Caregiving is a female-dominated field, and that’s not just in the professional world. It’s estimated that approximately 66% of informal family caregiving is done by women, so it’s not often that men are seen as caregivers. One man aims to change that by sharing his caregiving journey on social media. Chris Punsalan was the primary caregiver for his elderly grandmother before her death. He uses his platform to normalize men being in the role of caregivers, but recently, he received some unexpected backlash. Several months ago, the Millennial shared a video of himself caring for his grandmother as usual, but this time it showed him hopping in the shower with her. A young person helping an elderly person wash their hands.Photo credit: Canva There was nothing inappropriate to be viewed in the video, as the grandmother was already behind the privacy glass. Punsalan was wearing black shorts when he got into the shower to help his grandmother. Seeing this vulnerable reality of caregiving for an elderly relative set some people off. The content creator received several comments chastising him, and others implying that he had an inappropriate relationship with his grandmother. Caregiving for an elderly relative can be a difficult task, especially when you’re their primary caregiver. As people age, they need more assistance with daily living activities like bathing, toileting, and eating. This is not uncommon, but caregiving for these family members is often done quietly. Those who can afford full-time professional caregivers or an assisted living facility pay for this type of care. But every family isn’t in that position, so they may divide caregiving duties among themselves. View this post on Instagram It’s unclear why Punsalan started caring for his grandmother, but it’s evident that he wanted to ensure she was receiving the best care. He is tackling stigma and showing men in a more gentle light. So when he saw the negative comments questioning his actions, he decided to address them directly. In the video, he shows a clip from the previous video of him getting in the shower to help his grandmother. “Most people have never seen what actual caregiving looks like, and I didn’t either when I first started,” he says. “I was my grandmother’s full-time caregiver. She had osteoporosis, severe arthritis, and in the last couple of years of her life, she had dementia, so I helped her with almost everything. Taking a shower, helping her eat meals, use the restroom, get around the house.” View this post on Instagram He further explains that there was no manual on caring for his grandma, nor did he receive professional training. The process was trial and error while making sure his grandmother was safe and cared for. “It was really weird to help my grandmother shower, but you eventually get over it,” Punsalan says. “If I had just seen another person on the Internet that looked like me, a young male helping ‘the old woman’ when it was time for me to step up and do that for my grandmother, it would’ve been so much easier.” He shared that he hopes continuing to post these videos will shed light on what to expect for others who may find themselves in a similar role. Punsalan’s message resonated with viewers, many of whom flocked to the comments to show their support. View this post on Instagram One person says, “Bathing is all part of caregiving. We are all humans. We all have human parts. Get over it. It’s what nurses would do if you were in the hospital. People that say these things just have no concept and if the roles were reversed they’d get it.” Another writes, “I bathe and care for my disabled brother. He’s only two years younger than me but has used diapers all his life as well. Thank you for sharing your experience and educating people about this line of work. People make situations weird because THEIR mind is in the gutter.” Someone else shares, “Your grandmother was so lucky to have you there. There are lots of initially uncomfortable tasks (especially as a grandkid) that you grow accustomed to as a caregiver that often illicit judgment from people on the outside who possess very little understanding of the big difficulties involved in all of the little tasks, and even more so with a dementia patient! The way you use your platform is so helpful. Not only as a comfort to fellow caregivers, but also as an awareness guide to so many. Keep up the great work!” A caregiver helping an elderly person with a walker.Photo credit: Canva “Before caregiving you really don’t know what you are getting yourself into but gradually you are doing all the things that your loved one can’t do for themselves because you love them and honor them and respect them,” one commenter writes. “Duties are endless and yes very personal and intimate. We love them so we do it and we also get used to it and want to keep them clean and comfortable.” Though Punsalan’s grandmother has since passed, he continues to share videos to guide others. After caring for his grandmother for eight years, he shares that he felt lost, so he now dedicates his time to Tendercare as their creative director. The company helps connect caregivers with trusted professionals, furthering Punsalan’s goal of helping caregivers feel less alone. The post Man aims to change the face of caregiving after getting flak for showering with grandma appeared first on Upworthy.

Just when you think you’ve experienced every amazing rendition of Chappell Roan’s ”Pink Pony Club,” a 10-year-old in a blow-up unicorn costume comes along and raises the bar once again.  In a video shared to TikTok, a boy named Caleb twirled his way onto the stage for his school’s talent show, all before settling at the piano and expertly playing a jaunty instrumental version of the popular tune.  Caleb’s mom, who posted the video, aptly wrote, “boys got talent for days, and fearless to boot” in the caption. More than 14 million views later, people were floored by both of those qualities. @baumanna000 Pink pony on piano!!!! Boys got talent for days! And fearless to boot #pinkponyclub #talentshow #chappelroan #kidsoftiktok ♬ original sound – Anna “I wanna be like him when I grow up’ “Tell him to stay whimsy forever.” “I hope he knows how cool he actually is.” In an interview with People, Michael, Caleb’s father, said Caleb began playing piano at age seven and quickly fell in love with how it helped him focus. Since then, he has developed a routine of practicing for 10 minutes a day, every day. As for the costume idea, he came up with that entirely on his own. And this doesn’t seem to be the first time Caleb has dressed up to make music. Here he is unleashing his Captain Jack Sparrow while playing the Pirates of the Caribbean main theme: @baumanna000 The Pink Pony has moved on to his next role!!! Can you guess what part he got in the school play? Costume fit check #kidsoftiktok #joy #wholesome ♬ original sound – Anna And here he is in a Deadpool costume. Sure, no piano involved, but the dance is too cute not to share: @baumanna000 My 9 year old is such a vibe! Don’t mind the back up dancer #deadpool #kidsgonewild @Ryan Reynolds ♬ Bye Bye Bye – *NSYNC It’s all a testament to Caleb’s personality. “He is a sweet boy who is full of positivity and brings fun energy to everything he does,” his father gushed.  Really, that joy might be the most impressive part of all. Plenty of kids learn instruments quickly. Plenty of kids perform well in talent shows. But not every kid walks onstage in a giant inflatable unicorn suit, totally uninhibited, completely themselves, and turns a performance into something people remember long after the final note fades. And if the Internet’s reaction is any indication, people are craving exactly this kind of wholesome, joyful content. Polished performances are great, but there’s something extra special about a kid who shows up, has fun, and brings everyone along for the ride. Beyond the instant dose of dopamine, we can all take away some tried-and-true wisdom behind Caleb’s refreshingly simple approach: Practice a little every day. Commit to what you love. Add whatever makes you smile. It’s the kind of formula adults tend to overcomplicate, even though it works just as well at any age. Bottom line: confidence grows when we are brave enough to fully express ourselves. Whether that’s dressing up as a pirate, a superhero, or a unicorn, or giving ourselves permission to be playful and try new things. As Caleb reminds us, a little whimsy goes a long way.  The post Boy stuns crowd with his piano cover of ‘Pink Pony Club,’ all while wearing a unicorn costume appeared first on Upworthy.

When Annika first brought Frannie, an eight-year-old Golden Retriever, into her home, the dog couldn’t even stand up on her own. She weighed 125 pounds—twice what a healthy weight would be for a female of her breed. Any movement at all took Herculean effort. Frannie was depressed, which wasn’t surprising, as she was missing out on all the joys of doggie life. Rover’s Retreat, a dog rescue in Los Angeles, rescued Frannie from a miserable life of sleeping on concrete. She had sores on her tail and massive calluses on her legs. She also suffered from hypothyroidism and was scheduled to be put down. Annika got the call and responded immediately. “We didn’t even think or have a plan,” she wrote. “We just got in the car to go get her because the one thing we knew was that she did not deserve to die.” It took four people to get Frannie into the car. @franniesfight Frannie has been working so hard every single day and is now getting up much more often on her own! She still definitely appreciates the help getting up but when she really wants something (and she’s on non-slip ground) she can actually get up on her own! She has been particularly getting up when I leave her sight and she wants to see where I went! I often come back to her and she’s already standing walking towards me! I can tell she is going to be a major “Velcro dog”. She has improved SO much in this last month and we cannot see what this next month has in store for her! @Rovers_Retreat #fightlikefrannie #fyp #foryoupage #dogsoftiktok #dogs #goldenretriever #goldenretrieverlife #dogrescue #rescuedog #rescueanimals #animalrescue #obesity #weightloss #animalsoftiktok ♬ Happier – Marshmello & Bastille They faced a steep uphill climb. Frannie had no energy and exhibited no personality to speak of. But her new family was determined to help her find herself, so they picked her up to take her outside daily, even just for a few assisted steps. “One day, we were throwing the tennis ball around, and she perked her ears up,” Annika told The Dodo. “And we were like, ‘That’s weird! She’s been so sad and miserable this whole time.’ So we threw it towards her and she just went nuts.” At first, she caught the ball with a cushioned stool under her belly and backside to support her. But after slowly increasing her exercise every day, she began standing on all fours and catching the ball without any assistance. Then she began to take a few steps to chase after it. Slowly but surely, Frannie was getting healthier—and learning to be a dog. @franniesfight We are so excited about Frannie’s progress!! She LOVES her tennis balls and we have been using them to our advantage! This week she shocked us and was literally trying to run after them – we were speechless!!! We are just so happy that she is feeling so much better and is that much closer to actually running after the tennis ball one day! Thank you to everyone who has sent her tennis balls as you are playing a pivotal role in her recovery!! I don’t know where she would be in her journey without her love for tennis balls. We cannot wait to see what is in store for the next few weeks! @Rovers_Retreat #fightlikefrannie #fyp #foryoupage #dogsoftiktok #dogs #goldenretriever #goldenretrieverlife #dogrescue #rescuedog #rescueanimals #animalrescue #obesity #weightloss #animalsoftiktok ♬ Sunshine – OneRepublic For a while, she could only walk to the end of the driveway. But by February 2024, Frannie was frolicking in the snow on her own. By March, she was able to walk a full mile. She still had a ways to go with her weight, but the contrast from where she started was night and day. With help from her diligent family and therapeutic rehab treatments like walking on a water treadmill, Frannie kept getting healthier. By August, eight months after not even being able to stand, she had lost 50 pounds and was a whole new dog. Annika told The Dodo she had previously cared for another obese Golden Retriever, Georgia, whom she had rehabilitated and later lost. “Something inside of me was like, ‘Georgia sent this dog to me,'” she said. “I got to fight for her.” In December 2024, a year after she came to live with Annika, the family posted an update on Instagram: “We are so happy to celebrate one whole year of Frannie!! In the last 12 months, she didn’t just lose 58 pounds—she gained so much! She learned how to get up on her own, how to walk, how to run, how to chase tennis balls, and even tackled the water treadmill like a champ! She discovered what it means to be loved and cared for, and most importantly, she gained her forever family and a whole new lease on life.” Frannie continues to improve and thoroughly enjoy being a dog. “I still see her getting happier every day,” Annika told The Dodo. What a beautiful gift for both of them. You can follow Frannie’s ongoing journey on Instagram. The post An obese, depressed Golden Retriever couldn’t even stand up. Watch her become a new dog. appeared first on Upworthy.

Let’s be real: most of us don’t want to pay more taxes than we have to. Even when we know taxes are necessary for public services, we’re not usually enthusiastic about paying more ourselves. Rick Steves sees it differently. Arguably the original “travel influencer,” Steves has spent decades building a booming business as a global tour guide. In 2019, his company, which he solely owns, generated $100 million in annual revenue. As a longtime Washington state resident, he has enjoyed the perk of paying no state taxes on his personal income. But that’s about to change, and Steves is surprisingly happy about it. Steves praises the upcoming tax on “fat paychecks” “A new tax on fat paychecks like mine was just signed into law in my home state — and I like it,” Steves wrote in a Facebook post. “In 2029, Washington state will start collecting a 9.9% tax on income over $1 million. The 8,000,000 Washingtonians whose households make less than a million dollars a year will pay zero under this new tax and enjoy all the benefits of a better-funded state. And for the wealthy (like me and an estimated 30,000 others), every million dollars in taxable income that our households earn after the first million will cost us about $100,000.” Steves is referring to the so-called “millionaires tax” that Washington Governor Bob Ferguson signed into law after it passed the state legislature in March 2026. Under the new law, Washington residents will pay no taxes on their first $1 million in annual income. Any income above that threshold will be taxed at 9.9%. Steves addresses Washington’s regressive tax system “It takes a lot of money to run a state that’s as livable as ours,” Steves continued. “Yet Washington is one of only nine states that don’t currently levy a traditional income tax. Our state is still funded by consumption taxes, such as sales and excise taxes, giving us the second-most regressive tax code in the country. (Only Florida has us beat.) And it’s time for Washington millionaires to pay our fair share.” Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed the so-called 'millionaires tax' into law, enacting a 9.9% income tax on earnings of more than $1 million a year. https://t.co/7IFqu5EGKw— The Seattle Times (@seattletimes) March 30, 2026 A regressive tax code places a higher burden on lower-income earners. Because Washington doesn’t have a state income tax, it relies on other sources of revenue, such as property and excise taxes, including sales tax. According to the Washington Department of Revenue, the lowest-income households in the state pay 15.7 percent of their income in excise and property taxes, while the highest-income households pay just 4.4 percent. He pushed back against the idea that taxing high earners unfairly burdens the wealthy “As a wealthy person myself, I see this tax as essentially free money for all Washingtonians,” he wrote. “Everybody in my state gains. And speaking from personal experience, I know that anyone who earns enough to be subject to this tax is beyond the point where consuming more adds to their security, their well-being, or even, arguably, their happiness — meaning there will be basically zero human cost. If you disagree, consider the minuscule impact this tax will have on my state’s millionaires. Now, contrast that with the value of close to $4 billion a year in tax revenue once it’s smartly invested in programs that will help the roughly one-third of Washington households living paycheck to paycheck.” Senators debated the merits of the bill before it ultimately passed: “For those who still aren’t convinced,” Steves continued, “here’s a lesson I’ve learned in my travels: Even if you’re motivated only by greed, if you know what’s good for you, you don’t want to be filthy rich in a society with a huge gap between rich and poor. It’s just not a nice place to raise your kids. And remember: Shrouds have no pockets…especially if you’re a multimillionaire with no heart for your neighbors.” Steves added that it “feels good” to help build a better community for himself and his neighbors. After seeing firsthand the decimation of community programs following previous tax breaks for the wealthy, he began donating a “self-imposed wealth tax” to his local arts center and symphony. He said his $100,000-plus annual donation has brought him “great joy for 15 years and counting,” but has also been “a little lonely.” Steves said “it just feels right to pay a little extra” as a millionaire earner He concluded with three big reasons for celebrating his new tax output: “For me, it’s biblical (‘To whom much is given, much will be required’)… It’s European (after all, societies that are equitably funded are much more ‘content’ than ours)… And — for those of us with a heart for the public good — it’s simply common sense.” A $1,000,000 annual salary works out to over $19,000 a week before taxes. Photo credit: Canva Steves received thousands of comments on his post, most praising his attitude: “You are a wonderful person to have in WA. Bless you and your big huge heart. You may have just helped to change how I felt about it. Kindness lives.” “You are a good man and our society needs more like you. I am happy to pay my fair share so that all of my fellow Americans can live in dignity. We all should be willing to do that for our countrymen.” “Thank you Rick Steves! You’re a model of how prosperity need not be soul-killing. I’m proud to share this great state with people like you.” “It’s so refreshing to hear such positive comments from a millionaire who will actually be affected by the tax. Too often we see or hear that those with money will be escaping having to pay the tax by moving away. You are setting an example of a true patriot and citizen. Thank you for showing us true responsibility!” “This is how I feel about wealth taxes and you summed it up so nicely. If I’m wealthy and making a high income, I should be happy to pay more taxes to help those who are less wealthy. Wealthy people need to contribute to reducing the rich-poor gap. EVEN the greedy who love their money should realize that reducing the rich-poor gap is good for them. Trickle down economics and tax cuts for the rich have brought us to where we are – too much money and power in the hands of too few; the rich get richer and the poor get poorer; and an unsustainable situation.” Not all wealthy Washingtonians share Steves’ opinion, of course, but it’s helpful to hear the perspective of someone who will actually be paying the tax when it goes into effect. The post Rick Steves celebrates new ‘millionaires tax’ in Washington he’ll have to pay: ‘I like it’ appeared first on Upworthy.

Having a great experience at a hotel is all about the small things: an easy check-in and check-out, crisp sheets, and—most importantly—a USB charger by the TV that actually works. Jamie Fraser, the owner of a private-use estate in Scotland, recently shared a way for travelers to make their stay a little nicer, for free. Fraser revealed a travel secret to Metro: “Corner rooms are often slightly larger than standard rooms because of the building layout. They also usually only share one wall with another guest, meaning they can be noticeably quieter, which many travelers really appreciate after a long journey.” Ask for a corner room upgrade Better yet, corner rooms are often available free of charge. They’re typically not listed any differently from other rooms of a similar size and are assigned based on hotel capacity. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Traveling Phil (@phildsilk) Traveling Phil, an Instagram travel influencer, agrees. In a video, his wife explains that corner rooms offer four distinct features: two walls of windows, more square footage, increased natural light, and often better views. It’s the “same price” for a “better experience.” Another perk of a corner room, according to Your Mileage May Vary, is reduced foot traffic. Being farther from the elevator means fewer late-night footsteps, and you may also be closer to an emergency stairway in case of a safety issue. Woman in a hotel room. Photo credit: Canva “When hotel architects and designers start to cut up floors into bays, the rooms in the center of the floors—specifically near elevators, stairwells, and utility closets—will have less room because of space being cut to help service the building,” Karl von Ramm, general manager of The Loutrel in Charleston, South Carolina, told Southern Living. He added that your best chance is “typically corner rooms or rooms along the front side of the building, where stairwells and utilities are typically not present.” How to get a corner room for free According to Traveling Phil: Book a standard room (don’t overpay upfront) Check in later in the day (after room shuffle) Politely ask, “Do you happen to have any corner rooms available?” Mention it’s a special occasion (even just a getaway) Smile. Energy matters. @adventure.unleash0 Follow for more travel hacks! #hotel #travelhacks #traveltok ♬ Little Things – Adrián Berenguer Whether you’re hoping to upgrade to a corner room or a suite, you can increase your chances by telling the person at the front desk it’s a special occasion. “In the luxury hotel industry, we are always looking for a reason to celebrate and elevate the guest experience,” Lizzie Davidson, Thompson Houston’s area director of revenue, tells Southern Living. “Mentioning your special occasion—such as a birthday, anniversary, or maybe even just a simple staycation escape with your loved one—always goes a long way at the reception area or concierge team.” So next time you check into a hotel, make this simple request—it likely won’t be much trouble for the staff. That way, you can make your trip a little extra special knowing you’ve secured a better view and a quieter room for the same price. The post Travel expert reveals the one free room upgrade you should always ask for appeared first on Upworthy.