parents, and everyone inbetween.Working mom Abigael Lanai recently made a TikTok explaining her approach to Morning Baskets.Abby says her almost 3-year-old daughter always has free reign over all of her toys, but narrowing down the choices helps focus."I feel like first thing in the morning, specifically, she has a little bit of decision fatigue. She doesn't know where to start or really where to go. And having this basket with just a couple of items has really helped kind of focus her and lead her to having some independent play without me having to facilitate it."Without having to facilitate it being the key phrase here."To me, that's the whole point of the morning basket," Abby says. "I need 10 minutes to myself, to drink my coffee while it's hot and let my brain fully wake up."The baskets may not buy you a ton of time, but sometimes just a few minutes can make a world of difference.Some parents worry that filling Morning Baskets with a never-ending rotation of new games and toys sounds expensive. Abby says — not so!"I didn't buy anything new," she says. "I found this basket in my house and everything in it, we already own." Abby recommends filling with items your kids used to love or have lost interest in, things they haven't played with in a while. Just as long as you keep it fresh so the kids are always curious to see what they'll find inside.Watch Abby's full video for an amazing breakdown and FAQ on using Morning Baskets. @abigaellanai Replying to @nicolebasi.13 i change things out every weekend, would that be helpful to see what i include in tue basket each week? ? #momsoftiktok #morningbasket #toddlersoftiktok #toddlermom People in the comments loved the idea — even if they don't have kids!Though Abby didn't invent the idea of Morning Baskets, her excellent explainer went viral to the tune of nearly half a million views and counting.Clearly, parents were resonating with the challenge of hectic mornings, and this unique solution. Photo by Aedrian Salazar on Unsplash "Morning baskets have saved my LIFE with my toddler while I feed my twins in the morning," wrote Alyssa M."Heavy on the 'drink my coffee while it’s still hot' It’s a struggle over here," said petitecrevette04.A lot of adults with no kids even chimed in that they wanted someone to set up a morning basket for them. (Honestly, same.)Crucially, Abby adds that Morning Baskets are not anti-screen time. They're just a judgment-free alternative.We use screentime in the morning in my house sometimes. But it's sometimes more trouble than it's worth, to be honest. I have to set up the show, skip around to find the right episode, and help change to a new show when my daughter inevitably gets restless.The beauty of the Morning Box is that it's set up the night before and ready to go to work the second your child opens their eyes in the morning.Morning routines are hard to get right, and hard to stick to, but that doesn't mean they're not important. Having a rushed, chaotic morning in your household stresses everyone out, including the kids.Kids with a peaceful and calm morning routine show better attentiveness in school and develop a positive association with going to school each day.And us parents? We're just barely holding it together a lot of the time. A few minutes to wake up and enjoy our coffee can go a long way to making us feel human in the morning.

Exclusive: Global trial finds treatment with amivantamab and lazertinib halts progression for average of 23.7 months Source: ‘Amazing’ trial shows drug combination stops lung cancer advancing for longer Wow!

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