Latest news with #Parents
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘90s kid summer' trend ditches tech in favor of retro fun — here's why it won't work for all parents
Millennial parents are throwing it back. After the recent resurgence of iconic nineties trends jelly shoes, chunky highlights and flip phones, the ''90s kid summer' parenting trend reeks of turn-of-the-century nostalgia. Yet, proponents behind it say they're not just harking back to their childhoods — they're sick of their screen-addicted kids. Just before summer vacations across the country began, millennial parents took to TikTok en masse to reminisce on their own school-free months. In the comments of TikTok posts like this video by @_natenorman, nostalgic nineties kids recalled the days spent outside from dawn to dusk, biking alone to community pools, the unsupervised neighborhood playtime, and above all, the lack of communication from parents who simply wanted a few hours of peace and quiet. 'My summer memories all involve pools, sports, and exploring the woods. Creeks, birdwatching, riding bikes with the neighborhood kids and my siblings,' read one reply. 'The attic fan on at night is all I remember of indoors.' Many parents online claim that they're giving their kids a '90s summer to promote positive development like independence and creativity. And according to experts, they're not wrong to do so. The American Psychological Association says that unstructured play can help children progress in important body and muscle growth, socializing, decision-making skills, conflict management, and empathy, among other areas. However, a '90s summer is simply not feasible for some, and growing pressure from online parenting communities is leading to undue stress and guilt. Kristin Gallant, a parenting expert who posts child-rearing and mom life content on Instagram as @biglittlefeelings, was among the anxious millennials. 'If it works for your family, great,' says Gallant in the video. 'Working parents, we're stressed out when we see this. We need to send our kids to camp or have some child care' so the unplanned routine doesn't work quite the same, she explained. She also mentioned how neurodiverse kids and sensitive children who thrive on structure likely also wouldn't benefit from this trend. 'If you can't give your kids a '90s summer, don't let it make you feel like s–t,' she concluded. Claire Vallotton, professor of human development and family studies at Michigan State University, agrees that making a sudden shift towards the '90s summer lifestyle is not beneficial to kids, and explains that the trend is likely a response to the tendency that many modern parents have towards both maximizing their child's development by overscheduling them with classes, camps and other programs, as well as allowing young kids to have way too much screen time. In an interview with USA Today, Vallotton said that most kids of today 'are overscheduled and using technology too much,' and a majority of them are not spending time outdoors alone like their millennial parents. The urge to overcorrect with the '90s summer trend makes 'a lot of sense, but trying to solve it all in one summer isn't going to work for either the children or parents,' she explained. 'You can't just have this over-scheduled, technology-saturated life for nine months of the year and then switch into this absolute freedom,' Vallotton elaborated. 'We haven't prepared our children for that… It's going to make the children potentially more anxious.' Some parents online have commiserated with Gallant for numerous reasons. Some complain of 'velco children' — kids who stick to their parents' sides non-stop — while others bemoan the dangers and rising childcare costs plaguing the modern world. 'Give me a 90s economy and 90s real estate prices and I'll see what I can do,' replied a mom, agreeing with Gallant. 'I wish ['90s summer] was an option now for our kids. Karens everywhere crying about the noise of a basketball, no woods to go venture in or build treehouses, and people are always driving distracted, so riding bikes down the road can't happen,' said one commenter under @_natenorman's TikTok, explicating the impossibility of recreating those summers of the past. Meanwhile, other parents offered their own interpretations of the sudden online push for the resurgence of a '90s summer. 'What I take from the 90s summer is letting go of the pressure to be over-scheduled, do every single expensive camp, and be IG perfect,' replied one user under Gallant's video. 'I think the takeaway is that it's okay to let your kid have a solid chunk of independent play where you as the parent are not playing camp Director,' explained another. 'It's not unsupervised but unstructured. Not all day but part of it. For me, after lunch, I might push the kids outside and go read on the porch while they figure it out. They have things to do provided, but it's dealer's choice.' Instead of making an instantaneous transition like millennial parents across the Internet seem to imply, Vallotton advised that parents slowly reduce technology access for kids and encourage children to play together outdoors while supervising from afar.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Is Olivia Really the Top Baby Name? Not According to This List
Fact checked by Sarah Scott Annually, the Social Security Administration (SSA) releases its list of the most popular baby names of the previous year. The data is taken from the Social Security card applications that parents fill out in order to register their newborn's birth. As we covered at Parents, Olivia and Liam were the top baby names for the sixth year in a row in 2024. But, according to baby name site the SSA's list may be falling a bit short because it includes variant spellings of the same name. The website released what it's calling a 'Playground Analysis,' where it groups the most popular names by their sound rather than spelling, and then ranks those groups. "On the playground, it's virtually impossible to distinguish Zoe from Zoey, Mateo from Matteo, so we combine variants and rank them as one," Sophie Kihm, a baby name expert and Editor-in-Chief at tells Parents. So, no, you won't find both Sophia and Sofia on the list, as was the case for the SSA's 2024 list, or other names that are pronounced the same but have different spellings. This also lets some other names shine, too. "Many of the names that are considered past their peak rank surprisingly high on the PA, thanks to their various spellings. These include choices like Madelyn and Riley for girls, Jackson and Aiden for boys," says Kihm. "The dominant spellings of these names were at peak usage in the 2010s and have since fallen in popularity, but the PA shows that many parents are still embracing these sounds in their children's names." While some rankings remain the same and a lot of the same names appear on both lists, here's what found to be the top 10 names for girls and boys in 2024. While Olivia appears on the top 10 list, it didn't take the No. 1 spot. And while most names also appear on SSA's top 10 with different rankings, list includes Adeline, which was 58 on SSA's list, and Eliana, which was No. 18. Sophia Amelia Olivia Emma Charlotte Mia Isabella Adeline Eliana Evelyn The top three boy names are the same for both lists. Plus, most of the other names are the same aside from the order in which they appear. But also includes Jackson, which was No. 35 on SSA's list, and Lucas which sat at 23. Liam Noah Oliver Mateo Jackson Luca Lucas Theodore Elijah James Read the original article on Parents
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Teen Calls Out Her Parent for This ‘Millennial Flex'—Is She Right?
Generational differences are often the center of debate. Whether it's the resistant-to-change baby boomers, the gentle parenting of millennials, Gen Z's aversion to reading, or how Gen Alpha is skipping the awkward phase, characteristics of generations are studied and scrutinized. A parent on Reddit is bringing attention to this in a relatable and funny post that had a lot of people weighing in. The poster shared a photo of an open fridge stocked with a bunch of refreshments. Nothing too unusual there. But the controversy is all in the caption, which reads, 'My teenager says that garage drink fridges are such a millennial flex. That's not a thing limited just to us right? Surely she can't be serious…' Is a garage fridge really a "flex" for millennial parents? Commenters had a lot to say, and many of them highlighted an often uncontrollable difference between generations: financial insecurity. Let's break it down. It's no secret that the children of millennials are growing up in a very different world, with advances in technology being a stark contrast. Social media is changing the way young people communicate and even the things they are into, like skincare—think "Sephora tweens." So, millennial parents are unlikely to be surprised that this teen honed in on something like a garage fridge to compare the differences. Yet, many commenters share that this teen has it all wrong since boomers (and those before them) are actually the ones who started the trend of garage fridges. "Boomers have been doing garage fridges for beers and chest freezers for meat joints since forever," writes one commenter, adding, "It makes perfect sense if you've got the space." Another says, "Tons of boomers had these, and its standard for Gen X to have them." But as many others commenters point out, the real "flex" is living in a house with this perk. "The garage is the flex nowadays, not what is in it," shares one commenter. Another agrees, writing, "Having a garage at all is a flex to us." So, while meant to be a playful take on generational differences (which it totally nails, by the way), this Reddit thread also brings up the financial issues younger generations are dealing with today. With recent graduates struggling to find work, about one-third of Gen Z unable to pay rent, and Americans deciding not to have kids because of the cost, this teen may be right about the "flex" part. Read the original article on Parents
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Why 'Looksmaxxing' Is Putting Teen Boys at Risk
In the past, adolescent boys used to get a break from unhealthy messages about the male body. While men of a certain musculature have always been the chosen hero of movies and TV shows, at least when the movie ended, boys returned to a reality filled with normal looking bodies. Now that more than a third of American children report using social media 'almost constantly,' boys don't get a break anymore. Social media content about hyper-masculine male bodies has become such an incessant barrage in boys' lives that it has been given a name: "looksmaxxing." Under this strict ideology, little boys are no longer allowed to look like little boys, they are expected to be fifteen-year-olds with Cillian Murphy's jawline, Vin Diesel's biceps, Channing Tatum's torso, and Jason Momoa's height. 'There is a real lack of healthy narratives around masculinity, especially for young men,' Krista Fisher, a research fellow at the Movember Institute of Men's Health, tells Parents. These biologically impossible male beauty standards for adolescent boys have far reaching impacts on their mental and physical wellbeing. Here's what parents need to know about looksmaxxing, and how best to support their sons as they navigate the pressure to look perfect. "Looksmaxxing" centers around a belief that real men must have a specific set of physical traits: a square jaw, deep set almond shaped eyes also known as 'hunter eyes,' a tall stature ideally between 6'1' to 6' 4', a muscular physique, a Hollywood-level hair style, and clear, acne-free skin. A lot of "looksmaxxing" content emphasizes the importance of 'optimizing' puberty, claiming that boys have the most influence over their appearance during this time of biological growth. Making progress towards these idealized traits (known as 'ascension') helps to increase boys' 'sexual market value' or SMV, which refers to the likelihood that women will find them attractive. There are also more specific sub-niches nested within "looksmaxxing." These include "auramaxxing" (strategies to improve social standing), "smellmaxxing" (using cologne to attract women), "moneymaxxing" (ways to make money to attract women), "dickmaxxing" (strategies to enhance the length or girth of the penis), and "starvemaxxing" (restricting diet to lose weight). The origin of the term "looksmaxxing" came from online incel (involuntarily celibate) or 'redpill' communities and their skewed view of modern gender dynamics. Incels self-identify as unattractive and unsuccessful in romantic relationships. They also believe that women romantically manipulate men for financial and social gain, and are only interested in dating a small subset of men who are abnormally attractive.A 2025 study found that 60% of young men between the ages of 16-25 regularly consume content from at least one masculinity influencer, which means a majority of boys are exposed to and engaging with this content to some level. Their study also highlighted that YouTube and TikTok in particular have been found to push increasingly extreme content like looksmaxxing to boys' feeds. As a result, it is possible boys feel that everyone around them is engaging in looksmaxxing practices, making them feel pressured to follow today's narrow gender norms around masculinity require boys to have a James Bond-esque sex appeal, meaning that men need women to find them attractive in order to be considered a real man. As a result, incels direct blame and hatred towards women for emasculating them by not finding them attractive. Looksmaxxing was born out of the idea that young men need to increase or 'maximize' their physical appearance to be attractive to women and respected as a man by their peers. But now that the term has gone viral on mainstream social media platforms, many boys may be unaware of the misogynistic origins of the term. Fisher points out that young boys seem to gravitate towards this content because it taps into an unmet need for boys. They have questions about their bodies, romantic relationships, and how to operate in the world as young men. In the absence of anywhere else to go, especially offline, masculinity influencers on social media and looksmaxxing forums have given boys the anonymity to ask hard or embarrassing questions, a feeling of community with likeminded peers, and a constant stream of advice from confident older boys who claim to have successfully changed their appearance. How boys go about manipulating their appearance can vary from simple measures—known as "softmaxxing" to more extreme strategies, or "hardmaxxing." "Softmaxxing" includes non-surgical approaches like eating a high protein diet and eliminating junk food, exercising, showering regularly, daily skin care, staying attentive to hydration, practicing good posture, updating wardrobes, getting regular haircuts, engaging in regular hair styling techniques, teeth whitening, shaving off their eyelashes, taping their mouth shut at night, using Volufiline and other products that promote temporary lip plumping, and sleeping on their back to promote 'face symmetry'. One of the most well known "softmaxxing" techniques is a tongue exercise called "mewing" that is promoted on social media by UK-based orthodontist Mike Mew. He claims this tongue exercise can create 'facial improvements' including aligning the teeth, accentuating cheekbones, sharpening jawlines, straightening the nose naturally, diminishing wrinkles, and improving airways. Another "softmaxxing" technique growing in popularity is the use of fitness chewing gum, which is engineered to be extra hard to chew as a way to exercise the jaw and create a more prominent jawline. Conversely, "hardmaxxing" includes extreme techniques like using human growth hormones, steroids, plastic surgery, or "brotox" (botox for men). "Looksmaxxing" content on TikTok, YouTube, and online forums throw around a head spinning amount of plastic surgery recommendations—specifically for boys and men, including jaw surgery, chin extensions, fat grafting, buccal fat removal, nose jobs, ear jobs, liposuction, lip lifts, shoulder and limb lengthening surgeries, and surgeries that reshape the outer corners of the eyes and bones around the eye sockets. Moreover, a concept called "bonesmashing" encourages boys to break their own jaw and facial bones with a hammer or other hard object, due to a belief that the bones will grow back stronger and more defined. This term was originally coined as a joke in incel forums, but as "looksmaxxing" has become more mainstream it seems that that nuance may have been lost. In online forums dedicated to "looksmaxxing," boys as young as thirteen are claiming to use the technique. To some degree it is understandable why impressionable boys are so quick to jump on the "looksmaxxing" bandwagon. Masculinity influencers throw around medical terminology and cite scientific studies with the confidence and authority of a licensed doctor. Real medical professionals, however, seem to be generally unanimous in the ineffective and dangerous nature of some of these practices. Both the British Orthodontic Society and the American Association of Orthodontists state that there is no scientific evidence to support mewing, and the latter also claimed the practice could lead to tooth alignment disruption, bite problems, and speech issues. It is also worth noting that the General Dental Council suspended Mike Mew's license last year for malpractice. The American Dental Association, meanwhile, announced that fitness chewing gum can lead to inflammation and jaw pain, and that some of these gums contain caffeine and vitamin B5, which can act as a laxative in high doses. Dentists have also warned that using this gum may lead to temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders. And while recommendations to take growth hormone may be rampant on "looksmaxxing" forums Jason Nagata, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California San Francisco, urges caution. He says that growth hormone is meant to be used to address specific medical conditions like genetic disorders or a medically verified growth hormone deficiency, and should only ever be used under the supervision of a medical professional. 'Misusing growth hormone can lead to serious side effects, including joint pain, headaches, and insulin resistance, so close medical monitoring is essential,' he says. Even some of the over-the-counter supplements and protein powders that are widely recommended by masculinity influencers and "looksmaxxers" can have negative health effects. Katie Hurley, a child and adolescent psychotherapist and senior clinical advisor for The Jed Foundation, encourages parents to read the labels of any supplements or protein powders their sons are currently using or interested in trying. She warns that some of these products have been found to affect moods. The impact on physical health is just the tip of the iceberg. The effect of "looksmaxxing" on boys' mental health and well being can be far more destructive. A common practice in "looksmaxxing" forums, like and r/Mewing, is for young teens and tweens to post detailed measurements of their bodies and attach multiple photographs of every angle of their face and bodies to encourage others to rate their sexual market value and offer recommendations on how to enhance their appearance. The rating scale on these forums has become fairly standardized. One user explained the scale as 1-3 being 'subhuman,' 4 is a 'low tier normie', 5 is a 'mid tier normie', 6 is a 'high tier normie,' 7 is a 'Chad-lite,' 8 is a 'Chad,' and 9 is an 'Adam' or 'Slayer.' In incel culture, a 'Chad' is a stereotypically handsome man and an 'Adam' is the peak of ideal male attractiveness. Ratings and recommendations come from completely anonymous users and range from gentle and encouraging to cruel and dangerous. In extreme cases, recommendations include references to 'ropemaxxing' which means that a boy is so hopelessly unattractive that he may as well take his own life because he will never be able to achieve an acceptable level of masculinity. For boys who may find this level of vulnerability intimidating there are now apps like Umax and LooksmaxxingGPT where teens can upload photos of themselves and receive AI-generated ratings and recommendations. Some of these apps provide ratings not just on overall looks or potential for improvement but go so far as to provide a 'masculinity' score based on uploaded photos."Since 2002, there's been over a 400% increase in hospitalizations for eating disorders in boys."It's obvious how these ratings and recommendations systems can negatively impact a boy's mental health. But even if they are not engaging with the content to this level, research is finding this hypermasculine body content and similar social media content can still negatively affect teen mental health. In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General said the risk of anxiety and depression doubles in adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media. And in the same statement, almost half of adolescents stated that social media makes them feel worse about their bodies. At the time, the average for this age group was at 4.8 hours a day—only on social media platforms. More recent studies show that screen usage has only grown. One 2025 survey revealed that the average American stares at a screen for almost 7 hours per day. Nagata also pointed to studies that found that the more time boys spend on Instagram, the more likely they are to engage in disordered eating, be dissatisfied with their own appearance (and their muscles, in particular), and the more likely they are to take performance enhancing drugs like anabolic steroids. 'Since 2002, there's been over a 400% increase in hospitalizations for eating disorders in boys,' he says. Nagata clarifies that while eating disorders in boys can sometimes look like anorexia, it has become more common for boys to develop bigorexia, or muscle dysmorphia, an obsession with developing bigger muscles. This is all supported by the new research study that found that young men who engage with masculinity influencers reported high levels of psychological distress, including high rates of worthlessness, nervousness, and sadness compared to boys not engaging with the content. Social media has seeped into so much of the childhood experience and how children relate to each other that it can be hard to identify when a child's behavior or mindset has crossed into unhealthy territory. Hurley says the best way for parents to monitor social media's impact on their child's life is to keep a monthly log of their activity level, routines, habits, and behaviors, which she explains will help parents identify if and when signs of negative patterns begin to form. Having conversations with boys about "looksmaxxing" content and how they perceive their own bodies in relation to others can also be helpful. But Hurley is aware that some boys may find it difficult to open up about these topics. In those cases, she's provided some ideas to help parents manage these tricky discussions: Take care of yourself first. It's important to approach these conversations calmly. Find a way to take care of yourself before taking on the conversation to ensure you are able to create a space where your son feels able to share his experiences. Combine these conversations with activities. Try kicking off a conversation while taking a walk, playing a board game, or doing house chores together. The act of being in motion acts as a 'tension release' which can make it easier for boys to talk about hard things. Ask open ended questions. Approaching your son with curiosity and open ended questions can help him feel more encouraged to opening up. For instance, you can ask: "What is it like to be a teenage boy in today's world?" or "I noticed you seem to like to eat the same things every day. Can you tell me more about that?" or "What's new on TikTok that you're interested in? Can you share with me some of your favorite TikTokers? I'm curious to see what you like." Create a strengths board. Sit with your son and create a list of things he's good at. Write it down on a large board and put it in a place that is visible to him every day. As he learns new things, you can update the board together. A strengths board can serve as a healthy counterbalance for teens on social media platforms that are designed to feed off teen insecurities. Validate their experience. If they are worried about being short, for example, ask them to tell you more about what it feels like to be short among tall boys. After listening, validate their experience by saying something like, 'That does sound hard.' Incorporate male voices. Ask fathers, grandfathers, uncles, older brothers, or close adult male friends to share their experiences and mindsets about their growing bodies during adolescence. Fact check together. Equip your son with facts to help him feel more secure when faced with "looksmaxxing" content. When did the men in your family hit their growth spurts? At what age did his favorite athletes begin getting taller? What athletes or other impactful men are not tall but are still respected for their contributions? Show him that not all important male figures fit conventional beauty standards. If you're wondering when to reach out for help, Hurley says it never hurts to check in with your child's pediatrician or therapist. 'It's always a good time to ask somebody if you feel like you're out of your depth and you don't know how to assess the situation,' she concerns about their appearance become an obsession or preoccupation. Teens shouldn't be exercising 5-6 hours a day or eating very restrictive diets. If they experience noticeable weight loss in a short amount of time or extreme fatigue that lasts more than two weeks. If their behaviors impact school work or they begin retreating from their social lives, or if you're seeing their quality of life negatively impacted in other ways. If your son is suddenly unable to sit still and begins to seem jittery, in teens without ADHD this can be a sign of steroid or creatine use. Remember: Depression in teenage boys does not look like crying and sadness. More often, it tends to look like intense anger and are growing up in an evolving digital world that can be overwhelming for parents and children alike. But while it may look different today, industries profiting of teen's body insecurities is nothing new. When we understand what's happening behind phenomena like "looksmaxxing," and understand that boys need safe offline spaces to talk about their bodies and their place in this world, we will also have the tools to start advocating for and supporting boys in ways that help them grow into healthy adults. While parents may never be able to entirely free their sons from the grip that social media has on their childhoods, we can find ways—however small—to give them a break from the social media deluge and just let them be boys again. Read the original article on Parents
Buzz Feed
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Meghan McCain Reveals She's Pregnant During Usha Vance Interview
Meghan McCain revealed in an unexpected way that she's expanding her family. While interviewing second lady Usha Vance for her podcast Citizen McCain, the 40-year-old revealed that she and her husband, Ben Domenech, are expecting baby No. 3. 'I hope you don't mind. I wanted to let you in on something that's private that I haven't talked about publicly yet,' McCain told Vance in a clip from the upcoming interview. 'I have two little girls. They are almost 5 and almost 3. And I just am entering my second trimester, I'm pregnant with my third.' Noting that it was a 'weird way to announce' the big news, considering she had 'just met' Vance '20 minutes' before their interview, McCain continued, 'I'm very nervous about ... it's a boy. I'm very nervous about having a boy. And I'm very nervous about having three children. Very.' McCain welcomed daughters Liberty Sage and Clover Jade with Domenech in 2020 and 2023, respectively. The former The View host previously opened up about how becoming a mom was a learning curve for her. 'I had never even diapered a child before. I had to be taught by the nurses in the hospital,' McCain told Parents magazine last year. 'And I was really bad at it for a long time.'
