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

Grandparents can be a wealth of history and knowledge. But one TikTok user‚ Reagan Jones‚ was blown away by her grandmother's ability to write in shorthand‚ so she did what a lot of people do in this century—uploaded it to TikTok. Not surprisingly‚ most people who viewed the video had no idea what shorthand was and some thought the whole thing was made up. The reaction to it certainly makes you question if it's more than a lost art‚ but a forgotten part of history. Shorthand is a method of quickly writing that has been around for a centuries. The first recorded history of a form of shorthand being used was in the 4th century B.C.. In the 1800s‚ two different types of shorthand became popular‚ Pitman in 1837 and Gregg in 1888. Looking at the shorthand alphabet may make you furrow your eyebrows because a lot of the symbols look ridiculously similar. It's full of lines that are straight‚ slightly curled or partially looped and some that just look like a squiggle. It's something to behold and resembles a super secret language.Judging by the comments on the video‚ other people feel the same way. One commenter‚ Jamie wrote‚ "I've heard the term shorthand but I think my brain always took it as abbreviations not this 😳😅"Another commenter‚ Samantha said‚ "Nah this has to be a glitch in the timeline I’ve never heard of this from any of my family member." @reaganjones176 This is called “short hand” and its a real form of old-style note-taking. She uses this to write herself notes daily. 😂#coolgrandma #funwithgrandma #grandparents #handwriting #shorthand In a reply to a commenter‚ Jones revealed‚ "My grandma was a legal secretary for the railroad :) She won a lot of awards for her work and shorthand in school."Now‚ that's just cool. Sure there are still professions like court reporters and such that use shorthand‚ but it's not as common as it was back when most people's grandparents and great-grandparents were young adults. This was such a neat blast from the past. It's clear that Jones' grandma could probably still take home some awards for her unique skill. This article originally appeared on 09.13.22

“The greater the artist‚ the greater the doubt. Perfect confidence is granted to the less talented as a consolation prize." ― Robert HughesGreat artists tend to live life swimming in a vast ocean of self-doubt. It's that special blend of insecurity and perfectionism that fuels their desire to hone their craft and get better with each piece.But that self-doubt can also be paralyzing and prevent potential artists from picking up the pen‚ paintbrush or guitar.To encourage his mother to stick with her art‚ Reddit user Gaddafo shared a picture of his mother‚ Cindi Decker‚ a school teacher from Florida‚ holding a lovely painting she made of an egret. “My mom painted this and said no one would like it. It's her 2nd painting‚" he wrote.Then Reddit user Cacahahadoodoo asked the forum to take the post a step further. “Someone paint the photo of his mom holding her painting and repost it with the same title for extra extra karma‚" they wrote.Karma is a reward earned for posting popular content on the online forum. Reddit user u/k__z jumped on the task and painted a picture of Decker holding her painting. Then lillyofthenight took things a step further by painting a picture of herself holding a painting of u/k__z holding his painting of Decker holding her painting of an egret.“Took a while and not perfect‚ but I painted the guy who painted the other guy's mom‚" she wrote.Then seamusywray stepped in with his contribution and things started to get freaky. “I painted the girl who painted the guy who painted the other guy's mom who painted an egret‚" he wrote.This kicked off a chain reaction that's come to be known “paintception."To keep things from getting too confusing‚ another Redditor created an interactive tree to show how they paintings relate to one another.Decker was shocked by the chain reaction and couldn't believe she inspired so many people to paint. “Even though people say‚ 'You inspired me to paint‚' I don't know that it was so much me. I really give credit to the first artist who painted‚" she told the CBC. “You know‚ I'm not a painter. I'm just somebody who went out and did a little painting thing‚ so I got lucky to get caught up in all this fun craziness."The question is: will the craziness ever end?This article originally appeared on 02.02.19

I was promoted a few weeks ago‚ which was great. I got a lot of nice notes from friends‚ family‚ customers‚ partners‚ and random strangers‚ which was exciting.But it wasn't long until a note came in saying‚ “Everyone knows you got the position because you're a girl." In spite of having a great week at a great company with great people whom I love‚ that still stung‚ because it's not the first time I've heard it.Every woman who works in tech — heck‚ likely every woman on Earth — hears “because you're a girl" dozens‚ if not thousands‚ of times in her life.It starts young‚ of course:Why can't I join that team? Because you're a girl.Why can't I study physics? Because you're a girl.Then‚ the comments age with you.Why can't I manage that project? Because you're a girl.Why can't I join that group? Because you're a girl.And after you've reached any level of attainment in a profession you love‚ the comments are used to minimize your success.Why did you get that award? Because you're a girl.Why were you chosen to participate in that class? Because you're a girl.Like so many women before me‚ I have shaken off the comment.I've gotten angry. I've gotten sad. I've doubted myself and my abilities. I've ignored it entirely. I've challenged it. I've recruited support from men and women I respect. Yet every time it stays there in the back of my mind‚ screaming for attention after every failure or setback.But today is the day I've decided to change that.I did‚ in fact‚ get the job because I'm a girl.A girl who was called "bossy" growing up.A girl who wasn't afraid to play with the boys.A girl who didn't hesitate to raise her hand if she knew the answer.A girl who stood up for other kids.A girl who was always the first one to volleyball practice and the last to leave.A girl who was told she was too assertive and aggressive to advance in her career.A girl who went to MIT anyway.A girl who asked her company to do more on diversity and inclusion and won't stop pushing until it's truly remarkable.A girl who has made big mistakes‚ both personal and professional.A girl who swings for the fences even when no one is watching.A girl who puts in hours when other people are asleepA girl who tells young girls how smart and strong they are.A girl who hates to lose.And a girl who won't stand silently while people still use “because you're a girl" as any limitation for girls who want to grow‚ challenge the status quo‚ and be something‚ anything‚ greater than society tells them they could or should.So yeah. I guess you could say I got my job because I'm a girl‚ but not for any of the reasons you might think.This story first appeared on the author's Medium and is reprinted here with permission.This article originally appeared on 04.14.17

There was never just one moment in my family when we “found out" that my dad was an addict.I think I always knew‚ but I never saw him actually drinking. Usually‚ he downed a fifth of vodka before he came home from work or hid tiny bottles in the garage and bathroom cabinets.My name is Ashley‚ and I am the child of an addict. As a kid‚ I cried when our family dinner reservation shrunk from four to three after a man with glassy eyes stumbled through the door. I didn't guzzle the vodka‚ but I felt the heartbreak of missed birthdays. I feel like I should weigh 500 pounds from all the “I'm sorry" chocolate donuts. I had to grow up quicker‚ but it made me into the person I am today.I spent many years shouting into journals about why this was happening to me. But this is the thing that no one will tell you about loving someone who has an addiction: it will force you to see the world through different eyes.Here are some things I've learned:1. When your family's yelling about burnt toast‚ they're probably also yelling about something else.My family yelled about everything — and nothing — to avoid the messy stuff. We all handled my dad's addiction differently. My brother devoured sports. My mom took bubble baths. I slammed doors and slammed boyfriends for not understanding my family's secrets.Regardless of the preferred coping mechanism‚ everyone feels pain differently.2. Your "knight in shining armor" can't fix this.Boyfriends became my great escape when I was young. But when I expected them to rescue me from the pain I grew up with‚ it never worked out. No matter how strapping they looked galloping in on those white horses‚ they couldn't save me or fix anything.In the end‚ I realized that I had to find healing on my own before I could build a strong relationship.3. “Don't tell anyone" is a normal phase.When my dad punched holes in the wall‚ my mom covered them up with artwork. I wanted to rip the artwork down to expose all the holes‚ especially as a bratty teenager. But eventually I realized that it wasn't my choice. My parents had bills to pay and jobs to keep. I've learned it's common to cover up for dysfunction in your family‚ especially when it feels like the world expects perfection.4. Friends probably won't get it‚ but you'll need them anyway.Bulldozed by broken promises‚ I remember collapsing on a friend's couch from the crippling pain of unmet expectations. I hyperventilated. Things felt uncontrollable and hopeless. My friend rubbed my back and just listened.These are the kinds of friends I will keep forever‚ the ones who crawled down into the dark places with me and didn't make me get back up until I was ready.5. You can't fix addiction‚ but you can help.When I was a teenager‚ I called a family meeting. I started by playing a Switchfoot song: “This is your life. Are you who you want to be?"Let's skip to the punchline: It didn't work.It wasn't just me. Nothing anyone did worked. My dad had to lose a lot — mostly himself — before he hit that place they call “rock bottom." And‚ in all honesty‚ I hate that label because “rock bottom" isn't just a one-and-done kind of place.What can you do while you wait for someone to actually want to get help? Sometimes‚ you just wait. And you hope. And you pray. And you love. And you mostly just wait.6. Recovery is awkward.When a counselor gave me scripted lines to follow if my dad relapsed‚ I wanted to shred those “1-2-3 easy steps" into a million pieces.For me‚ there was nothing easy about my dad's recovery. My whole family had to learn steps to a new dance when my dad went into recovery. The healing dance felt like shuffling and awkwardly stepping on toes. It was uncomfortable; new words‚ like trust and respect‚ take time to sink in. And that awkwardness is also OK.7. I still can't talk about addiction in the past tense.Nothing about an addict's life happens linearly. I learned that early on. My dad cycled through 12-step programs again and again‚ to the point where I just wanted to hurl whenever anyone tried to talk about it. And then we finally reached a point where it felt like recovery stuck.But even now‚ I'll never say‚ “My dad used to deal with addiction." My whole family continues to wrestle with the highs and lows of life with an addict every single day.8. Happy hours and wedding receptions aren't easy to attend.My family will also probably never clink glasses of red wine or stock the fridge full of beer. I'm convinced happy hours and wedding receptions will get easier‚ but they might not. People get offended when my dad orders a Diet Coke instead of their fine whisky.Plus‚ there's the paranoia factor. Surrounded by flowing liquor‚ I hate watching my dad crawl out of his skin‚ tempted to look “normal" and tackle small talk with people we barely know. I've learned that this fear will probably last for a while‚ and it's because I care.9. If you close your eyes‚ the world doesn't just “get prettier."With constant fear of the unknown‚ sometimes our world is not a pretty place. I remember watching the breaking news on 9/11 and feeling the terror of the planes crashing into the Twin Towers as if I was there.My dad numbed the anxiety of these dark days with vodka‚ but this didn't paint a prettier world for him when he woke up the next day. I've dealt with the fear of the unknown with the help of boys‚ booze‚ and bad dancing on pool tables. Life hurts for everyone‚ and I think we all have to decide how we're going to handle the darkness.10. Rip off the sign on your back that reads: “KICK ME. MY LIFE SUCKS."Sometimes I look in the mirror and I see only my broken journey. In some twisted way‚ I'm comforted by the dysfunction because it's kept me company for so long. It's easy to let the shadow of my family's past follow me around and choose to drown in the darkness.But every day‚ I'm learning to turn on the light. I have to write the next chapter in my recovery story‚ but I can't climb that mountain with all this crap weighing me down.11. It's OK to forgive‚ too.Some people have given me sucky advice about how I should write an anthem on daddy bashing‚ or how to hit the delete button on the things that shaped my story.Instead‚ my dad and I are both learning to celebrate the little things‚ like the day that he could change my flat tire. On that day‚ I didn't have to wonder if he was too drunk to come help me.I can't forget all the dark nights of my childhood.But I've learned that for my own well-being‚ I can't harbor bitterness until I explode.Instead‚ I can love my dad‚ day by day‚ and learn to trust in the New Dad — the one with clearer eyes and a full heart. The one who rescues me when I call.This article was written by Ashley Tieperman and originally appeared on 04.27.16

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