Content creator Nick Wilkins had expected a cake to show up for his upcoming birthday. What he didn’t expect was a custom gender reveal cake intended for an expecting couple to show up instead. One he couldn’t return due to a policy rule.  Wilkins could have counted his losses and left it at that. But instead, he gave an impromptu gender reveal party for this couple online. It became a viral sensation.  “I got a gender reveal cake for Sam and Melissa,” Wilkins began, apologizing to the expecting parents that they have to find out their baby’s gender via a complete stranger online.  “But I gotta do it, dontchya wanna know?” he joked.  Two cupcakes. Canva A quick glance at the instructions showed that inside the cake was a mini-baby shaker. The color of the shaker would indicate the gender: blue for a boy, pink for a girl, and yellow for twins. Spoiler alert: you might want to take note of that last one.  “Ohhhhhh I hear it!” exclaimed Wilkins as he shook the confection.  Being the entertainer he is, Wilkins also made a few jokes while cutting into the cake, saying, “Why did you get Red Velvet? Melissa, we all know double chocolate is better.” Hilariously, Wilkins didn’t realize that “gutting” the cake wasn’t necessary (he merely had to take off the paper topper) until it was too late. The cake revealed a surprise no one saw coming And then, he found it. A yellow rattle. Melissa and Sam are having twins.  @n1ckwilkins ♬ Door Bell – House Doorbell Ring Effect – Care Free Sounds and Music A card Wilkins found also declared that they would be twin boys, prompting him to say, “Good luck to y’all.” Quipping that since he “feels like part of the family now,” Wilkins then pitched:  “Can I be, like, the step-uncle or something? I feel like I’m part of the family now. I could be, like, the babysitter.” Millions of viewers helped track down the expecting parents But just how were Melissa and Sam going to find out about this momentous news? That’s where the Internet sleuths come in.  By this point, millions were already invested and determined to help Wilkins find the couple. Though there were a few fake accounts in the comments, eventually the real Sam and Melissa were found.  @n1ckwilkins The internet is a wild place ♬ original sound – Nick Wilkins According to The New York Post, Melissa commented on YouTube:  “No way! Nick Wilkins, thank you for telling us our baby’s gender. I’m sorry that our cake got sent to you. We messaged the shop and are overjoyed to expect two baby boys! And yes, you can be their step-uncle!” Indeed, her profile now says, “I have a 4-year-old named Carson and 2 baby boys are on the way, along with my husband, Samuel Samson.” While there’s no telling who might be enjoying Wilkins’ birthday cake right now, he turned this mishap into an unforgettable—and truly entertaining—moment for everyone involved.  The post Guy accidentally receives gender reveal cake, hilariously gives the reveal himself appeared first on Upworthy.

Learning to read is a slow, deliberate process for kids. The required methodical connecting of speech sounds to the letter patterns they see on the page can be challenging. Their emotional investment in the story, however, is deep and instantaneous. This can, as we will soon see, present its own set of challenges.  Chelsea Archer, a Nebraska-based photographer, recently filmed her daughter Zoe reading a book from author Olivier Dunrea‘s popular Gossie & Friends series, which follows an adorable gaggle of farmyard goslings. The books are widely loved by toddlers and early readers for their gentle themes of friendship, sharing, and independence.  A tiny gosling’s missing boots prove too heartbreaking for one young reader In this particular book, however, Gossie loses her cherished red boots, leaving the gosling “heartbroken.” For little Zoe, who has “unlimited empathy” according to her mother, this was simply “too much.”  In the clip, we hear Zoe’s utter despair as she sloooooowly sounds out the words. She finally ends with a pitiful “Noooooooo!” Just as the book begins to take a more optimistic turn (Gossie will discover the boots on someone else, leading to a new friendship), Zoe has unfortunately had enough.  “I don’t like this book,” she tells Mommy through tears as she closes it for good.  View this post on Instagram This painful, yet adorable moment captured millions of hearts online “I’m sorry for laughing but ‘heartbroken?? NOOOOO!!!’ absolutely ended me ” admitted one viewer.  “That poor child is feeling every word hahahaha” commented another.  “The good news is: She has GREAT Comprehension skills!!! The bad news is: She has GREAT comprehension skills!!! ” joked a third.  Little Zoe also inspired a ton of sympathy from fellow readers who know all too well the pain of getting a little too invested in a fictional story.  “Oh Zoe, this is the life of a reader. It never gets better. (Coming from an author who drinks out of a mug labeled ‘reader’s tears’).” “‘I love reading books, its such a peaceful hobby’ also me reading said books.” “Unfortunately, I can relate.” “Literally me.” Highly sensitive kids often experience stories on a whole different level Mom reading with her son. Canva Archer told PEOPLE that Zoe, who has a “big heart” for animals, often cries when she sees an animal in distress. So, it was understandable that this book was triggering.  However, she says that the two did finish the book moments after filming the video, and Zoe was not only “relieved” to see a happy ending but has also read two other books from the series since then. Archer is “proud” that she pushed through.  May this heartwarming story remind us all that kids are truly taking on a herculean task while acquiring reading skills, especially those who are highly sensitive. If the adults in their lives remain patient and diligent, though, they just might develop both competency and a real passion for literature.  The post Mom films her daughter reading a children’s book. Her emotional investment captivates millions. appeared first on Upworthy.

Anne Scheiber, a woman from Brooklyn, New York, was born in 1893. She went on to become a finance legend. Scheiber overcame many obstacles during her 23-year career with the Internal Revenue Service. When she retired at 51 in 1944, she had just $5,000 to her name. She taught herself everything she could about the stock market and investing. By the end of her life, she had turned $5,000 into $22 million, becoming a self-made millionaire. Who was Anne Scheiber? Scheiber was born and raised in Brooklyn, according to The New York Times. Her father died when she was young, and her mother worked in real estate to support the family. Scheiber was well educated, attending secretarial school before studying bookkeeping and law. She spent most of her career as an estate auditor with the IRS. Never married, Scheiber supported herself on a $4,000 salary, yet she never received a single promotion during her entire career. “She was always on top of production,” Ben Clark, her lawyer, told NYT. in 1995. “Yet in her mind, women always got the short end of the stick.” In 1944, at 51, she retired. With more free time, she threw herself into learning everything she could about the stock market and investing. How Scheiber built her wealth “She did nothing but study the market,” Clark said. “When you add it all up, she was the most unusual person I ever knew in my life.” Scheiber built a stock portfolio of more than 100 companies, including Coca-Cola, Paramount, and Schering-Plough. “Analyzing earnings reports, management philosophy and product quality, she bought into a variety of industrial companies and other blue chips,” NYT reported. “Her investment strategies were simple, if not old-fashioned. Forget about market highs and lows on any given day, month or year. Reinvest your dividends. Hang tough and seldom sell.” @herretirement How this woman Anne Scheiber ran rings around Warren Buffet turning a $5,000 nest egg into a $22 million fortune over 50 year. She was extremely frugal, a smart investor and tax efficient. #investher #investingforwomen #womenandinvesting #fortune #nestegg #wecandoit #getherdone #womeninvestors #investing101 #warrenbuffet #taxfreeretirement #herretirement ♬ original sound – Lynn Toomey | Longevity Coach William Fay, her broker at Merrill Lynch, also shared more about her investing strategy with NYT. “She was never looking for a quick buck,” he said. “Her whole idea was to get performance on a long-term basis. She felt over the long run the value would grow.” She even earned comparisons to finance mogul Warren Buffett. “You think Warren Buffett, you know, that guy, was good at this sort of thing?” Clark said. “She ran rings around Warren Buffett.” Scheiber’s inspiring legacy She lived a quiet, modest life in a rent-stabilized studio apartment on West 56th Street in New York City. Her apartment “was bereft of luxuries: paint was peeling, the furniture was old and dust covered the bookcases. She walked everywhere, often in the same black coat and matronly hat,” per NYT. Scheiber died in January 1995 at the age of 101. In her will, she left a stunning $22 million to Yeshiva University, which established the Anne Scheiber Scholarship. Scheiber hoped the fund would help Jewish women because of the “discrimination she felt she had encountered during 23 years with the I.R.S.” The scholarship is still active today. In 2007, scholarship recipient Shulamit Roditi-Kulak said, “It’s unbelievably humbling to hear the story of Anne Scheiber and how she made her money, only to give it away to people she would never meet.” The post At 51, she had just $5,000 to her name. When she died at 101, she had turned it into $22 million. appeared first on Upworthy.

If you’re a person of a certain age, you might remember the clothing brand Esprit. For many of us, shirts with that name sat in boxes kept in the garages of our parents. Many tossed a lot of these styles, thinking, “Surely those will never be a ‘thing’ again.” And yet here we are. In recent articles, we’ve discussed the return of Gen X fashion. From neon fluorescent colors to high-waisted “Hammer” pants, we’re seeing trends come back to both the runway and the streets. But the hard re-launch of Esprit is seemingly resonating deeply with many Gen X-ers, especially women. Gen X takeover In a recent Threads post (which has already reached nearly 18,000 likes), Deana Hamby Nall (@deana_nall) shared this thought: “Costco has Esprit shirts. Little House on the Prairie is on TV, Madonna has a banging new album. I just bought my first pair of Keds in 40 years. Everything is falling into place for the Gen X women takeover.” For a little history, the Esprit brand was originally founded in 1968 by Doug and Susie Tompkins. But it didn’t receive its trademark colorful logo until 1979, when they brought on graphic designer John Casado. (He also happened to co-develop the original logo for Apple’s very first Macintosh computer, which is said to have been inspired by Picasso. This rabbit hole goes deep.) By the mid-’80s, you’d be hard-pressed to find many suburban kids in middle school who hadn’t at least seen someone wearing the brand. View this post on Instagram Hot item at Costco The buzz is true. Not only is Costco selling Esprit fleece crewnecks, popular back in the day, they’re selling out quickly at just under 19 dollars! This was a few years in the making. According to Cale Guthrie Weissman’s piece for Modern Retail, Esprit began their re-launch a few years ago with pop-up stores in New York. It took some time for the trend to spread again, but it has finally happened. On the subreddit r/Costco, one person joked of the craze, “I saw them and had a flashback right there in the middle of Costco. No, wait. It was a hot flash.” Back to the Gen X takeover, under the aforementioned Threads post, X-ers were excited to share their memories. One, referencing many popular mall shops, asks, “Can we all meet at the mall by Hot Dog on a Stick wearing our best outfits from Wet Seal?” Some took the idea of a takeover literally. “We need a Gen X president.” Another noting, “A female Gen X president!” (For those who might have wondered, President Barack Obama was technically a Boomer, having been born in 1961.) Do Swatches next A commenter by the name of @sauvblancsubmarine reposted their similar Thread in which they tagged Costco with a request. “Dear Costco, Please do @swatch_us watches from the 80’s next. If this collab comes together, we can reset the timeline, and everything will be better again. Sorry, Aquanet and Baby Soft, you’ll have to sit this one out.” View this post on Instagram To this, someone made a brilliant joke referencing a line from the 1987 hit movie Dirty Dancing. “Nobody puts baby(soft) in the corner.” Millennials support it too A few Millennials chimed in, as well. “Do it! As a Millennial, you are the cool aunties who taught us how to swear.” Another deeply supports the Gen X revolution. “As a young millennial that has always enjoyed Gen X; I’m here for the Gen X woman takeover.” The post The return of ‘Esprit’ sweatshirts has Gen X-ers excited by what other fads might resurface appeared first on Upworthy.

Madalyn Parker, an accessibility engineer from Michigan, wanted to take a couple days off work. There was just one problem. She didn’t have the flu, nor did she have plans to be on a beach somewhere, sipping mojitos under a palm tree. Parker simply wanted a few days away from work to focus on her mental health. Parker lives with depression. And, she says, staying on top of her mental health is absolutely crucial. “The bottom line is that mental health is health,” she told Upworthy over email. “My depression stops me from being productive at my job the same way a broken hand would slow me down since I wouldn’t be able to type very well.” When she informed the team of her time off, she made the bold choice to be completely honest and transparent about why she needed to step away. She was also firm and non-apologetic. “I am taking today and tomorrow to focus on my mental health. Hopefully,” she wrote to them, “I’ll be back next week refreshed and back to 100%.” She got a surprising response Soon after the message was sent, the CEO of Parker’s company wrote back. What could easily have been a stomach-dropping moment quickly turned into a heartwarming one instead, as Parker’s boss completely had her back. And then some. “Hey Madalyn, I just wanted to personally thank you for sending emails like this. Every time you do, I use it as a reminder of the importance of using sick days for mental health. I can’t believe this is not standard practice at all organizations. You are an example to us all, and help cut through the stigma so we can all bring our whole selves to work.” Moved by her CEO’s response, Parker posted the email exchange to Twitter. The tweet, published on June 30, 2017, amassed over 45,000 likes and 16,000 retweets, though Parker has since moved her account to Private. “It’s nice to see some warm, fuzzy feelings pass around the internet for once,” Parker says of the response to her tweet. “I’ve been absolutely blown away by the magnitude though. I didn’t expect so much attention!” Even more impressive than the tweet’s reach, however, were the heartfelt responses it got. “Thanks for giving me hope that I can find a job as I am,” wrote one person, who opened up about living with panic attacks. “That is bloody incredible,” chimed in another. “What a fantastic CEO you have.” They were even more surprised that the CEO thanked her for sharing her personal experience with caring for her mental health. There’s still a great amount of stigma associated with mental illness in the workplace, which keeps many of us from speaking up to our colleagues when we need help or need a break to focus on ourselves. We fear being seen as “weak” or less committed to our work. We might even fear losing our job.  Parker, as an accessibility expert who struggles with mental health, continues to educate people about the importance of proper self-care and self-awareness. In a blog post on her website, she warns of the dangers of “brownout,” the phase of exhaustion at work that comes right before burnout and utter collapse: Parker writes the signs of brownout are: You do a lot, but have little interest in what you’re doing Your to-do list is never-ending You are constantly connected to work via your smartphone, from when you wake up to when you go to bed. This includes evenings, weekends, and even vacation. Your body is starting to show signs of wear. You don’t eat well, you don’t exercise, and you don’t get enough sleep. The CEO had more to say Ben Congleton, the CEO of Parker’s company at the time, Olark, even joined the conversation himself. In a blog post on Medium, Congleton wrote about the need for more business leaders to prioritize paid sick leave, fight to curb the stigma surrounding mental illness in the workplace, and see their employees as people first. “It’s 2017. We are in a knowledge economy. Our jobs require us to execute at peak mental performance,” Congleton wrote. “When an athlete is injured, they sit on the bench and recover. Let’s get rid of the idea that somehow the brain is different.” How much has changed since then Parker’s story first went viral in 2017. Since then, mental health days still have a stigma in some places but the understanding and acceptance of them has grown quite a bit. There’s now a World Mental Health Day every year on October 10th, and in places like California, mental health days are covered with the same worker protections as sick days. The Mayo Clinic recommends individuals take mental health days as “an intentional act to alleviate distress and poor mood and motivation, while improving attitude, morale, functioning, efficiency and overall well-being.” As they accurately report, mental health days are not just for people who are feeling overwhelmed. They can be part of a deliberate strategy to maintain productivity and strong morale amongst individuals and teammates at work. Kudos to Parker for not only taking care of herself, but publicly modeling how it’s done for the rest of us. This article originally appeared nine years ago. It has been updated. The post Woman told her coworkers she was taking a mental health day. Her boss responded immediately. appeared first on Upworthy.