Eagerly anticipating a trip to the fun and doting grandparents' house is something we think of children doing‚ but one couple's doggo proves that visiting the "grandpawrents" is just as exciting.In a TikTok video that's been viewed nearly 30 million times‚ dog owners Skylar and Deko are nearing the end of a 20-hour drive from Phoenix to Kansas City‚ Missouri. Their good doggo named Nosh‚ sits in the backseat‚ looking out the front window. Suddenly‚ Skylar asks Nosh if he wants to go visit Safta and Boppa‚ the nicknames of his grandparents‚ and he immediately reacts. You can practically hear him say‚ "Whut? Grandma and Grandpa? Are you serious?!? OMG‚ I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!!! When are we gonna get there?!?" only it comes out as a series of squeals and whimpers and sneezy woofs of joy.Seriously‚ what did Safta and Boppa do to earn this kind of reaction to their names being spoken? Watch: @sky.q The other video got a “sensitive content warning” because of the end… but why?? 😂 #repost #dogsofttiktok #dogs #australiancattledog #blueheeler #acd #heeler #cattledog That flop for the belly rub immediately upon seeing Grandpa? And the "I'm so excited to see you I gotta pee" moment? Too much."He always reacts like this to his grandparents‚" Skylar told Newsweek‚ "whether it's been months or only a few hours since he has seen them last." She said they waited until they were five minutes away to tell him‚ and he acted like this for the full five minutes until they arrived. It's no wonder they waited until they were almost there to tell Nosh where they were going. Can you imagine making him wait any longer? Skylar shared another video that demonstrates the love between Nosh and his favorite people. @sky.q Anyone else’s dog love grandma and grandpa more than anyone else? 😂❤️ #blueheeler #australiancattledog #acd #dog #heeler #cattledog In case you're wondering what kind of dog Nosh is‚ he's an Australian Cattle Dog‚ also known as a Blue Heeler. (A real-life Bluey‚ if you will.) You can see even more videos of his excitement over going to the grandparents' house on Skylar's TikTok channel here.This article originally appeared on 12.16.23

Anyone who has parented a spirited "threenager" knows how hard handling toddler tantrums can be. Parents often joke about our wee ones throwing down‚ because laughter is sometimes the only way to cope. But in reality‚ it can be extremely disturbing and distressing for the entire household when a family member carries on in a way that feels—or truly is—out of control.Major tantrums can be especially hard for parents who didn't have good parenting examples themselves. It takes superhuman patience to be the parents we want to be some days‚ and none of us does it perfectly all the time. When a child is screaming and crying over something irrational and nothing seems to be working to get them to stop‚ exhausted parents can lose their cool and respond in ways they normally wouldn't.That's one reason a TikTok video of a father and son captured in the aftermath of an epic toddler tantrum has caught people's attention. Many of us have been in the dad's shoes before‚ frazzled and shaken by the relentlessness and intensity of a 3-year-old's meltdown. And many of us have been in the son's shoes as well‚ witnessing a younger sibling's insanity and our parents' struggle to manage the situation.But the way this father and son support one another is bringing people to tears with its beautiful example of emotional regulation‚ empathy and connection.TikTok user @mollymikos shared the video‚ explaining that their 3-year-old had just thrown a 2 1/2-hour tantrum (which she clarified was actually two tantrums with a 10-minute break in between). "We did not have Unicorn Chopsticks and would not go to the store (where they don’t sell unicorn chopsticks….)‚" she explained when someone asked what the fit was over. Sounds about right. The tyrannical threes are no joke. So much to love in this video. First‚ the 6-year-old‚ whom Mikos describes as "empathetic" and "a deeply feeling kid‚" demonstrated impressive self-regulation skills. The way he started taking deep breaths and suggested that he and Dad do some deep breathing together was inspiring. Second‚ the dad apologized for losing it and explained that they were trying to set a better example as parents‚ which many parents are far too proud to do. Finally‚ the kiddo displayed such deep understanding and compassion‚ it was clear these parents have worked hard to create healthy emotional connections and open communication in their family. @mollymikos #selfregulation #meltdowns #threenagers #precociouschildren Mikos tells Upworthy that she and her husband have been working hard to break the stress cycles that so often get passed down from generation to generation. "I didn’t realize how much would be brought up by having children‚" she says. "We are working on repairing and changing the way we interact with our children so that they feel supported instead of shamed." Mikos says social media has given this generation of parents access to experts‚ studies and revelations that can help them navigate raising kids with gentle parenting principles. She personally finds inspiration on Instagram from Dr. Becky Kennedy‚ Janet Lansbury‚ Conscious Mommy and Eli Harwood. "They’ve changed my life‚" she says.People are loving the example Mikos and her husband are setting with—and for—their kids."This just goes to show how much of a great job your doing!!!" wrote one commenter. "Toddlers are hard and the fact your 6yo was able to empathize and communicate shows it.""This is why you’re good parents‚" shared another. "Your older child can regulate his emotions and is empathetic. That’s amazing at any age and you did that.""Not me sobbing at 2 am bc this is the healthiest parent-child relationship ever‚" wrote another. "Keep it up 😭😭💕 yall are doing awesome."Mikos has been heartened by all the comments on her video. The fact that her husband apologized to their son for losing his patience was particularly moving for a lot of commenters‚ especially those who had parents who never did that. "Many people have said that they didn't realize parents could apologize to their children‚" she says. "Yes. Please apologize. They need to know we make mistakes‚ and that we still love them and are constantly trying to do better."Apologizing to our kids when we're in the wrong or when we behave in a way we're not proud of demonstrates respect and teaches accountability by example. The fact that this dad is comfortable apologizing is likely a big reason why his son has the emotional tools that he does.Gentle‚ compassionate parenting may not instantaneously end a tantrum‚ but it does pay off with big emotional and relational wins in the long run.This article originally appeared on 11.12.22

When we think about the era of American slavery‚ many of us tend to think of it as the far distant past. While slavery doesn't exist as a formal institution today‚ there are people living who knew formerly enslaved black Americans first-hand. In the wide arc of history‚ the legal enslavement of people on U.S. soil is a recent occurrence—so recent‚ in fact‚ that we have voice recordings of interviews with people who lived it.Many of us have read written accounts of enslavement‚ from Frederick Douglass's autobiography to some of the 2‚300 first-person accounts housed in the Library of Congress. But how many of us have heard the actual voices of people who were enslaved telling their own stories?ABC News' Nightline with Ted Koppel aired a segment in 1999 in which we can hear the first-person accounts of people who had been enslaved taken from interviews conducted in the 1930s and 40s (also housed in the Library of Congress). They include the voice of a man named Fountain Hughes‚ who was born into slavery in 1848 and whose grandfather had "belonged to" Thomas Jefferson.As Koppel says in the segment‚ "The results of these digitally enhanced recordings are arresting‚ almost unbelievable. The idea of hearing the voices of actual slaves from the plantations of the Old South is as powerful—as startling‚ really—as if you could hear Abraham Lincoln or Robert E. Lee speak."Indeed‚ hearing formerly enslaved people share their experiences of being bought and sold like cattle‚ sleeping on bare pallets‚ and witnessing whippings for insubordination is a heartbreaking reminder of how close we are to this ugly chapter of our history. The segment is well worth ten minutes to watch:This article originally appeared on 03.09.20

Douglas Scott grew up on Washington's Olympic Peninsula in the dying shadow of the timber industry that had supported the region for decades."Nearly every home had a bright orange or yellow sign reading 'This home supported by timber dollars‚'" Scott wrote on Outdoor Society.While the region has also been recognized for its succulent seafood‚ temperate climate‚ and stunning natural formations‚ nothing shaped the community — or the physical landscape — quite like logging did.The tension in the air between the loggers and the environmentalists throughout the 1980s was thicker than the trees being cut down."I heard from old timers in the Harbor about how environmentalists were ruining the region‚ and I was told by environmentalists that loggers were killing everything in sight‚" Scott recalled.But to understand the full impact of deforestation on the region‚ it helps to take the bird's eye view.Here's a satellite image of the Olympic Peninsula from 1984. The white region in the center are the mountaintops in Olympic National Park; you'll also notice the grey and brown areas along the western and northern coasts of the peninsula."When I moved away from the area in 1997‚ there wasn't much of a logging or mill economy in dozens of towns around the region‚" Scott said.By that time‚ tourism had begun to take the place of timber as the region's major industry — which was probably helped along by the fact that the trees were slowly but surely starting to recover‚ enhancing the already stunning vistas that drew visitors.Here's how the Olympic Peninsula looked by the time that Scott and his family left the area; you'll notice the western and northern coasts are just a little bit greener than they were 13 years prior...Those great green arbors continued their gradual recovery into the 2000s...And they're still going today.But those isolated moments don't tell the whole story of the region's recovery. It's even more remarkable when you can see it in action...We don't always notice the world changing right before our eyes‚ but the decades-long view of the Olympic Peninsula shows the true power of nature.It's not just the trees‚ either; according to Scott‚ the replenished forests have also had a positive impact on the local salmon population and other treasured natural resources.That doesn't mean we shouldn't use the natural world‚ of course. We still need wood‚ for example‚ but now we know there are sustainable ways to use it without recklessly damaging to the planet.The Earth was built to take care of itself. We just need to let Mother Nature do her thing.This article originally appeared on 12.22.16

These mustached Canadians decided to treat older shelter cats like used cars.Why? Because in a world where around 8 million pets enter shelters and only around 4 million get out‚ that's a lot of sad math.In an attempt to stop that sad math‚ the kind folks from the Calgary Humane Society got creative.The fastest domestic cat running speed appears to be 29.8 mph. This salesman knows his product!They got weird.They discovered some very adept cat performers.Call Hollywood!They pulled out all the stops to help future cat owners realize that pre-owned cats are the way to go! And in addition to the commercial‚ the cats were priced to go on a very special Saturday.Kittens are popular. There's no way around it. They're kittens! I used to be kitten-crazy (I was a child!)‚ but I've adopted older cats and so have my friends. They're special. They're cute. They're soulful. And instead of adorably biting your fingers until they grow up past kittenhood‚ older cats chill out on your couch and teach you about relaxing.I'm sharing this because it might save a pre-owned cat. We missed the Big Sale Saturday (but let's be real‚ pre-owned cats are always priced to go)‚ but the love for pre-owned cats continues. And this commercial‚ well ... it's timeless. And worth a watch below:This article originally appeared on 08.29.15

A mystery teacher has become an internet scholar after imgur user SharkyTheSharkDog shared photos of the extra credit questions on their exams.While the first six are really fun—you should see if you can get them all correct—the last one is pure torture in the form of public humiliation.Don't read too quickly‚ students.1. How many seasons was "Full House" on the air?2. Complete the verse... "I been in the game for ten years makin' rap tunes..."3. What color pants does Jake from State Farm wear?4. Okay‚ this one's going to be tough for you."Yesterday‚ during my lecture‚ I quickly mentioned that only a pink pen will save you tomorrow. Draw a stick figure below in that pink pen."5. Describe the dumbest conversation you overheard recently.Guy: Do you like Bon Jovi?Girl: No thanks‚ I don't eat Italian Food.6. Including "The Revenant‚" how many times has Leo DiCaprio been nominated for an Academy Award?7. And this one's a true test of your reading strategy.First person to read this‚ stand up proudly on your chair‚ and yell at the top of your lungs‚ "Oh Captain‚ My Captain!" will receive a 95% on this exam.…......*Just kidding. Name the drummer for The Beatles.This article originally appeared on 05.01.19

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