Despite society having made a lot of progress when it comes to same-sex relationships and alternative families, it’s not so commonplace that many queer parents are still presented with questions about their lifestyle from straight people. And while queer parents probably (rightfully) grow tired of answering certain questions day in and day out, having open conversation helps break through the lack of understanding which causes stigma and misconceptions in the first place.In a now-viral video shared to their Instagram, lesbian moms Allie and Sam Conway answer commonly asked questions they get as a queer married couple with twins.Of course, they started with the age-old question: “Who’s the real mom?” Though people by and large are able to differentiate biological connection from emotional connection (like with adoptive parents or step-parents to take on an active role in their step children’s lives), this is still a question that same-sex parents face regularly. And it’s a fairly harmful one at that, as it implicitly undermines the non-biological parent’s role in the family.So, to Sam’s point: “We’re both the mom.” Allie also told Upworthy that the usual response to this answer is "oh my gosh! That’s amazing!" Which makes her—and us—"smile so much."Next up: “Who’s the dad?” To which they replied: “there isn’t a dad.”This is also a question fused with negative connotation, as it suggests a father figure is necessary for raising well-adjusted kids. But research shows that kids born to same-sex parents fare just as well as the children of straight couples, indicating that what’s really necessary for a child’s development is two healthy, loving parents. That’s it.Okay, this next one actually had an answer that surprised some folks: “Who carried them?” Though Sam wanted to be the one to get pregnant, Allie agreed to try after Sam’s “long fertility journey” of three IUI’s, three embryo transfers and multiple chemical pregnancies with one miscarriage.However, the couple used Sam’s eggs, and Sam did the breastfeeding.How the heck did that happen, you might wonder. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. So did lots of viewers. Sam underwent induced lactation, which tricks the body into thinking it’s pregnant and producing breast milk—it’s something often utilized by adoptive mothers.Lastly, a fun one: “What do the kids call you?” “Mummy and other mummy,” Sam quipped. “We’re rotating all day,” Allie added. See on Instagram Without proper understanding, stigma persists. That’s how myths like “queer parents turn their children gay” or “children of two-mother families are more likely to be bullied” continue. And while it’s certainly not the responsibility of parents like Allie and Sam to educate folks on the realities of queer parenting, it’s great that they do offer genuine insight.And thankfully, they are usually met with positive reactions from people, Allie tells Upworthy. Which only further encourages them to answer more question and offer glimpses into "different types of families."At the end of the day, families are made up of people who love and support one another. Everything else is just window dressing. Check out even more heartwarming family content from Allie and Sam on Instagram.This article originally appeared on 3.15.24

A recent story posted on Reddit shows how sometimes trusting your gut can be the best thing you can do, even if following it will seriously impact your friendships. It all started when a 24-year-old woman with the username Yslbabycat went to a bachelorette party with 5 other friends in Italy. For brevity’s sake, we’ll call our main character YBC. One night, the six girls went bar and club hopping and met some new friends. “We met some young people, and they invited us to a party. We went and danced and met more people. The night kept going on longer, and we were very far from our lodgings. These young men with 2 women in their group told us to stay with them for the night,” she wrote. That’s when she had the first strong gut feeling.“I wasn’t feeling this situation. It felt unsafe, but the group voted and I was in the minority,” she continued.”I didn’t trust these men. Something seemed wrong. But I was at a loss as I could not split from my group and didn’t feel safe separating from them in the middle of the night.”Even though the girls locked their doors that night, the men could enter their rooms. But the girls, besides YBC, all wanted to stay another day because the men promised to show them around Italy.“I didn’t want to get into a car with them because I found them creepy. There were women in their group but it didn’t matter. They seemed even more suspicious to me, being overly friendly,” She continued. “The whole morning, I found the men staring at me a lot and also making some comments about my ethnicity—I am Korean and they could tell and it seemed that they were interested in me because of my ethnicity, asking me strange questions …including if I’m a virgin or not.. so in my head I could only think of perverted reasons for these questions because I thought these guys were sketchy and sizing us all up for some reason I couldn’t figure out yet.”YBC's friends tried to tell her that it was just cultural differences and that the men weren’t being creepy, but she decided that she wanted to leave. So, she called her boyfriend in France, a few hours’ drive away, to come get her. She met him at a local store, where YBC called the bride-to-be and informed her she was leaving.The bride-to-be screamed at her on the phone and chastised her for spoiling the “mood of the trip” and told YBC to essentially “f*** off.”After YBC left, the other 5 girls went on a boat with the men who all tried to get them “extremely” intoxicated. They then began to aggressively pressure the girls into having sex. At the night's end, the girls got away from the men and found another hotel.Even though YBC’s suspicions were confirmed, the bride-to-be was still upset with her, and YBC did not attend her friend’s wedding.In the end, Reddit commenters overwhelmingly thought that YBC did the right thing by trusting her gut.“So all the other girls but the bachelorette confirmed that you were right and the guys were super creepy and yet the bachelorette is still pissed at you for getting yourself out of there?” YouSayWotNow wrote. “All of them are very lucky nothing really bad happened, and frankly, they should be embarrassed they didn't take you seriously at the time.”“You may have saved the entire group by leaving early, as the men realized that you knew where they lived and could ID them,” RobinC1967 added. “Please don't ever feel bad for getting yourself out of a sketchy situation. Stay Smart!”Most would agree that YBC did the right thing by trusting her gut and trying to lead her friends out of a potentially dangerous situation. Psychology Today supports her decision to trust her feelings. In an article entitled, “3 Reasons Why You Have to Trust Your Gut,” Susanna Newsonen says that your intuition is encoded in your brain like “a web of fact and feeling” and is helpful because it’s “shaped by your past experiences and the existing knowledge that you gained from them.”This article originally appeared on 3.16.24

If there's one thing a determined parent will do, it's make sure their kid is getting their needs met. Even if that means they have to reinvent the wheel to do it. Rachel Griffin Accurso, or as parents across TikTok and YouTube know her, Ms. Rachel, found herself without any real options for additional resources to help her toddler who was diagnosed with a speech delay. Accurso was looking for a developmentally appropriate show for her son but she wasn't having any luck. That's when she decided to take her teaching degree and get to work on creating her own show. It became a family business when she teamed up with her husband, Broadway composer Aron Accurso, who has been there every step of the way. He's even in the episodes singing along. "Songs for Littles" has infiltrated homes across America. If you have a toddler and internet access, you've likely heard of it. The show has more than a billion views on YouTube. Yes, that's billion, with a "B." Ms. Rachel also has more than 19 million likes on TikTok and has speech pathologists everywhere singing her praises.Accurso is intentional with all of her videos, doing close-ups on her mouth when introducing new words and pausing to "hear" responses from her viewers after asking a question. In her interview with Today, Accurso admitted, "A lot of things I teach are things I wish I had known for my son." She explained that everything she does is backed by research and is recorded in her small apartment in front of a green screen.Parents on TikTok often upload videos thanking Accurso or showing off the skill their child learned from watching her show. The journalist who interviewed "Ms. Rachel" for Today even got to record an episode of "Songs for Littles" with her. Check out the cute video below: This article originally appeared on 01.10.23

There was a massive jump in credit card fraud in America in 2021 due to the pandemic. According to CNET, fraud involving credit cards jumped 69% from 2020 to 2021, affecting 13 million Americans and costing $9 billion. In a world where online transactions are part of everyday life, it’s hard to completely protect your information. But, by staying vigilant and monitoring your accounts you can report fraud before it gets out of hand. A TikTok user by the name of Lauren (@absolutelylauren) from San Diego, California, got a notification that there was a $135 charge on her card at Olaplex’s online store that she hadn’t made. Olaplex sells products that repair excessively damaged hair. Before reporting the charge to her credit card company she asked her family members if they used her card by mistake. “I don’t wanna shut my card down if it’s just my mom ordering some shampoo,” Lauren said in the video. “Definitely not my two younger brothers, they’ve got good hair but they don’t color it.”After realizing the charge was fraudulent, most people would have called their credit card company and had their card canceled. But Lauren was curious and wanted to know who stole her information and used it to buy hair care products. So she concocted a plan to get their information. She called Olaplex’s customer service line asking for the name and address of the purchaser to see if it was made by a family member."Hey, can you help me with something?” Lauren asked Tanya, the Olaplex customer service agent. “If I can give you the time and date, purchase amount and card number and whatever could you let me know who placed an order?"Tanya had no problem helping Lauren with her request. @absolutelylauren olaplex customer service is top tier ? #creditcardscam “At this point, I’m willingly giving Tanya enough info to steal my card as well — she could have very well taken advantage of me in that moment but she didn’t,” Lauren said. “She comes back — tell me why she gave me the little scammer their full government name and address.”Tanya revealed that a guy named Jason in a modest suburb in Texas used her card to buy a gift for his wife. “They also did it on Black Friday so at least they got a deal I guess, it was the gift set,” Lauren continued.Lauren then called her credit card company and shared the information she had on the fraudster. The card company is currently investigating the situation.One commenter thought that Olaplex wasn’t supposed to share that information with Lauren. “For some reason, I don’t think olaplex was supposed to give that info,” Arae270 said. “I definitely gave them the option, but I explained that it was an unauthorized purchase, and if the name did not match anyone that I knew that I would just tell them to cancel the order and refund me, I told the girl that they would probably save everyone, a headache!” Lauren replied.People should use utmost caution before deciding to track down a credit card thief. But kudos to Lauren for being clever enough to track down the person who stole her card information to help the authorities with their investigation. She didn’t put herself in harm's way and if someone follows up on the tip, maybe they can prevent the same thing from happening to someone else.This article originally appeared on 1.11.23

Street artists are a special breed. While "the art world" can sometimes be a snooty, elite place for those with means, street art is made for everyone. Sometimes that means large public murals, but street art can be small, too. In fact, some of the best street art is so small you might miss it if you're not paying attention. But those who are can discover some delightful surprises.Just imagine walking down a sidewalk and seeing this little fella at your feet: See on Instagram Or this young lady:Or this creature: See on Instagram That would make your day, wouldn't it? Or at least bring a smile to your face for a while?Public art is an act of love to strangers, a way of connecting to people without saying a word. It says, "Hey there, fellow human. Here's a little something to make you smile, just because."That's the beauty of David Zinn's street art. It's meant for the public—just average passers-by—to enjoy, individually and collectively.Zinn has created an entire world of characters who pop up in unexpected places. For instance, meet Gerald the otter, who is waiting for a blind date in this tree stump. See on Instagram Zinn uses chalk and charcoal to make his cast of characters come to life in cracks and crevasses, sidewalks and tree trunks. His creations aren't meant to last forever; in fact, as Zinn points out, the temporary nature of them adds value to them."Famous works of art hanging in museums get seen by thousands of people every day. But this? You could be among the dozens of people who get to see this while it exists," he told CBS Mornings. "That's pretty special." Watch how he takes something he finds in the sidewalk and transforms it into a sweet little duo.Sometimes he uses natural things he finds as inspiration for a piece. See on Instagram See on Instagram Other times, he uses something human-made, like this upside down terra cotta pot: See on Instagram Or this manhole cover: See on Instagram Sometimes the shape of a rock lends itself to a character, like Keith and his emotional support chick here: See on Instagram Or the space itself serves as inspiration.Nadine the mouse features in many of Zinn's pieces, probably due to her small size making it easy for her to fit into small spaces. See on Instagram Usually his pieces use what's already there—like a crack in the sidewalk—to tell a story. See on Instagram The 3D nature of his drawings make it feel as if his characters are truly there. "Looks like another long day of things stubbornly refusing to be impossible," he writes in a caption of one of his "pigasuses." See on Instagram (Speaking of having wings, Nadine found a pair for herself.) See on Instagram Watch Zinn turn a simple pot into a character with personality in a matter of minutes: His entire Instagram page, Facebook page and TikTok channel are filled with endless delight. It was nearly impossible to decide what to include in this article because I wanted to include everything. See on Instagram This is all well and good, you might say to yourself, but how does Zinn make a living if he's not selling this art? He sells books and prints of photos of his artwork on his online store. He also gets invited to schools and events. He has created a career for himself by rejecting blank canvases, putting his imagination out on the street for everyone to see for a while, then selling versions that will actually last. Pretty brilliant, really.Zinn gave a fascinating TEDx Talk explaining how he found his own artistic niche. You'll never look at a parking meter or sidewalk the same way again. This article originally appeared on 02.12.22

There are few more fulfilling hobbies than having a love of books.Reading isn't just a great way to have a good time. Reading increases brain connectivity, makes people more empathetic, reduces depression symptoms, improves vocabulary, and may even cause you to live longer.It's a huge benefit for a child's development as well. According to Parent.com, reading "stimulates the side of the brain that helps with mental imagery, understanding, and language processing, and that brain activity."Sure beats wasting time playing video games.Thirteen-year-old Callum Manning wanted to share his love of reading with the world, so he created an Instagram account where he posted photos of the books he's read. It started with a post about Stephen King's "The Shining.""So I guess I'm going to start this account off with one of my favourite books, Callum wrote. "This book was the first book I read in 1 day. And I was like 10. So yeah it scared me." See on Instagram He would go on to fill his pages with books such as "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley, "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen, "1984" by George Orwell, and current classics such as "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin and "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by J.K. RowlingKids Callum's age can be exceptionally cruel. A group of them created a group chat where they bullied him for his love of books and then invited him to join. After subjecting him to emotional abuse, they kicked him out of the chat."I don't tend to cry that often but I think that was the first time in a while I've actually cried," Callum told PA Media.His older sister, Ellis Landreth, was understandably upset about the cruelty, so she tweeted about the group chat, hoping about "20 or 30 of my friends [would] like a few of his posts or follow him or give him some words of encouragement."Her tweet would go viral, receiving over 180,000 likes. Can\u2019t believe how awful kids are. My little brothers made an Instagram reviewing and talking about books and kids in his new school have seen it and have created a group chat calling him a creep slagging him off about it and added him to it so he could see pic.twitter.com/wuuj2XlO34 — Ellis (@Ellis) 1582972178 She was bombarded by responses from people who wanted to support her brother.I think the love from all around the world has probably let him know he isn't alone. But all the interesting people I know were once considered weird kids with books. Including me.— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) March 2, 2020 I've followed him and dropped him a little message but I'd love to buy him a book or send him over an amazon gift card - I'm sure he has a lot of books on the way but please DM me if there's any book he doesn't have ?— beffy (@beffybadbelly) March 1, 2020 Just a few hours after the tweet, Callum received thousands of followers on his page. In just three days, he's up to nearly 400,000 followers. He's also received countless messages of support through the page.English novelist Matt Haig sent Callum a collection of books, adding: "Hey let's all follow Cals Book Account on Instagram and show him some support." A book store near Manning's home in northeast England promised him a book on the house.Callum's story was shared on Instagram by authors Caroline Kepnes and Malorie Blackman.The teenager received over 15,000 messages in his DMs. "He's absolutely overwhelmed," Landreth told CNN. "He can't even get through all his DMs."Callum's mother is over the moon about the response. "She's so happy people are spreading positive messages about these issues," Landreth said. "No matter how small some things seem, they can stick with kids forever."This article originally appeared on 03.04.20

Fifth-grade teacher Emily E. Smith is not your ordinary teacher. She founded The Hive Society — a classroom that's all about inspiring children to learn more about their world ... and themselves — by interacting with literature and current events. Students watch TED talks, read Rolling Stone, and analyze infographics. She even has a long-distance running club to encourage students to take care of their minds and bodies.Smith is such an awesome teacher, in fact, that she recently received the 2015 Donald H. Graves Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Writing.It had always been her dream to work with children in urban areas, so when Smith started teaching, she hit the ground running. She had her students making podcasts, and they had in-depth discussions about their readings on a cozy carpet.But in her acceptance speech for her award, she made it clear that it took a turning point in her career before she really got it:"Things changed for me the day when, during a classroom discussion, one of my kids bluntly told me I "couldn't understand because I was a white lady." I had to agree with him. I sat there and tried to speak openly about how I could never fully understand and went home and cried, because my children knew about white privilege before I did. The closest I could ever come was empathy."Smith knew that just acknowledging her white privilege wasn't enough.She wanted to move beyond just empathy and find a way to take some real action that would make a difference for her students.She kept the same innovative and engaging teaching methods, but she totally revamped her curriculum to include works by people who looked like her students. She also carved out more time to discuss issues that her students were facing, such as xenophobia and racism.And that effort? Absolutely worth it.As she said in her acceptance speech:"We studied the works of Sandra Cisneros, Pam Munoz Ryan, and Gary Soto, with the intertwined Spanish language and Latino culture — so fluent and deep in the memories of my kids that I saw light in their eyes I had never seen before."The changes Smith made in her classroom make a whole lot of sense. And they're easy enough for teachers everywhere to make:— They studied the work of historical Latino figures, with some of the original Spanish language included. Many children of color are growing up in bilingual households. In 2007, 55.4 million Americans 5 years of age and older spoke a language other than English at home.— They analyzed the vision of America that great writers of color sought to create. And her students realized that our country still isn't quite living up to its ideals. Despite progress toward racial equality with the end of laws that enforced slavery or segregation, we still have a long way to go. Black people still fare worse than white people when it comes to things like wealth, unfair arrests, and health.— They read excerpts from contemporary writers of color, like Ta-Nehisi Coates who writes about race. Her students are reading and learning from a diverse group of writers. No small thing when they live in a society that overwhelmingly gives more attention to white male writers (and where the number of employees of color in the newspaper industry stagnates at a paltry 12%).— They read about the Syrian crisis, and many students wrote about journeys across the border in their family history for class. The opportunity particularly struck one student; the assignment touched him so much that he cried. He never had a teacher honor the journey his family made. And he was proud of his heritage for the first time ever. "One child cried," Smith shared, "and told me he never had a teacher who honored the journey his family took to the United States. He told me he was not ashamed anymore, but instead proud of the sacrifice his parents made for him."Opportunities like this will only increase as the number of children from immigrant families is steadily increasing. As of 2013, almost 17.4 million children under 18 have at least one immigrant parent.Smith now identifies not just as an English teacher, but as a social justice teacher.Smith's successful shift in her teaching is an example for teachers everywhere, especially as our schools become increasingly ethnically and racially diverse. About 80% of American teachers are white. But as of last year, the majority of K-12 students in public schools are now children of color.As America's demographics change, we need to work on creating work that reflects the experiences that our students relate to. And a more diverse curriculum isn't just important for students of color. It's vital for everyone.As Smith put it, "We, the teachers, are responsible for instilling empathy and understanding in the hearts of all kids. We are responsible for the future of this country."This article originally appeared on 12.07.15

Imgur user "mollywho" felt her life was falling apart. Not only was she battling clinical depression, but she had her hands full."I've been juggling a LOT lately," she wrote on Imgur. "Trying to do well at work. Just got married. Couldn't afford a wedding. Family is sparse. Falling out with friends, yaddadyadda.”She was also upset about how she treated her new husband."I've not been the easiest person to deal with. In fact, sometimes I've lost all hope and even taken my anger out on my husband."When she returned home from a business trip in San Francisco, mentally exhausted, she collapsed on her bed and cried. Then she noticed some writing on the bedroom mirror. It was a list that read:Reasons I love my wife1. She is my best friend2. She never quits on herself or me3. She gives me time to work on my crazy projects4. She makes me laugh, every day5. She is gorgeous6. She accepts the crazy person i am7. She's the kindest person i know8. She's got a beautiful singing voice9. She's gone to a strip club with me10. She has experienced severe tragedy yet is the most optimistic person about humanity i know11. She has been fully supportive about my career choices and followed me each time12. Without realizing it, she makes me want to do more for her than i have ever wanted to do for anyone13. She's done an amazing job at advancing her career path14. Small animals make her cry15. She snorts when she laughsThis amazing show of support from her husband was exactly what she needed. "I think he wanted me to remember how much he loves me," she wrote. "Because he knows how quickly I forget. He knows I struggle to see good in the world, and especially the good in myself. But here it is. A testament and gesture of his love. Damn, I needed it today…"She ended her post with some powerful words about mental illness."I'm not saying mental illness is cured by nice words on a mirror. In fact, it takes professional care, love, empathy, sometimes even medication just to cope. Many people struggle with it mental illness - more than we probably even realize. And instead of showing them hate or anger when they act out. Show them kindness and remind them things can and WILL get better. Everyone needs a little help sometimes. If that person can't be you - see if you have any resources for therapy."This article originally appeared on 12.10.15

Every Olympics has moments captured on camera that go down in history. The photo finishes. The inspiring displays of sportsmanship. The records being broken and humans doing things no human has done before. Simone Biles has had her fair share—or more—of iconic Olympic moments. And she just added another one to her list with the help of her friend and Team USA teammate, Jordan Chiles. Unsurprisingly, Biles was favored to win gold in the floor exercise final for women's gymnastics at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The floor is one of her strongest events, and the high degree of difficulty in her routine offered some wiggle room for small errors. Biles on the floor is like Jordan on the court at his peak—literally gravity-defying and simply mesmerizing to watch. But Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade has been giving Biles a serious run for her money. In any other era, she'd have a pocket full of gold medals, but she's had the fortune-yet-misfortune of competing against the greatest gymnast of all time. However, she finally managed to eek out a win over the GOAT in the floor exercise final in Paris. Andrade took the gold, leaving Biles with the silver and Chiles the bronze. If besting Simone Biles on the floor wasn't enough, Andrade got another boost as she approached the podium to receive her gold medal. In a synchronized gesture, giving props where it was due, Biles and Chiles knelt and bowed down before Andrade, creating one of those Olympic snapshots the world will never forget. — (@) What was especially great about this moment wasn't just the genuine respect Biles and Chiles showed Andrade. It's the sheer joy with which they did it. Biles being so dominant in her sport could easily lead to pride and arrogance, which doesn't seem to have happened, and losing a gold she was expected to win could easily crush her spirit, but that also doesn't seem to have happened. The GOAT recognizes, acknowledges and honors greatness when she sees it, and Andrade clearly brought her A game. Here we can see Chiles and Biles plotting to give Andrade the "We're not worthy" bow in real time: — (@) Biles and Andrade have both talked about how they've pushed one another to be better, which is exactly what competition is about. And celebrating excellence wherever it comes from is exactly what the Olympic games are all about. Biles and Chiles embodied that Olympic spirit in the floor final and medal ceremony, doing what they came to Paris to do, making it to the medal podium and then lifting up the gymnast who outperformed them both. Biles and Chiles spoke with reporters about what prompted them to do the bow and how much they admire "the queen" Andrade. — (@) What a beautiful testament to good sportsmanship and joyful camaraderie between competitors, and what a wonderful example for us all. Here's what people are saying about the moment:"This is the best part of everything Just class and sportsmanship Soooo wholesome.""This must be real meaning of the Olympics. How beautiful is that they congratulate and respect each other.""This is exactly what it's all about! Celebrating the human spirit and perseverance. I love their story. Their competitiveness pushes each other to be their greatest selves.""The nicest podium of all times. Fantastic women.""The world's best - inside and out. What an amazing accomplishment."

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