When a baby learns a new trick, they love to show it off. They’re so proud of themselves, and when they get those they love to react, it makes them even more excited to keep going. Our favorites are toddlers learning new words. There really is nothing sweeter than hearing a little baby’s voice. When you pair that with an action, you might as well consider us totaled. Asa, a precious little baby, learned to say and wave, “Bye-Bye,” and he’s got millions of people wanting him to wave to them. @verityandsuns He’s in his ‘Bye Bye’ era #cheesebaby #cutebabytiktok #toddlertiktok #foryoupagе #babytalk ♬ original sound – verityandsuns This Baby Says “Bye-Bye” to Everything His mom shared a TikTok video of her precious redheaded baby saying “bye-bye” to everything and everyone he meets. He says goodbye to the shower, the shop, and even the swings. But when those baby blue eyes peeked out from under his teddy bear hood, and he said, “bye-bye ducks,” Asa made an entire generation of women start crying. OK, well, maybe that was just us, but he really is as cute as a pie. If nothing else, his sweet little voice will remind you of someone in your own life and might get you right into your feels. No, it wasn’t just us that fell in love with Asa. As a matter of fact, that video alone has more than 1 million views and thousands of sweet comments. “Not him saying bye-bye to his reflection,” someone wrote. Just seeing Asa makes people happy, no matter what he’s doing. “My heart melts every time i see him,” a follower shared. “No I genuinely can’t cope with him,” another person wrote. We’re with this person. Once you see him, you just can’t help it. “Bye-bye baby. Imma scroll now,” they wrote. This story’s featured image can be found here.

Instagram officially launched in 2010, and for nearly 16 years, we’ve all followed each other’s lives from breakfast to bedtime in photos and videos. Some of our lives are arguably more exciting than others. Social media is also a fun way to get a glimpse at what our favorite celebrities are up to. Some stars like to keep it quiet, which we totally respect, and stay off social media completely. Others prefer to make an entrance fashionably late. But when they do, be ready for the drama. Sandra Bullock finally joined Instagram in April 2026, and her first two posts teased something fans have waited for for years. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sandra Bullock (@sandrabullock) Sandra Bullock is Heading Back to the Big Screen for a Much-Anticipated Sequel No, she isn’t’ teaming up with Keanu Reeves to drive a bus under the speed limit, although we wouldn’t be opposed. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are back together for the sequel to Practical Magic, nearly 30 years after the movie’s 1998 debut. Sandra and Nicole appeared in a reel together set to Faith Hill’s hit song This Kiss, with the very simple caption, “Owens sisters.” Immediately, Sandra Bullock’s fans went nuts, knowing exactly what it all meant. “You know it’s gonna be a good day when Sandra Bullock joins Instagram,” someone wrote. “First Sandra Bullock’s vlog, this is the best day ever,” another person added. Others made sure Sandra and Nicole know just how excited they are for this reunion and a sequel. “got our whole office hyperventilating, btw,” Sephora commented from its official account. “Can we just have a moment for how incredible these ladies look, though!” Another person added. This person said it perfectly. I am so happy with this!” They wrote. This story’s featured image is by David Jon/Getty Images for Warner Bros. Pictures.

The final performance of singer Marirose Powell has people welling up all over TikTok because of the soulful way she sang “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac while in hospice care. Powell performed as Stevie Nicks in a Fleetwood Mac cover band for over twenty years, so the song was a major part of her life. A week before she died from cancer, some friends showed up at her home and asked what she would like to sing. “And she said, ‘I want to sing ‘Landslide.’ And so she sang ‘Landslide’ one last time,” Powell’s daughter-in-law, Sam Xenos, who posted the video on TikTok, told People.  In the video, Powell grabs the railing over the medical bed as she sings a song about the inevitability of the passing of time. The song had to have taken on an even greater meaning as Powell was in the final days of her life. “I’ve been afraid of changing because I built my world around you,” Powell sings. “Time makes you bolder, and even children get old and I’m getting older, too.” “My mother-in-law performed as Stevie Nicks for decades,” Xenos wrote in a video overlay. “This was her final performance before she passed the following week.” In the caption, she added there wasn’t “a day that goes by that I wish we’d had more time with her. She was truly the only person I’ve ever known to leave people better than she found them. Until we can be together again, mama.” Powell passed away on April 10, 2024, at 62. @samxenos there isnt a day that goes by that i wish we’d had more time with her. she was truly the only person i’ve ever known to leave people better than she found them. until we can be together again mama… ♬ original sound – samxenos In her obituary, she is remembered for her “infectious smile” that “guaranteed to brighten anyone’s day and she was known for her incredibly kind soul and generous heart. She had the beautiful ability to leave all those she touched better than she found them.” In addition to performing as Steve Nicks, Powell released 3 solo albums and worked as an ER nurse. As a lifelong musician, she would probably be more than pleased to learn that her final performance has touched many people. View this post on Instagram “I hope Stevie Nick sees this. She would be proud to know that your mom sung her songs for decades,and her choice of this song was heartfelt,” one commenter wrote. “I’m sobbing. God bless you and your family. Your mom is beautiful,” another added. “That might be the most touching performance of ‘Landslide’ to ever exist,” a commenter wrote. Xenos and her husband, Powell’s son, are overjoyed that the video has gone viral. At first, she was afraid of how her husband would react to the clip being posted on TikTok. “I remember calling my husband nervous because he didn’t know I posted it,” Xenos told Upworthy. “He was over the moon after reading the comments and seeing people feel her genuine soul from that small clip. He asked me to post more videos of her and they have generated a phenomenal response. She was the most giving and generous person. I would tell her to post her music and she was worried no one would care. I’m so honored to have proved her wrong on that fact.” Nicks says she wrote “Landslide” in Aspen, Colorado, at 27. “I did already feel old in a lot of ways,” Nicks told The New York Times. “I’d been working as a waitress and a cleaning lady for years. I was tired.” She was also having a hard time in her relationship with Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. She composed the song while looking out her window in the snow-covered Aspen mountains. “And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills / Til the landslide brought me down.” Here is a full performance of “Landslide” that Powell gave in 2016 at the Prospect Theater in Modesto, California. Jamie Byous joins her on guitar.  This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated. The post Singer in hospice performs soulful ‘Landslide’ cover ‘one last time’ appeared first on Upworthy.

Parents today share responsibilities more equally than in past generations, but studies show childcare still falls disproportionately on women’s shoulders. Some families choose one parent to take on the lion’s share of child-rearing and/or domestic duties, and if that works, great. Other couples work similar hours and have to figure out how to equally split home duties, but however the household is structured, mothers most often tend to be the “default parent” and household manager. That means it’s mostly moms who are constantly thinking about managing the million little details of parenting. The big things like feeding, bathing, transporting, teaching life lessons, and such are fairly easy to share equitably. But the invisible work: keeping track of routine doctor and dentist appointments, communicating with teachers and caregivers, keeping extended family updated, figuring out what clothes to keep and get rid of as kids outgrow them, keeping the family calendar up-to-date, and more. That’s all part of the “mental load” of parenting that moms tend to carry, often without their partners even being aware they’re doing it. That’s why one dad’s confession after getting a taste of solo parenting has gotten a huge reaction. Cedric Thompson, Jr., a former NFL player and dad of three daughters, shared a video explaining that he didn’t really understand the mental load his wife was carrying until she went to visit family in the Philippines for eight days, leaving him home alone with the kids. View this post on Instagram “I’ve been a single dad for 8 days because my wife is in the Philippines and I had no idea it was this tough,” he said with a sleeping child cradled in his arms. He explained that he was prepared for the cleaning, the transporting kids back and forth, the unexpected sickness, the feeding, and the sleeping. “But one thing I was not prepared for was the mental load,” he said. “I had no idea it felt like this. To think about things that need to be done that haven’t been done or things that I need to plan to do is so draining that I don’t even have the energy to take care of myself at all.” This is why dads need to step into moms’ shoes once in a while “And now that I understand this, I have so much empathy for my wife,” he said, “and I truly understand what she means by this ‘mental load’ and how draining it is. This has really opened my eyes and made me ask myself, what more can I be doing? What has been going on that I haven’t been seeing and it’s right in front of me? How can I step up the way that my wife needs me to instead of doing things that I think are helping?” “I know I can’t always take the mental load away, but I can definitely make it lighter.” There’s a significant difference between assisting and managing, and when you’re the sole parent for a while, you’re forced to take on the management role. Eight days isn’t very long, but it’s enough to get a taste of being the one who has to think about all the things all day. It’s a lot. As Thompson wrote in the caption, “The endless planning, remembering, and organizing is exhausting in ways I never understood before. The most profound lessons come when we walk in someone else’s shoes, even if just for a little while.” Some people asked what he’s been doing this whole time when his wife is home, but it seems some of those folks might be missing the point. This is an involved dad and husband, not a slouch. But even those who want to and try to share the load equally don’t always know how to help with the mental load of the default parent because it’s mostly internal. And trying to explain it and figuring out how to ask for help with some of it just adds more work, not to mention we don’t even always know ourselves what we need help with. Stepping into the shoes of the default parent is really the best way to get a feel for what might be helpful without adding more to their plate. The “mental load” is invisible, so it’s nice to have it seen and validated Some commenters weighed in with thoughts and tips for lightening the mental load: “How do men not understand their wife’s workload and bandwidth while literally sleeping next to her and living in the same house? Does she really have to leave the country for him to understand her contributions? Men have to do better.”Pro tip: when your wife asks you what she should make for dinner, she’s trying to share the mental load with you. So just give her a straightforward answer.” “I love this…it’s called validation, empathy, and love Thank you for sharing this. The realization and verbalization of it makes the load lighter. Sometimes mental heaviness is worse than the physical.” “Really appreciate this post and how you explained yourself. The ‘mental load’ is that never-ending list running through our minds every single minute of the day. It’s the constant inner monologue of everything that needs to get done, the overwhelming pressure of how to get it all done, and the invisible timeline that gives you anxiety when you don’t meet it—even though you set those standards yourself. It’s the feeling of failing if you don’t check every box. Walking into a room and forgetting why you’re there, only to lose your mind later when you finally remember—but now you’ve got ten other tasks at hand. It’s the frustration when you realize that everything you just cleaned is already dirty again. Sometimes, it’s not even about what men do or don’t do; it’s the weight of our own thoughts that get to us. But when someone helps lighten that load, even just a little, it means everything.” “I love this. But to answer your question, the way you take the mental load away is you pretend you have to do it alone even when she comes back. Because that’s the reason she has mental load. Because she feels like she has to do most of it alone, even if you’re always there to “help”. That’s why I hate the word help. It implies that this is all her job. You’re doing well but keep digging deeper I do appreciate this post.” View this post on Instagram What exactly does the parental “mental load” entail? Here’s a partial list. And yes, there is a need to go deeper. As one commenter pointed out, “You are operating the day to day under a structure she put in place,” so a lot of the mental work was already done before she even left. And parenting is a marathon, not a sprint, so getting familiar with a specific list of “mental load” items that non-default parents might not think about can be helpful. Someone offered this helpful—if utterly daunting—list of some of those items: “Planning teacher gifts for the holidays and the end of school. – getting that parent’s contact info for that play date. – researching, budgeting, and scheduling summer activities and when to sign up for them the January/Feb prior. – finding that in network pediatric ophthalmologist for an eye appt. Research that new dentist, schedule your kids vaccines, review the medical records, schedule that well child visit. – researching, scheduling, and budgeting the school and extracurricular schedule in the summer for the fall and in October for the winter/spring. – making time to be the family historian (researching, budgeting, and scheduling a family photographer 2 times a year, researching how to pick/buy outfits for the whole family, selecting and printing any prints, creating and ordering a photo book, organizing photo files, and physically organizing keepsake storage). Teaching your kids about their heritage with activities. Research your family tree. – be the memory maker and plan fun activities for the family. Book those theater tickets, schedule that museum trip, plan that day trip to hike that waterfall, plan that vacation, schedule 3 farm trips a year, prep for activities leading up to the holidays. – 4 times a year audit your household belongings. What do you need to sell? What do you need to donate? What remaining needs a better storage system? Research the products that will help you stay organized and buy them. follow home organizers on social media. – Check your kids shoes. How are they fitting? Research and order/consign new clothing. – trim your kids nails once a week and cut their hair as needed (or schedule their hair appt). – plan your kids birthday party 2 months in advance, research activities, food, party favors, and decor ideas. create the invites and send them out 5 weeks in advance. 2 weeks in advance order the cupcakes, decor, party outfit, and gift wrapping. Check in with guests food allergies, rsvps, and buy the gifts. 1 week in advance wrap the gifts, assemble the party favors, and take some cute photos of the birthday kid in their special outfit. Pack a bin of supplies you’ll need for the day of the party (scissors, wire and cutters, tape, paper goods, trash bags, matches, etc). – buy those tickets to your kids concert. – keep that first aid kit stocked up. – keep up weekly with school/teacher correspondence and volunteer at your kids school. – back to school shopping. – holiday planning. Buy Halloween costumes at the end of September, plan a pumpkin farm day trip. Schedule any Halloween parties. The weekend before carve pumpkins. Take pictures day of. Buy nutcracker tix in October/ November, plan gifts, budget, and order. Research decor ideas, get desired supplies, and make them in Nov. meal plan and coordinate with family for thanksgiving. Set up decor and buy gifts, Christmas outfits, and wrapping supplies Black Friday. Wrap gifts, take kids out separately to pick out presents for their siblings. Research and schedule holiday outings as a family. Take pictures. Design, order, and send cards. Meal plan. Coordinate with the relatives. Buy valentines cards for your kids class at the end of Jan. – talk to your kids about safety and abuse prevention 2-6 times a year in addition to “as needed”. – read the latest parenting books, listen to parenting podcasts, follow parenting accounts on social media. – plan kids craft projects. – take your kids to the library and keep up with the borrowed books. rsvp, order, and wrap a birthday gift for all the kid birthday parties. Write a nice note in a card about the child. – write thank you notes after birthdays, end of school, end of activities, after the holidays, and as needed.” There you go. Not even an exhaustive list, but a solid start. Thanks to Ced for the reminder that the more we start putting ourselves in other people’s shoes as parents and partners, the better off the whole family will be. You can follow Ced on Instagram here. This article originally appeared two years ago. It has been updated. The post Father of 3 shares how he finally understood wife’s ‘mental load’ when she left him alone for 8 days appeared first on Upworthy.

Some people believe there is no greater love than that of a parent. Others will tell you that a grandparent is the one who really loves you the most. When it comes to TikToker Josh Wiliams’ family, he’s got a lot of love from his grandmother. He shared a video of his granny’s wall with all of her grandchildren’s graduation portraits. They all stood proudly in their college graduation caps and gowns, but Josh chose a different path. Have no fear, his granny knew just what to do. @josh_williams0 #construction #bluecollar #spark #electrician ♬ som original – anix nerd1 Granny Had Josh Do Something Special for Her Graduation Photo Wall Instead of going to college, Josh went into construction. His granny still wanted him to know how proud she is of him, so she hung a portrait of Josh with his tools next to the graduation photos. Not only is Josh’s portrait hung prominently in the way, if we didn’t know any better, but we’d say he might even be her favorite. Sure, the graduation photos look great, but we just know Granny adores Josh’s smile and hard hat. There was no question that this video would go viral. We will also need trades, and seeing people proudly showing off their hard work meant a lot to many. Dewalt Tools immediately chimed in to let Josh know how they felt. “granny knows being in the trades is also an accomplishment,” the company’s comment reads. “I have a master’s degree. My brother is a welder and makes 4x what I do,” someone agreed. “You’ve gone into a great field. Job opportunities galore!” Just knowing your grandparents are proud makes people smile. “My grandma printed out a photo of me bartending from Instagram and framed it. I love grandmas,” someone wrote. This story’s featured image can be found here.