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Tag: Parenting

  • ‘They can’t make that a rule’: Wyoming woman gets a letter from her HOA saying she’s a bad parent. Then she decides to fight back

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    A Wyoming homeowner receives a bizarre letter with no return address from her homeowners association (HOA), questioning her parenting skills over a parking disagreement. Viewers say her response is brilliant.

    In a video with over 48,000 views, TikToker Lauren Lynn (@laurenlynn0) explains that she and her husband have three cars: two personal vehicles and his work truck. They park two cars in the driveway and one in the public street parking.

    “We haven’t had any issues with the HOA until probably five months ago,” Lynn says. HOAs typically create a list of rules governing a neighborhood and charge dues to all homeowners in the area.

    Then she recieved an anonymous letter bashing her for parking one of their cars on the street in front of her house.

    She notes that per the HOA rules, cars on the street must be moved every two days.

    “So to alleviate that, we switched out his cars. His personal truck he never drives, so we park that in the driveway,” she explains. Her husband parks his work truck in the street because it’s moved every day.

    However, the letter criticizes her family for continuing to park in the street, despite following the HOA rules.

    In a follow-up video, she shows the letter. It reads, “Your lack of character or concern for the HOA rules is astounding… You are raising your child that rules only matter to others not yourselves.”

    How did she respond to the HOA letter?

    In response to the letter, Lynn applies for the HOA and receives an acceptance as a board member. She also types up a sarcastic response and posts it on her mailbox.

    Her response reads, “I am thrilled to have received your thoughtful letter regarding our vehicle’s parking and the parenting of our son. It’s truly inspiring to know that, in a world filled with chaos, injustice, and fundamental problems, you’ve taken the time to dedicate yourself to the noble cause of ensuring my vehicle’s precise placement.”

    It continues, “Please rest assured that your unsolicited critique has been received, reviewed, and will be given the exact amount of attention it deserves… Wishing you all the best in your continued pursuit of vehicular justice.”

    While serving on the board, she says she didn’t encounter any problems with her fellow members. She also learns that complaints, such as the one outlined in the letter, have to go through the board. Therefore, the person who wrote the anonymous letter didn’t follow the HOA’s procedures.

    She has no idea who wrote the letter until an older woman knocks on her door months later.

    What did the older woman say?

    In a third video, Lynn shares doorbell camera footage of an older woman standing on her front porch with her and her husband. The woman, who claims she has lived in the neighborhood for 14 years, questions why they leave her husband’s work truck on the street overnight.

    Lynn reveals to the woman that she is on the HOA board, which causes the woman to pause in disbelief. She advises the woman to address her concerns directly to the HOA board, rather than confronting her at her home.

    The woman claims she was once the chairman of the “covenants committee” and insists that vehicles aren’t supposed to be parked in the street overnight.

    Lynn continues to advise the woman to take it up with the HOA or the covenants committee instead of confronting residents.

    Suddenly, another man walks up to the porch, becoming confrontational.

    “Oh [you’ve lived here] four years? So you have a copy of the ordinance,” he says sarcastically. Lynn and her husband cut him off and question why he is getting involved, wondering if he wrote the letter.

    Her husband tells the man to leave the porch. Lynn has not posted any further updates about the HOA saga.

    How did viewers react?

    In the comments, viewers praise her for her confrontation skills.

    “Good for yall for telling them off basically! People like that just have nothing better to do with their day than to bother people about something that isn’t even a problem. And good for your man for telling that guy off,” a commenter says.

    “Telling her you’re actually on the HOA board, stepping through the door and putting your arm on the handle was such a baller move,” another remarks.

    Others question the HOA’s rule regarding street parking.

    “It’s a public street. As long as the vehicle is street legal, it can stay on the street as long as it wants,” one writes.

    “The HOA does not own the street and they can not do anything about a vehicle being parked on the street,” another says.

    “Is your community gated? If not, its a city street and the HOA cannot restrict street parking,” a third suggests.

    @laurenlynn0 Neighborhood Karen Saga, part one. #fafo #princesspetty #karensgonewild ♬ original sound – Lauren Lynn

    The Mary Sue reached out to Lynn via TikTok direct message for further comment.

    Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

    Image of Rebekah Harding

    Rebekah Harding

    Rebekah Harding is a reporter and content strategist based in Philadelphia. You can contact her at rebekahjonesharding.com.

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    Rebekah Harding

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  • Asking Eric: Good Samaritan gets hefty reward for first aid

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    Dear Eric: I am the mother of a wild child. The other day, she ran into our house and asked for a Band-Aid because her friend scraped his knee. The boy had what I would describe as “the most gnarly gash” I’ve seen since I left the military.

    The cut missed major blood vessels, but at least partially severed a tendon. We sent a messenger to his mom, treated him for shock and covered the wound, but didn’t really do anything medical. When mom showed up, I did the magic trick of distracting the boy while showing mom how bad it was. I offered to watch her other kids until she could get a family member or sitter they knew. Turns out they had grandma over, so I wasn’t needed.

    The next day, we found a thank you note and a $100 gift card in our mailbox. I don’t think I did anything worthy of that. I think I did the bare minimum required of a human being and did not expect anything from it.

    My question is, when my own daredevil scrapes her knee this way, is there a reference guide on how to express gratitude to the bystander or first responder? Does the dollar amount of the gift card change depending on the severity of the injury?

    — Mom of a Wild Child

    Dear Mom: Try as I might, I haven’t found a price list for “treatment of grievous bloody injuries” outside of an insurance company’s website. You mention your service in the military, and I wonder if you’re downplaying the comprehensiveness of the care you gave to your daughter’s friend. The gift card may be a reflection both of the mom’s appreciation and also an expression of how impressed she was by your levelheadedness and competence. Neither is a guarantee. Her gift is a kind gesture and not required.

    After a quite scary emergency department visit for a food allergy reaction, I sent an Edible Arrangement to convey my thanks, but that reflected my emotions (“thanks for snatching me back from the jaws of death; food is weird, right?”), rather than a repayment of a debt. It really is the thought that counts, so a card with a genuine note can be just as meaningful should your daughter need the aid of a bystander or EMT.

    Also, if you feel uncomfortable about the amount of the gift card, consider using it to treat your daughter, her friend, and maybe the friend’s mom to a fun lunch or day at an activity center (maybe one of those pad-covered ones where they’re less likely to get hurt).

    Dear Eric: My 15-year-old grandson moved in with me about seven months ago. We are fine together but his mom refuses to allow him to go to a “brick and mortar” school. He has Marfan Syndrome and must be careful of his heart. But he was removed from public school and really wants to be a more normal kid.

    My daughter apparently gets her medical for her whole family covered under my grandson. She wrote to him saying if he goes to a school here where I live then he’d have to use my address and he’d be responsible for her dying, her dad going mental and his older sister hemorrhaging all because they’d lose their medical if he lived with me.

    My daughter says my grandson and I are both selfish to want his “social life” over his family’s health.

    Might I add that there are four adults in the house and when my grandson was there, he slept in a closet! Is there any option besides turning her in to CPS?

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    R. Eric Thomas

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  • Harry and Meghan ask families to join fight against predatory social media policies

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    NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — Prince Harry and Meghan Markle urged parents to stand against social media companies that they said prey upon children with exploitative algorithms as the “explosion of unregulated artificial intelligence” adds to their concerns that technologies’ benefits are inseparable from its dangers.

    To underscore that point, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex cited research from advocacy group ParentsTogether that found researchers posing as children experienced harmful interactions every five minutes they spent with an artificial intelligence chatbot.

    “This wasn’t content created by a third party. These were the companies’ own chatbots working to advance their own depraved internal policies,” said Prince Harry at Spring Studios in Manhattan Thursday night as he and Markle were named Humanitarians of the Year by the nonprofit Project Healthy Minds. “But here’s what gives us hope: these families aren’t facing this alone.”

    To build their movement of families fighting for online safety, the couple also announced Thursday that their foundation’s Parents Network would join forces with ParentsTogether.

    Their remarks came at the annual gala for Project Healthy Minds, a Millennial- and Gen Z-driven tech nonprofit that runs a free online marketplace aiming to connect patients with the exact mental health care they seek.

    The couple has made youth mental health a cornerstone of their philanthropic work since launching the Archewell Foundation in 2020 after stepping aside as working royals. Through its network for families who have experienced online harm and support of youth-led organizations shaping responsible technology, the nonprofit works to make digital spaces safer.

    Prince Harry has previously stressed the need to hold powerful social media companies accountable. He warned last year that young people are experiencing an “epidemic” of anxiety, depression and social isolation driven by negative experiences online.

    According to numerous studies, few guardrails exist to mitigate kids’ exposure to age-inappropriate content including pornography and violence on social media, where they also face cyberbullying and sexual harassment.

    The issue could also be considered personal for the couple. Markle has been open about her mental health struggles due to what she describes as the royal family’s intense pressures and tabloid attacks. Harry’s own personal life has been the subject of much tabloid reporting, including targeted phone hacking and surveillance.

    Prince Harry brought his awareness campaign to a reception Wednesday night hosted by men’s health nonprofit Movember. In a conversation with television journalist Brooke Baldwin, he emphasized that men should not feel isolated because he repeatedly hears the same struggles when he speaks with them.

    “The biggest barrier is the belief that no one will understand,” he said in comments reshared on his blog. “Loneliness convinces you you’re the only one, which is rarely true.”

    “Culture makers” such as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are important voices in mental health conversations because they inspire their enormous audiences to seek care, according to Project Healthy Minds CEO Phil Schermer.

    But Schermer emphasized that the “moment of inspiration is fleeting” and it’s important for celebrities to take the extra step of partnering with trusted organizations that can actually deliver care.

    He pointed to NBC television personality Carson Daly, the gala’s host, as an example. Daly opened up about his own anxiety on the air after reading a 2018 essay by NBA champion Kevin Love about an in-game panic attack.

    Daly, a Project Healthy Minds board member, said mental health is now the most common topic that comes up when fans recognize him in public.

    “I was like, ’I want to put all my eggs in this basket’ because I see the power even when I tell my story, it unlocks so many other people telling their story,” Daly told the Associated Press. “And I think that process — that’s how the destigmatization works.”

    The money raised Thursday night will help the nonprofit build new filters that break down care options by their insurance providers and preferences for in-person or telehealth service options, according to Schermer. He compared the features to those on travel planning sites such as Expedia that allow users to choose the times, prices and airlines of their flight options.

    Schermer said that having a recognizable host in Daly also helps “make it cool to talk about your emotions.”

    “It’s not just the absence of a stigma,” Schermer said. “It’s also the presence of a sense of pride that by being vulnerable, being honest, being open, that that’s actually your greatest superpower.”

    Thursday night’s other honoree was Indianapolis Colts co-owner and chief brand officer Kalen Jackson. The NFL executive — who talks openly about dealing with anxiety — has continued the team’s staunch support for mental health after the death of her father and beloved former owner Jim Irsay.

    Project Healthy Minds recognized Jackson with its inaugural Sports Visionary of the Year Award, presented by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Jackson leads her family’s Kicking The Stigma initiative, which raises awareness about mental health disorders and tries to expand access to care across Indiana and country.

    ______

    Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

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  • Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ask families to join fight against predatory social media policies

    [ad_1]

    NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — Prince Harry and Meghan Markle urged parents to stand against social media companies that they said prey upon children with exploitative algorithms as the “explosion of unregulated artificial intelligence” adds to their concerns that technologies’ benefits are inseparable from its dangers.

    To underscore that point, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex cited research from advocacy group ParentsTogether that found researchers posing as children experienced harmful interactions every five minutes they spent with an artificial intelligence chatbot.

    “This wasn’t content created by a third party. These were the companies’ own chatbots working to advance their own depraved internal policies,” said Prince Harry at Spring Studios in Manhattan Thursday night as he and Markle were named Humanitarians of the Year by the nonprofit Project Healthy Minds. “But here’s what gives us hope: these families aren’t facing this alone.”

    To build their movement of families fighting for online safety, the couple also announced Thursday that their foundation’s Parents Network would join forces with ParentsTogether.

    Their remarks came at the annual gala for Project Healthy Minds, a Millennial- and Gen Z-driven tech nonprofit that runs a free online marketplace aiming to connect patients with the exact mental health care they seek.

    The couple has made youth mental health a cornerstone of their philanthropic work since launching the Archewell Foundation in 2020 after stepping aside as working royals. Through its network for families who have experienced online harm and support of youth-led organizations shaping responsible technology, the nonprofit works to make digital spaces safer.

    Prince Harry has previously stressed the need to hold powerful social media companies accountable. He warned last year that young people are experiencing an “epidemic” of anxiety, depression and social isolation driven by negative experiences online.

    According to numerous studies, few guardrails exist to mitigate kids’ exposure to age-inappropriate content including pornography and violence on social media, where they also face cyberbullying and sexual harassment.

    The issue could also be considered personal for the couple. Markle has been open about her mental health struggles due to what she describes as the royal family’s intense pressures and tabloid attacks. Harry’s own personal life has been the subject of much tabloid reporting, including targeted phone hacking and surveillance.

    Prince Harry brought his awareness campaign to a reception Wednesday night hosted by men’s health nonprofit Movember. In a conversation with television journalist Brooke Baldwin, he emphasized that men should not feel isolated because he repeatedly hears the same struggles when he speaks with them.

    “The biggest barrier is the belief that no one will understand,” he said in comments reshared on his blog. “Loneliness convinces you you’re the only one, which is rarely true.”

    “Culture makers” such as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are important voices in mental health conversations because they inspire their enormous audiences to seek care, according to Project Healthy Minds CEO Phil Schermer.

    But Schermer emphasized that the “moment of inspiration is fleeting” and it’s important for celebrities to take the extra step of partnering with trusted organizations that can actually deliver care.

    He pointed to NBC television personality Carson Daly, the gala’s host, as an example. Daly opened up about his own anxiety on the air after reading a 2018 essay by NBA champion Kevin Love about an in-game panic attack.

    Daly, a Project Healthy Minds board member, said mental health is now the most common topic that comes up when fans recognize him in public.

    “I was like, ’I want to put all my eggs in this basket’ because I see the power even when I tell my story, it unlocks so many other people telling their story,” Daly told the Associated Press. “And I think that process — that’s how the destigmatization works.”

    The money raised Thursday night will help the nonprofit build new filters that break down care options by their insurance providers and preferences for in-person or telehealth service options, according to Schermer. He compared the features to those on travel planning sites such as Expedia that allow users to choose the times, prices and airlines of their flight options.

    Schermer said that having a recognizable host in Daly also helps “make it cool to talk about your emotions.”

    “It’s not just the absence of a stigma,” Schermer said. “It’s also the presence of a sense of pride that by being vulnerable, being honest, being open, that that’s actually your greatest superpower.”

    Thursday night’s other honoree was Indianapolis Colts co-owner and chief brand officer Kalen Jackson. The NFL executive — who talks openly about dealing with anxiety — has continued the team’s staunch support for mental health after the death of her father and beloved former owner Jim Irsay.

    Project Healthy Minds recognized Jackson with its inaugural Sports Visionary of the Year Award, presented by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Jackson leads her family’s Kicking The Stigma initiative, which raises awareness about mental health disorders and tries to expand access to care across Indiana and country.

    ______

    Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

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  • Asking Eric: Girlfriend loves whiskey and other men

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    Dear Eric: I’m a 64-year-old male and I have a 59-year-old girlfriend of a couple years. My perception is that my girlfriend is constantly seeking attention from other men. For instance, we were out on an ATV ride with another couple and a third man. Our ride brought us through many miles of back country. We stopped at a bar/restaurant to use the facilities.

    My girlfriend goes into the bar, and she’s in there for a while. I stayed outside and talked with the other guys we were with. She finally comes out and admits that she was talking to a couple of guys and had a shot of whiskey “to check market prices.” Seriously? I’m supposed to believe that she couldn’t have just asked the price?

    Later in the day, we stopped, just the two of us, at another bar/restaurant and had something to eat. After I settled the check, I decided to use the restroom. I leave the restroom, and she is nowhere to be seen, so I go outside and interrupt a conversation between her and some random guy on the deck by himself drinking. There was an immediate awkward pause on the guy’s part, and she blurts out “That’s his bike.” My tastes run to Harleys. which I have a couple of, and his bike was just another cheaper imitation race bike.

    Then on the way home she tells me how her niece has been trying to set up a girls’ night, including her at a local bar, kind of letting me know, presumably so she can say “I told you…” Clearly, I have a problem with this but I’m trying to keep an open mind. You know what they say: intimacy doesn’t begin in the bedroom. So, I know what I think I should do but I’m looking for an outsider’s perspective.

    — Being Taken for a Ride

    Dear Ride: Look, there may be something else going on here that I’m not seeing, but I think the message you need to take away from this gut check is not that your girlfriend is necessarily doing something inappropriate but that you’re not feeling secure about the relationship. This isn’t a personal failing; you’re allowed to feel the way you feel. But the response may be a different one than you’re thinking of.

    While you can end things, as you seem to be suggesting, consider first talking to her at a neutral time about the state of your relationship and what you think it might be lacking. Try to use “I” statements, like “I would like to be closer” or “I don’t feel like we’ve been in sync recently.” Then try to lay out what happened and how you felt about it without accusations. “You were talking to guys and ‘checking the market price’ of the whiskey, and that was confusing to me.” Ask her if she can see where you’re coming from and why it might make you feel less uncertain. But also listen to her response and see if you can see where she’s coming from.

    You don’t have to be OK with how things are going, but from the instances you’ve described, it may be less that she’s interested in other men and more that she’s interested in other drinks.

    Dear Eric: I just had my 93rd birthday, so have been on Medicare for some years. But I recently ran across something different. My newest doctor — a podiatrist — told me first that she would give me only token care since she got only a token payment. Then a second time she said I could pay her the difference and get full treatment. Is this right morally and legally?

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    R. Eric Thomas

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  • Supernanny on Prince William and Princess Kate’s ‘hopeful future’ with George, Charlotte, and Louis

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    The Prince and Princess of Wales are proud parents of Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, raising them privately while allowing for appearances as a family of five as part of their service of the public. The small insights into how William and Kate, both 43, are raising their children with their shows of affection in public offer an indication of what goes on behind closed doors, and parenting expert and star of Supernanny, Jo Frost, is encouraged by what she sees.

    “Parenting is no easy task, and when lived under the world’s gaze, the challenge magnifies tenfold. Yet in Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, I see not only future monarchs but devoted parents whose grounded approach provides reassurance for their family and inspiration for others,” Jo, 55, has said in a new comment on the royal couple. 

    © Kensington Palace
    Supernanny Jo Frost says Prince William and Princess Kate have a grounded parenting approach

    “William and Catherine are more than partners in duty; they are parents in vision with complementary strengths. William carries the weight of history and responsibility but also the empathy of a man shaped by loss and scrutiny, wanting to get it right for his children,” she added. “He places emotional safety and stability at the heart of his parenting. Catherine pairs this with calm, centered, hands-on practicality. Her championing of early childhood development echoes my own mission, deeply personal and reflective of her home life.”

    William and Kate’s teamwork in parenting

    Jo went on to say that William and Kate embody a strength that balances one another and creates harmony and structure for their three children. “Despite their titles and difficulties of late, they remain grounded in everyday life, intentional in giving George, Charlotte, and Louis as normal a childhood as possible,” she said. “School runs, outdoor adventures, family routines, and their choice to keep their children off screens and social media remind their little ones that beyond the royal stage, they belong to a family rooted in love.”

    Prince William,Kate and their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte visit Cardiff Castle in Wales© Getty
    William and Kate balance eachother out

    Recommended videoYou may also likeWATCH: The little ways Princess Charlotte is taking after her mum

    Imperfect parenting

    The parenting expert also said that the royal couple reminds those raising a young brood that children don’t need perfect parents. “They need presence. William and Catherine understand this. Their grounded approach speaks volumes,” Jo reflected. “Their parenting is not about privilege but responsibility. Their children learn that true leadership lies in service, kindness, and contribution.

    the Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte, Prince George, the Prince of Wales, Prince Louis and Mia Tindall attending the Christmas Day morning church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk.© Joe Giddens – PA Images
    Jo says their parenting is not about privilege but responsibility

    “They model a life where titles matter less than integrity and where legacy is built not only through position but through compassion. The royal parents are indeed a dynamic duo, and in their hands, the future feels steady, compassionate, and hopeful, one full of promise for our young ones who will see them lead one day.”

    william and kate in car© PA Images via Getty Images
    The Wales family were last seen together attending a service at Crathie Kirk, near Balmoral

    George, Charlotte, and Louis were last seen publicly together in August when they attended a church service with members of the royal family on the Balmoral estate. They have since gone back to school, so it remains unconfirmed when they will step out again with their parents on a royal engagement.

    Eugene Levy with Prince William at Windsor Castle for the third season of “The Reluctant Traveller With Eugene Levy,” now streaming on Apple TV+.© Apple TV+

    Over on The HELLO! Royal Club, HELLO! Royal Editor Emily Nash’s brilliant weekly newsletter asks just how far Prince William is planning to go with his ideas for the future of the monarchy, and why he decided to go public with them on a lighthearted travel show like The Reluctant Traveler? To read the post, simply click on the button below.

    LISTEN: Prince William’s plans for the future and kids revelations

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    Katie Daly

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  • Gear News of the Week: Adobe Premiere Lands on iPhone, and Nothing Lets You Design Your Own Widgets

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    Adobe has had a busy year designing and redesigning a number of its most popular apps for mobile, and Premiere for iPhone is the latest—a mobile-first video editing workflow that adapts most of the tools from the desktop version of Premiere to a mobile user interface. You can trim, layer, edit, and even auto-generate captions, alongside all the basic editing features you’d expect, like color and exposure adjustments.

    The automatic resizing feature is particularly nice, adapting videos to both horizontal and landscape platforms, making sure your subject is centered for both cuts. As with anything Adobe releases these days, there are plenty of AI-powered features, including the ability to generate backgrounds from a prompt and create sound effects from your voice.

    Premiere for iPhone is free, though if you want to use the AI features, you’ll have to buy credits within the app. According to Adobe, the Android version is still under development. —Scott Gilbertson

    Nothing Reveals an AI ‘Operating System’

    No, Nothing isn’t switching from Android to a custom AI-powered OS. However, the phone brand announced a new platform called Essential, which will lay the groundwork for a future in which users generate their own apps and user interface. We’ve heard these ideas before, often called generative user interfaces, and it’s still early days for the technology.

    Nothing’s plan starts with two apps: Essential Apps and Playground. The former lets you create “apps” with natural language, though these are really designed in the form of widgets. Just describe what you need—capture all the receipts in my camera roll and export a PDF every Friday—and this will be generated as a widget you can interact with on the home screen. The Nothing Phone (3) supports up to six of these Essential apps, but older Nothing devices are limited to two.

    Playground is a place where you can publish not just your Essential Apps but also other Nothing oddities, like Glyph Toys from the Phone (3), camera presets, and EQ profiles. You can download what the community has made and even “remix” them into your own. Eventually, these features will turn into what Nothing is calling Essential OS, which it expects to debut in 2028. (Remember the Essential Phone from 2017? Nothing bought the company’s assets in 2021, and it seems like it was for the name.)

    Nothing debuted some of these AI features with the “Essential” branding earlier this year. Essential Space is a new app that debuted on the Phone (3a), triggered by a dedicated button; tap it to capture your screen and have AI pull insights and summarize the contents. Now, there’s Essential Memory, which the company says “brings everything together by learning your habits, and surfacing forgotten details when you need them most.” It’s coming soon, so we’ll have to wait and see to learn more.

    Whoop Now Lets You Order Blood Work

    Courtesy of Whoop

    Hot on the heels of Ultrahuman and Oura announcing that you will be able to schedule and take blood labs with their services, Whoop debuted Whoop Advanced Labs. Not only can you add your preexisting blood work to the Whoop app, but you can also book blood testing through the app (like Oura, Whoop has partnered with Quest Diagnostics). Whoop’s offering is a bit more expensive, at $199 per test, $349 for two tests per year, or $599 for four tests per year, as compared to Oura’s $99 per test. Both purport to combine blood work results with long-term continuous monitoring with their respective trackers.

    Labs are routine medical tests that let doctors screen things such as high cholesterol, high blood glucose, and diabetes, or hormone or ferritin tests to check if your thyroid is working or you’re eating enough iron. They can be expensive, inconvenient to schedule and take, and fairly arcane to interpret, so it makes sense that startups are starting to offer them as part of their subscription services.

    Still, it’s a sad statement on the current accessibility of health care that routine medical services are now being funneled into revenue streams for private companies. As much as I like the Oura Ring and the Whoop band, they’re not doctors; they still can’t actually treat you for a heart attack or colon cancer. —Adrienne So

    Arlo Refreshes Its Security Cameras

    Gear News of the Week Adobe Premiere Lands on iPhone and Nothing Lets You Design Your Own Widgets

    Courtesy of Arlo

    Arlo’s new Essential 3 range rounds off a busy week for security cameras, with Google showing off new Nest cameras and Amazon releasing a fresh batch of Ring and Blink cameras. Arlo’s Essential 3 lineup includes indoor and outdoor pan/tilt cameras (a first for the company), alongside a new generation of regular outdoor and indoor cameras.

    The Essential Pan Tilt ($60) and Essential Pan Tilt Indoor ($50) offer 2K footage, 360-degree pan, 180-degree tilt, and automatic subject tracking, and there are HD versions for a bit less. The 3rd-gen Essential Outdoor Battery ($70), Essential XL Outdoor Battery ($80), Essential Security Camera Plug-in ($50), and Essential Indoor Camera Plug-in ($40) all offer 2K footage, and again, there are slightly cheaper HD versions of each.

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    Julian Chokkattu

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  • Homeschooling Is Booming. Here’s How To Do It Without Screwing Up Your Kid’s Education.

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    When her son was 8 years old, Clare Brown noticed that his stress in school was taking a toll. “He was doing well on the academic side, but having a really hard time emotionally at school,” she told HuffPost. “At that point, we didn’t know he had ADHD; that wasn’t diagnosed until we moved to Florida when he was 10.”

    It was at that moment that Brown decided to take her son out of the traditional classroom and homeschool him instead.

    “Homeschooling gave us a chance to slow things down, meet him where he was and take the pressure off.”

    MoMo Productions via Getty Images

    Homeschool doesn’t need to feel like “mom school.”

    If you’ve been intrigued by the idea of homeschooling your kids, you’re not alone. Between 2022 and 2023, approximately 3.4% of children (about 1.9 million) in K-12 grades were homeschooled, an increase from 2.8% in 2019, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

    But is homeschooling for everyone? Hear what some parents have to say about homeschooling their kids.

    Why Some Families Turned To Homeschooling

    In 2020, when the pandemic forced schools to close, many children were required to participate in at-home learning. That’s one reason Jaime Smith, MA, MSEd, CEP, Educator and founder of learning platform OnlineG3.com, believes that homeschooling is becoming a more popular alternative.

    “I think [parents] feared that homeschooling was difficult,” Smith, who also homeschooled her daughter since Kindergarten, told HuffPost. “But once they were forced to try homeschooling, they discovered that it worked well for their family.”

    Another reason for the growing interest in homeschooling is the impact of the political climate on the traditional school system. What was the norm for many religious families, according to Smith, now applies to families who don’t want religion in school, or want to continue teaching about diversity, equity and inclusion.

    The Upside Of Homeschooling

    In a classic school setting, the ratio of teachers is typically 1 to 20-30 kids, making it challenging for individualized learning. Homeschooling allows you to meet where your child’s needs are, focus more on their interests and provide flexibility for parents.

    Because Brown and her child weren’t tied to a set schedule, she could shape lessons around his interests and where they were living at the time. “Math might happen through baking together in the kitchen and history could mean exploring the Tower of London in the UK.”

    Smith also loved the idea of using the real world as their classroom.

    “We went on field trips all the time — to the symphony, the history museum, the aquarium,” she recalled. “Our ‘classroom’ was our entire local community.”

    Smith also credits homeschooling for her daughter’s success in college. “Colleges love independent thinkers and self-directed learners, and those qualities are often a natural product of homeschooling.”

    Suzette Conrad, a proud homeschooler, found at-home learning to be beneficial, especially when her father unexpectedly passed away when she was 9 years old.

    “Homeschooling gave me the space to go through the grieving process at my own pace without worrying about grades,” Conrad told HuffPost. “I struggled with my mental health because of my dad’s death and everything that comes with that, and homeschooling gave me the flexibility to heal.”

    The Challenges Of Homeschooling

    Despite the idea that remote learning allows you and your children to customize their own curriculum, there are still guidelines to be met, Smith said. There are homeschooling laws that vary by state that families must follow.

    For example, states such as New York and Pennsylvania require testing, whereas New Jersey and Michigan don’t need testing. Alaska doesn’t require specific subjects to be taught, and Texas only requires homeschool curricula to cover the basics like reading, math and spelling.

    Another challenge that parents and children struggle with is the blurred lines between teacher and student.

    “There’s no bell at 3 o’clock, you’re always on,” Brown said. “Some days felt like a gift and other days it was heavy because I carried the worry of ‘Am I doing enough?’”

    “As the oldest child, I already supported my mom a lot as a single mother and with her as my teacher, it meant we spent a lot of time together,” recalled Conrad. “I didn’t love it when she would tell me I spelled something wrong or make me rewrite a paper.”

    Still, for Conrad, it felt natural for her mom to be her teacher, since she had already taught her basic life skills, such as how to walk, cook and take care of herself.

    Lastly, with traditional schooling comes making friends and achieving milestones such as graduations, homecoming dances and participating in athletics. A big concern for kids and parents is how homeschooling will affect their kids’ ability to socialize.

    “The only thing [my daughter] really missed was having the regular day-to-day friendships that only come with being in the same place at the same time,” Smith said. “She recognizes that those might not be the deepest relationships, but they serve a purpose in a teen’s life, and we couldn’t really replicate that.”

    What To Know About Homeschooling Your Kids

    Both Smith and Brown can attest that any parent can homeschool their child. “Curious, self-motivated kids thrive, but even reluctant learners can do well if parents have patience and stick with it,” Brown said. “The bigger factor is the family, whether they can give the time, patience and consistency homeschooling requires.”

    They shared some tips to follow if you are thinking about homeschooling your kids:

    Find what works for your family.

    When Brown started homeschooling her son, she was trying to mimic the structure of a traditional classroom with hourlong lessons with start and end times. She quickly realized that the structure was not working for them and noticed how much more her son was engaged when she found the right routine that worked for him.

    “My biggest tip is not to be afraid to throw out the ‘school model’ and find what works for your family,” she said. “Some of our best learning happened on the sofa reading together, in the kitchen baking, or out at a museum on a Tuesday morning.”

    Follow state guidelines.

    As mentioned before, each state has its own guidelines surrounding homeschooling, requiring students to complete assessments, study specific subjects and meet certain requirements. The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) is a great resource for finding out your state’s law.

    Outsource certain subjects.

    A significant downside of homeschooling is the excessive togetherness. When Smith’s daughter was beginning to resist her mom’s instructions, Smith resorted to outsourcing certain lessons that helped the two of them give each other the space they needed.

    Since the pandemic, several micro schools and online learning platforms have become available to help students complete their schooling at home. One of them is Smith’s own OnlineG3.com, where students like her daughter learn collaboratively with peers in real time. “It didn’t feel like ‘mom school’ that way,” said Smith.

    Keep them socialized.

    While homeschooled kids are missing out on making friends inside a classroom, it’s important to incorporate socialization in their daily lives. Smith’s daughter frequently participated in a local youth theater program, performed with a competition dance team and even attended field trips with peers. As she entered high school, she even attended prom as a guest.

    And just because your kids are homeschooled now doesn’t mean they can never go back to regular school. At 13, Brown and her family moved from Florida to Alabama, and her son wanted to attend a traditional high school realizing he’d be missing out on events like football games, prom and the entire high school experience. It was an adjustment as he was the “new kid in every way.”

    “We didn’t know anyone here, so we thought it might be a good time socially as well,” Brown said, “but that part was harder than expected.”

    Brown’s son also had to adjust to an entirely new routine, one with juggling assignments between several teachers, participating in group projects and completing timed tests. While there was a learning curve, Brown said his independence from homeschooling helped him adjust quickly to high school.

    Even though he’s in high school, Brown’s son doesn’t regret his homeschooling experience. “He loved it through elementary and middle school; it gave him confidence and space to really explore what he cared about.”

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  • Parenting 101: 1 in 4 parents are counting down the days until kids turn 18

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    A new survey of 2,000 parents by the book summary app Headway reveals the steep cost of raising kids – and it’s not just financial. 

     

    Key insights from the study include:

    • 57% turned down career opportunities due to parenting; 18% feel children harmed their career; 1 in 3 say ambition dipped, and 7% lost it completely
    • Over half miss the freedom to travel, 38% miss old hobbies, and 42% sacrifice sleep to keep up with family demands
    • 59% say social life is the first to go, with sleep close behind; 23% have no time for self-care
    • 49% have experienced a loss of identity (19% feel it constantly)
    • 46% regret not achieving more milestones before kids, 24% wish they had waited longer, and 27% secretly count down the days until their children turn 18

    Cindy Cavoto, certified productivity coach at Headway app, said in a press release, “Having children prompts change in every aspect of our lives – sleep, work, self-care, travel, and socialization. You name it. It’s hard work and long hours, so it’s no surprise that many feel their own growth has been put on pause. However, what’s often overlooked is that parenting itself is a form of personal development”.

     

    “Every tantrum you manage, bedtime you negotiate, and compromise that you broker is invaluable training. You’re learning on the job, and when paired with small bursts of self-development – a few pages of a book during naptime or an online course after bedtime – you grow just as much, if not more. Parenthood isn’t the end of your personal growth journey. It’s just a different path. A tougher one, sure, but one that is far more meaningful and rewarding,” she added.

     

    – JC

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    By: Jennifer Cox The Suburban

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  • Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s daughter Sunday hits Dior runway hours after parents’ bombshell divorce filing

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    Sunday Rose Kidman is keeping her eyes on the runway. The eldest daughter of recently-split Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban walked the runway at Johnathan Anderson’s highly-anticipated debut with Dior in Paris on Wednesday, October 1, less than a day after the now-former couple officially filed for divorce. News of the Oscar winner and the country singer’s separation came only one day before the former filed for divorce. In addition to Sunday, 17, the two are also parents to Faith Margaret, 14, and they are all based in Nashville, Tennessee.

    For the special runway, the first women’s collection to be unveiled since Maria Grazia Chiuri’s departure and Jonathan’s appointment following his own departure from Loewe, Sunday was tasked with modeling a gray cotton blouse with pleats reminiscent of a black tie shirt, paired with billowing black trousers also featuring special pleats, plus black and white loafers.

    © Launchmetrics
    Sunday modeling for Jonathan Anderson’s Dior debut, October 1, 2025

    It’s unclear whether Sunday, who has previously modeled for sister brands Prada and Miu Miu as well as Omega, has other fashion shows coming up for Paris Fashion Week, which runs through Tuesday, October 7, however her mom Nicole has a scheduled appearance at amfAR’s inaugural Dallas fundraiser on Saturday, while her dad Keith has a concert tonight in Hershey, Pennsylvania, as part of his High and Alive tour.

    Recommended videoYou may also likeWATCH: Keith Urban changes lyrics onstage that were inspired by Nicole Kidman

    Nicole and Keith tied the knot in June 2006 after first meeting in 2005, and though neither party has commented on the news, HELLO! can confirm that the pair has indeed separated. Several reports claimed that the idea to separate came from Keith, 57, who’d been living separately from Nicole, 58, since earlier this summer. 

    The pair had several conflicting work commitments keeping them apart, between Keith’s worldwide tour in support of his album, High, and Nicole’s various projects such as Practical Magic 2 and the newest season of Big Little Lies.

    sunday rose kidman urban chanel nyfw© GC Images
    The budding model at the CHANEL dinner to celebrate the launch of Sofia Coppola’s book, “CHANEL Haute Couture”

    Court documents obtained by People reveal that they have already landed on a parenting plan for their two daughters — Nicole also shares daughter Bella, 32, and Connor, 30, with ex-husband Tom Cruise — which sees Nicole becoming the primary residential parent of the girls; she will get 306 days with her daughters while Keith will get 59 days with them.

    Her daughter Sunday is currently busy working as well© Getty Images
    With her mom in January

    Moreover, the outlet reports neither party will receive monthly child support, but rather they will operate according to an “other” agreement they worked out in which Keith has “already prepaid all child support obligations.”

    Sunday Rose walks the runway during the Miu Miu Paris Womenswear Spring-Summer 2025 show © Victor Boyko
    Modeling for Miu Miu in 2024

    Nicole signed the documents on September 6 while Keith signed them on August 29, three weeks before news of their split broke. They have also agreed to not speak badly of each other or other members of their family of the other parent, and will “encourage each child to continue to love the other parent and be comfortable in both families,” and, they are both also required to attend a parenting seminar within 60 days of the divorce filing, so by the end of November.

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    Beatriz Colon

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  • ChatGPT may alert police on suicidal teens

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    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    ChatGPT could soon alert police when teens discuss suicide. OpenAI CEO and co-founder Sam Altman revealed the change during a recent interview. ChatGPT, the widely used artificial intelligence chatbot that can answer questions and hold conversations, has become a daily tool for millions. His comments mark a major shift in how the AI company may handle mental health crises.

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    Sam Altman, chief executive officer of OpenAI Inc. (Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

    Why OpenAI is considering police alerts

    Altman said, “It’s very reasonable for us to say in cases of young people talking about suicide, seriously, where we cannot get in touch with the parents, we do call authorities.”

    Until now, ChatGPT’s response to suicidal thoughts has been to suggest hotlines. This new policy signals a move from passive suggestions to active intervention.

    Altman admitted the change comes at a cost to privacy. He stressed that user data is important, but acknowledged that preventing tragedy must come first.

    artificial intelligence language model

    Teens can easily access ChatGPT on a mobile device. (Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

    Tragedies that prompted action

    The shift follows lawsuits tied to teen suicides. The most high-profile case involves 16-year-old Adam Raine of California. His family alleges ChatGPT provided a “step-by-step playbook” for suicide, including instructions for tying a noose and even drafting a goodbye note.

    After Raine’s death in April, his parents sued OpenAI. They argued that the company failed to stop its AI from guiding their son toward harm.

    Another lawsuit accused rival chatbot Character.AI of negligence. A 14-year-old reportedly took his own life after forming an intense connection with a bot modeled on a TV character. Together, these cases highlight how quickly teens can form unhealthy bonds with AI. 

    Teen killed himself after 'months of encouragement from ChatGPT’, lawsuit claims

    Adam Raine, a California teen, took his life in April 2025 amid claims ChatGPT coached him (Raine Family)

    How widespread is the problem?

    Altman pointed to global numbers to justify stronger measures. He noted that about 15,000 people take their own lives each week worldwide. With 10% of the world using ChatGPT, he estimated that around 1,500 suicidal individuals may interact with the chatbot weekly.

    Research backs up concerns about teen reliance on AI. A Common Sense Media survey found 72% of U.S. teens use AI tools, with one in eight seeking mental health support from them. 

    FORMER YAHOO EXECUTIVE SPOKE WITH CHATGPT BEFORE KILLING MOTHER IN CONNECTICUT MURDER-SUICIDE: REPORT

    OpenAI’s 120-day plan

    In a blog post, OpenAI outlined steps to strengthen protections. The company said it will:

    • Expand interventions for people in crisis.
    • Make it easier to reach emergency services.
    • Enable connections to trusted contacts.
    • Roll out stronger safeguards for teens.

    To guide these efforts, OpenAI created an Expert Council on Well-Being and AI. This group includes specialists in youth development, mental health and human-computer interaction. Alongside them, OpenAI is working with a Global Physician Network of more than 250 doctors across 60 countries.

    These experts are helping design parental controls and safety guidelines. Their role is to ensure AI responses align with the latest mental health research.

    ChatGPT can be a useful tool for the quick processing and synthesis of information.

    A teen using ChatGPT. (Frank Rumpenhorst/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)

    New protections for families

    Within weeks, parents will be able to:

    • Link their ChatGPT account with their teens.
    • Adjust model behavior to match age-appropriate rules.
    • Disable features like memory and chat history.
    • Get alerts if the system detects acute distress.

    These alerts are designed to notify parents early. Still, Altman admitted that when parents are unreachable, police may become the fallback option. 

    AI WORM 1

    ChatGPT can be used by teens for completing homework. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

    Limits of AI safeguards

    OpenAI admits its safeguards can weaken over time. While short chats often redirect users to crisis hotlines, long conversations can erode built-in protections. This “safety degradation” has already led to cases where teens received unsafe advice after extended use.

    Experts warn that relying on AI for mental health can be risky. ChatGPT is trained to sound human but cannot replace professional therapy. The concern is that vulnerable teens may not know the difference.

    TEENS INCREASINGLY TURNING TO AI FOR FRIENDSHIP AS NATIONAL LONELINESS CRISIS DEEPENS

    Steps parents can take now

    Parents should not wait for new features to arrive. Here are immediate ways to keep teens safe:

    1) Start regular conversations

    Ask open questions about school, friendships and feelings. Honest dialogue reduces the chance teens will turn only to AI for answers.

    2) Set digital boundaries

    Use parental controls on devices and apps. Limit access to AI tools late at night when teens may feel most isolated.

    3) Link accounts when available

    Take advantage of new OpenAI features that connect parent and teen profiles for closer oversight 

    4) Encourage professional support

    Reinforce that mental health care is available through doctors, counselors or hotlines. AI should never be the only outlet.

    5) Keep crisis contacts visible

    Post numbers for hotlines and text lines where teens can see them. For example, in the U.S., call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

    6) Watch for changes

    Notice shifts in mood, sleep or behavior. Combine these signs with online patterns to catch risks early.

    Take my quiz: How safe is your online security?

    Think your devices and data are truly protected? Take this quick quiz to see where your digital habits stand. From passwords to Wi-Fi settings, you’ll get a personalized breakdown of what you’re doing right — and what needs improvement. Take my Quiz here: CyberGuy.com/Quiz 

    Kurt’s key takeaways

    OpenAI’s plan to involve police shows how urgent the issue has become. AI has the power to connect, but it also carries risks when teens use it in moments of despair. Parents, experts and companies must work together to create safeguards that save lives without sacrificing trust.

    Would you be comfortable with AI companies alerting police if your teen shared suicidal thoughts online? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com/Contact

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  • Healthier Together: Finding support as a kinship caregiver

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    Healthier Together: Finding support as a kinship caregiver

    If you’re a grandparent or older person who’s had to take over caring for a younger family member, you’ve probably realized there’s not a lot of support out there.

    Some groups are trying to change that. KIRO 7’s Ranji Sinha shows us one of them in this week’s Healthier Together.

    Kiana Davis lives in the Seattle area and identifies herself as a kinship caregiver.

    “I’ve been a mama auntie for close to 10 years,” she tells KIRO 7.

    Reshell Wilson is also a kinship caregiver, a grandmother who took on parenting duties.

    “So about 13 years ago, my stepdaughter had an issue with drugs and alcohol and schizophrenia, and the state took the kids, and they were wards of the state for a while, and my husband and I didn’t want the kids and the system, and so we decided to go to court and get third-party custody of them,” she tells KIRO 7.

    Neither Davis nor Wilson is the parent of the children they’re raising. They’re part of a growing group of older adults often tasked with taking care of young children.

    Both women also know that getting access to resources is hard as a non-parent raising children. Cambia Health Foundation is trying to change that.

    The foundation announced $280,000 in grants to support older adult caregivers.

    According to Cambia nationwide, there are more than 2.4 million children living in grand families, and 60% live with actual grandparents.

    Wilson, Davis, and many others know that these families often don’t qualify for foster care assistance. Foster care assistance is often geared more towards parents.

    Catholic Community Services of Western Washington helps by providing support to kinship caregiver families, and will get some of the Cambia grant money.

    Wilson didn’t want her grandchildren to be wards of the state and got custody.

    She knew raising them would not be easy, and was recently featured in a magazine as an unsung hero for taking on the task as parents again.

    “We had a fear that if we let the state take them, they would be in and out of different homes, being around people that they don’t know, and it was easier because we were the grandparents for us to just take them,” she says. “The hardest part about that was, as it was said earlier, is just money, being able to have the resources to take care of them.”

    Davis took over from her sister, who was in another state and had drug problems. CPS called and told her family they had 24 to 48 hours to find someone to take the children.

    “So my story started in 2015, October. My sister was married at the time, living in Texas and she was having some problems with her husband, and I think drugs,” she told KIRO 7. “So every one of my family, my sister, my mom, were all like, who was going to get them? And I said, I will go.”

    Davis said she got on a plane and got the children.

    “My sister paid for a night in the hotel, so we stayed that night in the hotel. They didn’t know me, I had never really seen them. My niece at the time, my niece daughter was four years old, and my nephew son was seven, So they just went with me.” Davis said the children did not cry, but caring for them this past decade has been hard as an older aunt,“ she told KIRO 7.

    These women were helped by Catholic Community Services of Western Washington when basic assistance wasn’t enough. Barb Taylor helps coordinate the program that helps kinship caregivers and says the program helps with everything from school supplies to clothes, even summer programs. It’s been 12 years that CCSWW has had a kinship program The hope is that there will be many more.

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  • Asking Eric: After missed birthday party, friend stops calling

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    Dear Eric: I’ve been friends with a girl for at least 10 years. Recently she had a birthday and our circle of friends planned on going to a local bar to celebrate. I decided not to attend because I wasn’t able to afford a $10 cover charge. I told her that and she seemed to be OK with it.

    But then I noticed that I wasn’t hearing from her like I usually did. I asked another friend, and they said they were under the impression that she was upset and disappointed with me because I didn’t go out for her birthday, so I sent her a text apologizing and saying that I really couldn’t afford it and that I live from paycheck to paycheck and I thought she’d understand.

    She responded by saying she understood because she lives from paycheck to paycheck and also that she considered me a close friend and that she was upset and disappointed I didn’t then come out for her birthday and she went on to say that if it hadn’t been on her actual birthday she wouldn’t have minded as much, which never made any sense to me.

    She also said she needed time and that she should eventually get over it. Well, it’s been three months, and I haven’t heard anything. I feel like texting her again to say if she doesn’t consider us friends anymore then I would like to know because I have some stuff, she asked me to keep at my house, and I would give it back.

    I told two of my other friends and they feel she’s being childish about the whole thing. What are your thoughts?

    — Weary Friend

    Dear Friend: She’s being more than childish; her response is unfair and uncaring. She’s allowed to make whatever plans she wants for her birthday — and everyone deserves to feel special — but she’s also an adult and adults understand that sometimes we can’t afford to do things we want to do. Adults also understand that special occasions can happen anytime. After the age of, say 16, missing a birthday party is not a reason to sever a friendship.

    If she’s not serious about wanting to rebuild this friendship, then returning the items you’re holding for her and wishing her well is the best option.

    Dear Eric: My younger brother (54 yrs) is a chronic alcoholic. He’s now developed Cirrhosis and he has little time left.

    I’m his older sister, who realized more than 30 years ago that binge drinking and alcoholism seemed to affect us siblings, so I stopped, completely.

    I never got on his case about his drinking, but we drifted apart due to his excessive drinking and the erratic behavior it brought out.

    Sadly, this diagnosis is what has brought us back together. I call him weekly, talk about funny stories from the past and try to keep his spirits up.

    We lost a sister years ago, when she was 7 years old, to a childhood illness. My parents were devastated as it was sudden and unexpected. My mother is gone, but my father, still going strong in his 90s, is still with us.

    My father lives too far away to visit my brother and they only rarely talk on the phone. There are four adult children in our family.

    There is a disagreement as to whether we should tell my father. I believe that a parent has the right to know. They have been through more than their adult children give them credit for and should be able to say goodbye. Others are saying we shouldn’t say anything because “it could kill dad.”

    There is no question my brother will pass before my father. Do you think a parent should be told that their child is sick and passing?

    — Sad Sister

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    R. Eric Thomas

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  • How to Clean a Kid’s Car Seat the Right Way

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    Car seats are there for a lot: every traffic-induced meltdown, every spilled juice box, every road trip nap. Most importantly, they save lives. But while it’s tempting to treat them like any other piece of kid gear when messes strike, they’re not just another item you can toss in the wash. They’re precision-built safety devices, and one misstep can compromise the parts designed to protect your child.

    This guide walks you through how to properly clean a car seat, what not to do, and when to call a professional so your child stays protected, no matter how messy the ride gets.

    For more, check out our guides to the Best Car Vacuums, Best Hand Vacuums, and Best Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products. For specific baby gear recommendations, check out our guides to the Best Baby Monitors, Best Breast Pumps, Best Strollers, Best Travel Strollers, Best Bassinets, and Best Baby Carriers.

    Jump to Section

    Why Proper Car Seat Cleaning Matters

    A quick toss in the washing machine may seem harmless, but it can ruin a car seat: “It could degrade the harness webbing itself, so it could weaken it,” says Kyndra Webb, a child passenger safety technician instructor and member of the National Child Passenger Safety Board. A harness is the only thing between your child and physics in a car crash.

    Aggressive cleaning or machine washing can also shrink or distort covers, or strip away protective coatings. “A lot of them have fire retardants,” Webb says. “The more you wash it, the more you degrade some of that safety quality.”

    Even perfect cleaning techniques can be undermined by one deceptively difficult step—putting everything back together. “The biggest thing that I have seen when families come for a car seat check after they’ve washed it, especially if they bought their car seat used, is they’re not assembling it correctly again,” Webb says. A car seat may look pristine and even be properly installed, but if the harness is routed wrong or the clips aren’t in place, it’s not doing its job.

    That said, the stakes are too high to wing it. By sticking to the script of proper cleaning guidelines and manufacturer instructions, your seat can be both sanitary and road-trip ready.

    How to Find a Car Seat Manual

    Before you even think about reaching for those cleaning supplies, break out your car seat’s manual. If you can’t find the booklet that came with the seat, you can likely find it online: Visit your car seat manufacturer’s website, search for your specific model, and look out for links labeled “Manual,” “Instructions,” or “Support.”

    The cleaning guidelines are then usually found in a dedicated section of the manual. “Some car seats even have QR codes now, so you can scan the code to bring you right to their website’s FAQs and their help,” Webb says. “Sometimes it’ll even bring you to their YouTube channel.”

    If all else fails, contact customer service. “A lot of the manufacturers have child passenger safety technicians on staff,” Webb says. “They know their car seats, they know their products.” They’re the experts who can provide specific guidance for your model.

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    Nicole Kinning

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  • Natalie Wood’s lookalike daughter and granddaughter stun in new photos inspired by the late star

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    Natalie Wood has been dead for 44 years, but her legacy lives on in her daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner, whose new fragrance line L’Amour Mēre is inspired by her legendary late mother. The 54-year-old, who was just 11 when Natalie died due to an “accidental drowning” on November 29, 1981, at age 43, has put her daughter, Clover, 13, front and center as the face of the new line. While Clover may be the star, Natasha features alongside her daughter in the campaign, with the duo posing for some stunning new photos by Jonathan Ressler.

    “I think it’s just my way of connecting my daughter to my mom,” Natasha told People. In one photo, Natasha and Clover sweetly embrace in matching black and white dresses that boast voluminous tulle mesh skirts, and the similarities between the mother and daughter duo and Natalie, who passed her dark hair and facial features down to her daughter, are uncanny.

    Natasha was inspired by her mother’s signature gardenia scent when she created her fragrance line, Natalie, in 2016. “I’ve always searched for beauty. I love the idea of bottling a memory,” she explained. Almost 10 years later, Natasha is relaunching the line with three scents, according to People. “Natalie, the original Gardenia; the rose-based scent, C-Love (“If you add the ‘R’ to C-love, it’s Clover,” she said), and Lyublyu, (“That means love in Russian, which is inspired by my grandmother – who always said ‘I love you’ in Russian.”)

    Natasha admitted that Clover, whom she shares with her husband Barry Watson, has become more curious about her grandmother as she’s grown up. “She’s curious about my mom’s level of fame,” Natasha admitted. “She’s aware of young people that are famous and she’ll say, ‘How famous was she?’ Like Justin and Hailey Bieber or something?”

    Natasha added that Clover has recently seen her grandmother’s famous 1961 film Splendor in the Grass, in which she starred alongside Warren Beatty, about the doomed love affair of two high school sweethearts. “That’s a pretty intense film, so she’s intrigued by the emotional spectrum of her performances,” Natasha said. “Clover is a very sensitive person. And I think she has that example in her grandma, being vulnerable but also such force.”

    © Instagram
    Clover with her grandfather, Robert Wagner

    Clover is named after her grandmother’s character in the 1965 film Inside Daisy Clover, in which Natalie starred opposite the late Robert Redford, who was a relatively unknown actor at the time. Natasha rarely spoke about her mother but began opening up more when she launched her fragrance line in 2016, followed in 2020 with a documentary, What Remains Behind, and a memoir, More Than Love: An Intimate Portrait of My Mother, Natalie Wood. 

    photo of natalie wood headshot© Getty Images
    Natalie died due to an “accidental drowning” on November 29, 1981, at age 43

    “I have more of a mission because it’s not just about having a famous mom, it’s also about survival of grief and what that looks like,” she previously told People. “And I have a bit of a story to tell around it because I am not a victim of it. I’ve gotten through it. I feel this real responsibility to share her, and I just want to help Clover understand who she was too.”

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    Jenni McKnight

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  • Even Time-Strapped Business Owners Can Share an Engaging Reading Experience with Their Kids | Entrepreneur

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    Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

    As a business owner, balancing a 60-hour work week with family time is already hard enough without screens getting in the way. If you’re looking for a meaningful way to connect with your kids, Readmio makes story time feel like something special again.

    Readmio is a mobile reading app that turns your voice into the centerpiece of the story. As you read aloud, the app adds sound effects and music that respond in real time. When the story says the wolf growled or the wind blew, you’ll actually hear it. The result is an experience that feels more immersive than a regular book, without relying on screens or flashy visuals to keep your child engaged. It’s also on sale right now.

    Add some magic to story time

    The Readmio Premium Plan gives you lifetime access to more than 800 interactive stories, with new ones added every week. There are fairy tales, folk stories, science adventures, bedtime favorites, and even empathy-themed stories. Stories are sorted by age group and topic, so it’s easy to find something your child will enjoy. You can also download stories to read offline, which is great for travel or evening routines.

    The app includes more than just stories. It also offers printable worksheets, coloring pages, and comprehension quizzes to reinforce learning. If your child prefers hands-on activities or needs help staying focused, these extras can make story time even more rewarding.

    For parents who want to stay connected to their kids without defaulting to screen time, Readmio is a simple and creative way to build that habit. All it takes is your voice, a phone, and a few minutes together.

    Right now, you can get a Readmio Premium Lifetime Plan for only $39.99 (reg. $159).

    Readmio Premium Plan: Lifetime Subscription

    See Deal

    StackSocial prices subject to change.

    As a business owner, balancing a 60-hour work week with family time is already hard enough without screens getting in the way. If you’re looking for a meaningful way to connect with your kids, Readmio makes story time feel like something special again.

    Readmio is a mobile reading app that turns your voice into the centerpiece of the story. As you read aloud, the app adds sound effects and music that respond in real time. When the story says the wolf growled or the wind blew, you’ll actually hear it. The result is an experience that feels more immersive than a regular book, without relying on screens or flashy visuals to keep your child engaged. It’s also on sale right now.

    Add some magic to story time

    The rest of this article is locked.

    Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.

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  • A Couple Memes for Couples

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    Relationships are equal parts love, laughter, chaos, and compromise – like accepting he may just wear his best joggers on the most important day of your relationship.

    Whether it’s trying to decide what to eat for dinner, juggling kids and responsibilities, or just collapsing on the couch after a long day, couples know the routine all too well.

    These memes capture the highs, the lows, and the “oh, that’s us” moments of everyday partnership. From marriage jokes to parenting chaos to the kind of tired only a couple can understand, it is all here.

    Love might be patient and kind, but it is also messy, sarcastic, and sometimes brutally honest. And that’s what makes it fun.

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    Ryder

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  • Tesla under investigation after parents say faulty door handles trapped their kids in the back

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    Car safety regulators opened an investigation Tuesday into possible defects in Tesla doors that have reportedly left parents with children trapped in the back seat and forced to break windows to get them out.

    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that the preliminary probe is focused on 2021 Tesla Model Ys after receiving nine reports of electronic door handles becoming inoperative possibly due to low battery voltage.

    The company run by billionaire Elon Musk has installed manual door releases inside the vehicles but NHTSA noted that a child may not be able to reach or know how to operate the releases. In four cases, the parents had to break the windows to get inside.

    The investigation into Tesla’s most popular model comes after numerous reported incidents in recent years of other problems with opening Tesla doors, sometime trapping drivers in a burning vehicle after accidents and a loss of power.

    In April, a college basketball recruit said he was “fighting time” trying to get out of his Tesla Cybertruck that had caught fire after he had crashed into a tree and was unable to get the doors open. The University of Southern California player, Alijah Arenas, who was induced into a temporary coma after the accident, said he stayed alive by dousing himself with a water bottle as smoke filled the vehicle.

    NHTSA said the investigation is only focusing on the operability of the electronic door locks from outside of the vehicle, not inside, as that’s the only instance in which there is no manual way to open the door. But it also said it will continue to monitor reports of people stuck on the inside — what it calls “entrapment” — and will take further action as needed.

    The current agency investigation covers approximately 174,300 of the midsize SUVs.

    The agency said the incidents appear to occur when the electronic door locks receive insufficient voltage from the vehicle. It said that available repair invoices indicate that batteries were replaced after such incidents took place. Of those who reported incidents, none saw a low voltage battery warning before the exterior door handles became inoperative.

    NHTSA said that its preliminary evaluation will look at the scope and severity of the condition, including the risks that come from the conditions that have been reported to them.

    The agency’s investigation will also assess the approach used by Tesla to supply power to the door locks and the reliability of the applicable power supplies.

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  • Asking Eric: New husband wants to go on vacation without his wife

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    Dear Eric: I’m a newly married 69-year-old woman who was previously a widow after 43 years of marriage. My present husband and I have been married for a little over a year. We dated in high school and coincidentally ended up together.

    Prior to getting married, my husband didn’t ever mention he wanted to go on an African Safari with his adult son and now it has come up frequently. I have made it clear it upsets me that he wants to do this, travel without me, and made it clear I am not paying for this adventure of his. Why would I not be included? But I would never desire to go on an African Safari either.

    I don’t understand it, this wanting to be away from me for that long. It hurts me deeply that they didn’t do this stuff all those years when he was single. Now he’s retired so possibly that’s why his son has come up with this idea. His son barely comes around as he struggles with anxiety.

    I do not know how to handle this. It tears me apart to think this man I’ve fallen in love with thinks nothing of being away from me for so long. I married this man to be a couple through thick and thin.

    Please help me come to grips with all of this. Am I being unreasonable and unfair?

    — Left At Home

    Dear Left: Let’s look at this from your husband’s point-of-view — he’s recently retired, so he finally has more time for bucket list items. He’s also newly married, so it’s likely that his free time is less available for events with his son than it might have been before you were together. It makes sense, then, that they’d want to do this once-in-a-lifetime trip together. I would strongly encourage you to celebrate this with him, instead of begrudging it. In short, it is unfair to hold this trip against him.

    Be happy for your husband but don’t beat yourself up too much. Transitioning to this new relationship after a 43-year marriage is going to take some adjustment. You love each other, but you’re also still learning about each other.

    But, for the health of your relationship, it will be important for you to remember that both you and your husband have full lives. While you’re committed to building a life together, there are going to be things that each of you does on your own.

    This safari trip is not about you; it isn’t an example of your husband abandoning you. Try to see it for what it is — a rare opportunity for him to pursue a dream and a chance for you, back home, to find something that brings you joy, as well. When you’re reunited, you can tell each other what you’ve learned and discovered.

    Dear Eric: I met an interesting man recently and agreed to a date, and within a few minutes of the start of it we realized we had grown up in the same town and already knew each other. I was younger by a couple of years, and we didn’t know each other well, but we shared an extended friend group. I have a vivid memory of being in the back of his truck when he intentionally hurt an animal while driving. He did not express any remorse, quite the opposite.

    He wouldn’t pull over and I became physically ill. That image has stayed in my mind.

    He says he’s a different person now, nearly 15 years later. I’m having a hard time even thinking about getting past it. Should I even try? Can a 17-year-old horrible person turn into a 31-year-old person with integrity and empathy? Should I try to get over this image that was seared into my 15-year-old brain?

    — Old Habits

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    R. Eric Thomas

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  • New mom “so worried” about baby with cane corso—then comes videocall

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    A heartwarming TikTok video has captured the gentle first steps of friendship between a St. Louis family’s cane corso and their newborn baby—long before the pair even met in person.

    The clip, posted by Brittany Hogan (@brittanyandjax), has racked up more than 3.3 million views and shows her husband carefully preparing their 145-pound, 5-year-old dog Jax to welcome their new daughter.

    While recovering in the hospital after giving birth, Hogan watched via video call as her husband introduced Jax to the baby in a thoughtful, scent-based ritual. The text over the video recorded last year explains the family’s initial concern: “He didn’t like kids at the time, we had no idea how he’d react.”

    The American Kennel Club (AKC) says that this breed isn’t the type to befriend every person or canine they encounter. They typically remain aloof toward outsiders, but show unwavering loyalty and a strong protective instinct toward their family.

    Two screenshots from the viral video showing Jax sniffing the newborn’s blanket in his owner’s hand and in the bassinet.

    TikTok/@brittanyandjax

    During the clip, the husband begins by holding out the newborn’s blanket for Jax to sniff. The dog’s nose twitches as he takes in the unfamiliar scent, clearly aware that something significant has changed. The man then places the blanket in the baby’s bassinet and leaves another one on Jax’s bed, even letting the animal sniff Hogan’s labor gown.

    For the next four days—while Hogan and the newborn remained in the hospital—Jax repeatedly returned to the bassinet to inhale the baby’s scent, lingering quietly as if standing guard for the infant’s homecoming.

    The video’s heartfelt caption reads: “I remember being so worried about how he would react. He is the most perfect boy. It’s incredible how they just KNOW.”

    Viewers around the world have been touched by the cane corso’s instinctive devotion, with many sharing their own experiences of introducing pets to newborns.

    In the comments, Hogan reassured a concerned user: “Jax doesn’t like people, dogs or other kids. It will be okay.”

    One popular reply with over 60,000 likes captured the sentiment perfectly: “Girl he just don’t like other ppl [people] kids, that’s his kid.”

    Another viewer added: “Corso’s are natural guardians and will guard their pack. They are great with children. I have no children and my Corso loves all kids and is so gentle with them.”

    How To Introduce Your Dog to Your New Baby

    These AKC-recommended tips can make your baby’s first meeting with your beloved pet a calm, positive experience.

    • Stay calm and balanced: Dogs sense your body language and pheromones, so avoid projecting anxiety about their reaction to the baby.
    • Practice relaxed breathing: Work on breathing normally and not holding your breath when canine and child are together.
    • Plan interactions: Map out each dog/child encounter, starting simple and aiming for small, positive successes.
    • Support your dog’s emotional health: Speak with your vet about strategies to ease canine anxiety.
    • Maintain a safe space: Ensure the crate remains a private sanctuary for your dog, off-limits to children.

    Newsweek is waiting for @brittanyandjax to provide a comment.

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