Christie and Wesley Werts have taken the idea of a blended family to the next level. When the couple fell in love five years ago and married‚ they brought together her children‚ Megan and Vance‚ and his children‚ Austin and Dakota.As of January‚ the Ohio family has five children after adopting young Levi‚ 2. Levi is the son of Wesley’s ex-wife‚ who passed away four days after the child was born. The ex-wife had the boy prematurely‚ at 33 weeks‚ and died soon after from drug addiction and complications of COVID-19.When Levi was born‚ he was a ward of the state with no first name or birth certificate.“When I heard about Levi‚ without hesitation‚ I said we should take him‚” Christie said‚ according to The Daily Mail‚ and her reason went far beyond the fact that the child was the half-brother to two of her recently adopted children. “I myself was a foster kid and‚ although for the most part‚ I had a great experience‚ I did not want him going to foster care‚” Christie said. @cjthemom5 Replying to @Journey♥️ Yes‚ they will always know of her and ill be there for every emotion good or bad. But im also mom‚ ive been to every game‚ every doctors appt‚ sat with them if they needed an ear loved unconditional . I am mom also. #adoption #srorytime #siblings #foryou #loveislove Before the family knew of Levi’s birth‚ Christie had a recurring dream about a blue-eyed‚ blonde-haired boy. "Before Levi‚ we had wanted to try to have a child of our own‚" she told Newsweek. "I'm in my forties‚ so we knew that we would probably need fertility treatment‚ so I thought let's just think about it and what will be will be."The problem was that Levi was in Texas‚ so the family sold their house and moved to the Lone Star State to go through the arduous adoption process. The situation was further complicated because Levi’s biological father had parental rights even though he had substance abuse problems. The family couldn’t move out of Texas until his rights were legally terminated.But after a 16-month process‚ in January 2023‚ Levi became a legal family member. Christie understands that adopting her husband’s ex-wife’s baby may seem unusual to some people. "It's a lot to process for a lot of people‚ but honestly‚ it seems a lot crazier than it was. At the time‚ it just made sense‚" she said. @cjthemom5 Our adoption is official !!! after 17 months!!! #adoption #son #loveyou #ourstory#foryou #fyp Even though Christie knew in her heart that she must adopt Levi‚ she wasn’t without reservations. “'If I said I did not [have concerns beforehand]‚ that would not be honest‚” she told The Daily Mail. “This was different—I was going to walk into a child I never met and was worried the circumstances would hinder this instant love. But [...] he stole my heart. I also felt this intense need to protect him.”These days‚ Levi fits right in with the family‚ and the rest of the kids are happy to be back to living an everyday life without any caseworkers or inspections.“He's great‚ he is the king of the house! We are all very close. He won't understand the journey right now‚ but someday‚ I will let him know we fought for him!” Christie said.This article originally appeared on 8.31.23

Kindergarten through 12th grade teachers and college professors have heard every excuse in the book. Whether it’s a third grader claiming their “dog ate my homework” or a college freshman claiming their grandmother died to get out of a test‚ they’ve heard it all a billion times.A college professor once listed the top 21 excuses he’s heard from his students. Here are the top five:5. “It’s the last week of the semester.”4. “It’s St. Patrick’s Day or 4/20”3. “Our other teacher held us back.”2. “My timetable showed the class was canceled.”1. “I’m taking a vacation.”Yes‚ some students actually say they didn’t do their work because of a holiday predicated on drinking or getting stoned and others have the audacity to say‚ “Hey! I needed a vacation.” After spending week after week fielding excuses‚ there’s a good reason why most educators are skeptical when they hear one from their students.But every once in a while‚ an excuse that seems way too improbable to be believed actually is true.Reddit user u/minecraftplayer48 asked the teachers of Reddit to share the “best excuse for being late that turned out to be true” and the stories were all pretty great. But it wasn’t only teachers who chimed in; a lot of people shared stories from when they were students and had an excuse that was so crazy they didn’t think anyone would believe them.Here are 17 of the best excuses for being late that were actually true.1. Revenge of the torque wrench"My auto teacher let me practice removing and adding the tires on his vehicle. The next morning it was about 20 minutes into first period and no sign of him. He comes running into the classroom out of breath and his hair is all messed up. He points at me and says 'YOU!!!! What is a torque wrench used for???' I respond with "I don't know." He says ' I know you don't know!!!" Turns out one of his tires came off while driving down the highway." — ethnicjello2. Mom wanted to sleep in"She had to take her sister to school and drive her mom to rehab. She was always late to class because her mom just wanted to sleep in. Problem was if the mom was late or did not go she would have violated her probation and gone to prison. I never marked her late. If she missed anything important she could come in at lunch or after school to make it up." — RM1563. "That was you?""Student here‚ I headed into school early to get some studying done in the library before my night class. I was one exit away when I was caught in a 3 car accident. Most of the expressway afterwards was gridlock with only one lane left open. I did eventually make it into my lab class 15 minutes late‚ with a few scrapes and bruises. My professors reaction was simply 'Oh that was you!''" — AlienCowAbduction4. "School bus blew up""I was one of about 20 kids who were late to school. We showed up at the school office as a group and when questioned why we were late‚ we said 'The school bus blew up.' They questioned 'So the engine blew up?' The kids 'No‚ the whole bus‚ in flames. It blew up.'"There was much conference between the teachers‚ all of them thinking we embellished the story. Next thing you know‚ one of the admin staff has the news website open‚ very obvious image of an entire bus on fire with a bunch of kids in our school uniform standing in front of it. Our late slip for class read 'School bus blew up.'" — AusPB905. B.U.I. "Told me he got pulled over by the cops for wobbly driving on his bike and they thought he was drunk. Turned out he was just dodging all the slugs on the street." — Fortisvol6. Chicken of death"A guy in my college class missed class one day. The next day he came in with his eye covered up and medical paperwork in hand. Apparently he got pecked in the eye by a chicken." — BrrToe7. Chicken 2: The chickening"When I was student teaching‚ I was late because there was bunch chickens in the middle of the road. They wouldn't move at all. This is in the middle of a city of 200‚000 people. Freaking chickens."I finally get to school and profusely apologize to my mentor teacher and I told her why I was late thinking it sounded ridiculous. She said‚ 'yeah‚ those chickens are fucking assholes‚ they surrounded my car in the McDonalds parking lot last year. Don't worry about it." — Makenshine8. Cracker Barrel conference"Taught a group of seniors first period. It was towards the end of the year. I had a class of around 30 and only 5 were there when the bell rang. Halfway through class‚ the rest of them show up. They went out to Cracker Barrel for breakfast and brought me some back. All was forgiven." — SwansonsLoveChild9. Beary late"Bear on the backyard. No access gate. Animal control had to tranq it from the room and drag it through the house. Made the news. Got to retake the test I missed after sending her the news article." — Vladtehwood10. Present the flat"We had an exam in my class and the teacher got a message from a student saying that he was going to be late because his car had a flat tire (the student was known to party)‚ the teacher didn't think it could be true‚ so as a joke the teacher asked him to bring the tire back. He brought the flat tire back in the middle of the exam. Needless to say‚ the professor didn't expect that." — Sapang11. Moo"A kid missed my first-period class one morning but was in school later that day. When I asked him why he hadn't arrived in time for my course‚ he said his cow was birthing its calf that morning‚ so he'd picked being in the barn over English. Made sense to me. His essays weren't going to win any ribbons at the county fair‚ but his calf could." — Bobosbigsister12. Abduction"In high school a kid came late to history class. He was a joker so when someone asked him where he had been‚ he goes 'I was kidnapped.' Everyone laughed‚ until he goes 'no really.'"Turns out 2 guys kidnapped him and tossed him into the back of the minivan he was using for his morning paper route. They drove him around while they robbed something. I can’t remember what happens after. I think they just drove the van somewhere and got away." — notinmybackyardcanad13. Honesty is the best excuse"Not a teacher‚ but a kid walked into my class one day and literally just said 'Sorry I'm late‚ I didn't want to be here.' He wasn't wrong I suppose." — Scally5914. It actually was the dog"A little off topic but in 8th grade‚ a friend of mine turned in their homework late because her dog literally ate her homework. She even brought a note from her parents." — JoeyJoey200415. Is this a real excuse? Or is it fantasy?"'Sorry Bohemian Rhapsody came on just as I parked.' — My art teacher when he was about 5:55 minutes late." — Deeberber16. "I took a shortcut""This happened to me as a pupil; a very quiet‚ unassuming kid in our class came in to German with about five minutes of the class left. We went to a Catholic school and the teachers were all quite strict and intimidating. Classes were usually silent‚ especially in junior school. When this boy came into class at the end of the lesson that day‚ the door flew inwards with such force that the teacher gave an audible gasp."It had been raining heavily outside‚ his hair was plastered to his forehead. His blazer was dripping and sodden. He had mud caked into his trousers up to his knees‚ and he was breathing heavily. The teacher exclaimed‚ ‘Brendan! What happened?’ We all stared up at him in shocked silence. This quiet‚ unassuming little boy let out a big sigh and just said‚ ‘I took a shortcut.’ And went straight to his seat."That line became iconic in our school for years afterward." — lestat8517. Pug lovers can attest "Kid was late to school and had to miss a very important football game. The reason? His fat pug fell asleep on his phone. The pug’s fat rolls muffled his alarm." — tip52This story originally appeared on 02.24.22

The water bill at the Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis residence appears to be pretty low after recent revelations the couple made about their family's bathing habits.In a recent appearance on Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast‚ they admitted they're not that into bathing themselves or their two children‚ Dimitri Portwood‚ 4‚ and Wyatt Isabelle‚ 6.The conversation started when Shepard explained his ongoing disagreement with co-host Monica Padman. The two have dissenting views over whether people should use soap. "You should not be getting rid of all the natural oil on your skin with a bar of soap every day‚" he said. "It's insane."Kunis agreed with Shepard and was very candid about her bathing ritual. "I don't wash my body with soap every day‚" she shared. "But I wash pits and tits and holes and soles.""I can't believe I'm in the minority here of washing my whole body in the shower‚" Padman replied. "Who taught you to not wash?""I didn't have hot water growing up as a child‚" Kunis recalled‚ "so I didn't shower very much anyway." Kunis was born in the then-Soviet controlled Ukrainian city of Chernivtsi in 1983. Her family migrated to America when she was seven.Kutcher added that he regularly uses soap and water on just his "armpits and crotch" and "nothing else."Kunis has passed her lax attitude towards bathing on to her children."When I had children‚" she said‚ "I also didn't wash them every day. I wasn't the parent that bathed my newborns—ever." Shepard agreed‚ saying that he and wife Kristen Bell only bathe their children as part of a nighttime routine and don't pay much attention to their cleanliness."That's how we feel about our children. We're like‚ 'Oof‚ something smells‚'" Kunis added. Kutcher has a simple rule when it comes to his children and their cleanliness. "Here's the thing — if you can see the dirt on 'em‚ clean 'em‚" he says. "Otherwise‚ there's no point." \u201cMila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher Say They Only Bathe Their Kids When 'You Can See the Dirt on Them'\u201d — People (@People) 1627410000 While the Kutcher-Kunis clan's approach towards hygiene may not be typical of the average American family‚ they may not be wrong according to science. Research suggests that children benefit from being exposed to germs early in life."This line of thinking‚ called the 'hygiene hypothesis‚' holds that when exposure to parasites‚ bacteria‚ and viruses is limited early in life‚ children face a greater chance of having allergies‚ asthma‚ and other autoimmune diseases during adulthood‚" WebMD says.Basically‚ the more your body is exposed to the more it can fight off."Just as a baby's brain needs stimulation‚ input‚ and interaction to develop normally‚ the young immune system is strengthened by exposure to everyday germs so that it can learn‚ adapt‚ and regulate itself‚" notes Thom McDade‚ PhD‚ associate professor and director of the Laboratory for Human Biology Research at Northwestern University.As for Kutcher and Kunis‚ they both share the same attitude when it comes to hygiene so nobody in the relationship has the right to complain if the other is a little funky. If it works for them‚ who are we to judge?This article originally appeared on 7.28‚.21

"It may be the most important thing we do in life; learn how to love and be loved."At least‚ that's according to Harvard psychologist and researcher Rick Weissbourd.He's been collecting data on the sex and love habits of young people for years through surveys‚ interviews‚ and even informal conversation — with teens and the important people in their lives.Through it all‚ one thing has been abundantly clear:"We spend enormous amount of attention helping parents prepare their kids for work and school‚" Weissbourd says. "We do almost nothing to prepare them for the tender‚ tough‚ subtle‚ generous‚ focused work of developing mature healthy relationships. I'm troubled by that."Now he and his team have finally compiled five years of intense research that asks the question‚ "What do young people really think about sex and love?"And maybe just as important: "How should we be preparing them?"Here are three major takeaways from the groundbreaking new report:1. Hookup culture might just be a big ol' myth.Everybody's hooking up with everybody these days‚ right? Not so fast.The Harvard report presents a startling statistic from a related study in 2008. A group of college students in the U.S. were asked what percentage of guys on campus they thought had sex on any given weekend. They guessed about 80%. The reality? As low as 5%.Weissbourd notes that because hookups are so culturally visible (especially in college) and gossiped about‚ it creates a perception that they're a lot more common than they actually are.The Harvard study itself found‚ in fact‚ that most young people are a lot more interested in sex within a committed relationship or‚ shockingly(!)‚ things that don't involve sex at all.What it means for parents: We as adults‚ unfortunately‚ play a big role in this pervasive and harmful myth. "In every era there've been complaints about how sexually out of control kids are‚" Weissbourd says. "It's a story adults really love to tell."When we play up this stereotype‚ the study finds it can actually make young people less likely to seek advice or to talk about sex and relationships because they may feel inadequate or embarrassed about their lack of experience.2. Sexual harassment and assault‚ however‚ remain huge‚ unaddressed problems."There are a significant number of young men out there who think that all they can't do is rape someone‚" Weissbourd says. "They can't drag someone in an alley to rape them."What many of them have very little concept of‚ he says‚ is how harmful and dangerous behaviors like catcalling‚ pressuring‚ and coercion can be.The study cites endless instances of girls being harassed at school‚ complaining to administration‚ staging walkouts; anything to get the problem addressed. But the "boys will be boys" attitude persists‚ and problems are often swept under the rug rather than tackled head-on.A culture of sexual violence is harmful for obvious reasons‚ but the report also found these kinds of attitudes can bleed over into relationships that can "disproportionately involve females servicing males."What it means for parents: Talk. to. your. kids. about. consent."I was really surprised how many parents had not had basic conversations with their kids about things like consent‚ or how to avoid sexually harassing a person‚" Weissbourd says.We have to make it crystal clear to young people what kinds of behavior are and aren't acceptable‚ and follow up those lines with real consequences. It's the only way things are ever going to change.3. Teens and young adults want more guidance than we're giving them.Most parents aren't thrilled about having "the talk‚" and admittedly‚ bringing up the topic of sex with a teen is no easy task.But with all this dread and hand-wringing over how to talk about the birds and the bees‚ the Harvard report notes that many parents are overlooking a much bigger topic: love and relationships.Roughly 70% of surveyed young adults reported wishing they had received more or better guidance on the emotional aspects of relationships‚ both from parents or from health class. But it's not just a hindsight thing.Many parents are overlooking a much bigger topic: love and relationships."The percentage of young people who want guidance on romantic relationships was encouraging‚" Weissbourd says. "Kids light up when they are talking about love and what love is and what does it mean. That was surprising and really encouraging."What it means for parents: When you're done teaching your teenager how to put a condom on a banana‚ make sure to spend some time talking about the day-to-day work that goes into building a healthy relationship.That means going beyond platitudes. The Harvard team suggests diving into more complex questions like‚ What's the difference between attraction‚ infatuation‚ and love? How can we be more attracted to people the less interested they are in us? Why can we be attracted to people who are unhealthy for us?Those are questions some of us might not even have the answer to‚ but having the honest conversation with our kids is a major step in helping them learn how to love and be loved.As Weissbourd says‚ it's one of the most important things we'll ever do.The full report tackles even more and is jam-packed with must-know findings and statistics. It's definitely worth a read.This article originally appeared on 05.18.17

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