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Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Teacher Share the Weirdest Things Kids Have Brought to School, and Wow
Ice cream, Jello shots and fuzzy handcuffs — not the trappings of an adults-only weekend, but actual 'Show and Tell' items that teachers say kids have brought to school. 'Teachers truly have the best stories,' Shay Nielsen, a teacher in North Carolina, tells in an email. Nielsen asked her colleagues on TikTok: 'I'm bored — Teachers, what's the most unhinged thing a student brought to school? Not a TV remote. I'm talkin' Grandma's dentures. Give me something jaw-dropping.' Teachers shared tales of borrowed engagement rings, baby animals, snakes and rent money. 'His Wifi router. He was mad at his mom and knew she needed it for work.' 'Student came with his mom's wedding ring, proposed to his girlfriend and there was a wedding on the field. Only found out because the one kid who wasn't invited ratted them out. They were in fourth grade.' 'My student brought me a baby goat to bottle feed because its mom rejected it. I taught all day with a baby goat in my arms.' 'A half-gallon of Cookies and Cream ice cream. Fourth grader. Planned to save it for snack time (2 and 1/2 hours later).' 'One of my first graders brought me his mom's debit card and said it was a gift.' 'A baby opossum — in his backpack that he found at the bus stop that morning.' 'Sixth grader brought 'brownies' and gave them to the ENTIRE grade level. There were students sitting against the walls on both sides of the hallway in the main office waiting to get interviewed by law enforcement.' 'A life-sized cardboard cut-out of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. We propped her up in the window of the door overnight and scared extended-care folks and the janitor.' 'Tampon applicator to 'track the words' as he read.' 'Fifth grader brought weeks-old Jello shots from Mardi Gras.' 'A kitten he found on his walk to school.' 'The mom's wallet. She thought her driver's license picture was beautiful.' 'Aztec death whistle.' 'A smoke alarm. Running out of batteries. During state testing.' 'An expired Twinkie they had found on the bathroom floor.' 'First grader brought his mom's copy of 'Kama Sutra' and asked me to read it to the class.' 'All the rent money from a mom's purse.' 'Student ... unzips hoodie to reveal a boa constrictor snuggled around her neck.' 'His own medically-removed tonsils in a cute little container, floating in liquid.' 'Grandma's wig. The good one. Gave it to me for Christmas.' 'Fuzzy handcuffs that she said her mom loves.' 'A diamond detector after I got engaged.' Nielsen tells that her TikTok post was 'my way of letting people get a peek into the classroom in a fun, relatable way.' She adds, 'Most of these 'unhinged' things are a glimpse into their imagination, and what these kids consider magic.' Why do kids bring weird objects to school? 'There are lots of reasons why a child might bring what seems like a random or even a 'weird' item to school — and most of them actually make a lot of sense when you see things from their perspective,' Erika Stapert, clinical director of training and professional development at Manhattan Psychology Group, tells in an email. Some objects can comfort kids, says Stapert. 'Bringing something from home can act as a little bridge between two worlds — home and school — helping kids feel more secure as they navigate their day,' explains Stapert. Plus, it's thrilling to show off a treasure. 'Kids are naturally curious explorers, and finding a novel item can be genuinely exciting,' says Stapert. 'They often want to show it off not just for fun, but to see what others think — maybe a teacher or friend knows something cool about it. It becomes a little learning adventure and a shared moment of discovery.' Stapert adds: 'Some children might feel genuine pride in the things they discover ... It's a way to express themselves and gain attention in a positive, playful way.' Objects can break the ice among friends. 'For some children, starting a conversation or joining a group activity can feel intimidating — but showing off a special item can make that easier,' says Stapert. And kids are 'collectors at heart,' she says. 'Honestly, we adults aren't all that different,' says Stapert. 'Whether it's shoes, baseball cards, or kitchen gadgets, we also love to show off our collections.' This article was originally published on Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Parenting expert suggests using fruit to train toddlers to walk —here's why
Forget fancy walkers and pricey gear — all your baby might need to take those first steps is a pair of limes. That's the peel deal, according to parenting pros who say the citrusy trick can help kickstart your kiddo's stride. In a now-viral TikTok, developmental physical therapist Olivia Reyes shared footage of an 11-month-old boy named Mateo toddling forward while gripping a lime in each hand — and walking like he just got promoted to toddler-in-chief. 'This lime trick works and has really nothing to do with the limes and more so, everything to do with his ability to stand,' Reyes said in her video. 'In order to walk, we have to be able to stand by ourselves, independently like he is doing here, for at least 10 seconds.' Turns out, the tart technique helps babies balance and stay focused. 'There is a huge age range for when babies take their first steps, because first steps are not the same as walking,' Reyes told in a recent interview. She explained that small objects — like limes — provide 'counterbalance' and a sense of stability that can give hesitant tots a confidence boost. 'Walking is all about babies feeling confident,' said Reyes. 'It's why I like standing exercises, because standing is the first time babies balance their entire body weight in a vertical position — before then, they crawl and roll … horizontally, which distributes their weight over the body.' Gripping limes — or anything fun-sized — can give tots the balance, boost and bravery they need to get moving, Reyes dished. However, she stressed that parents 'shouldn't worry if babies drop to the floor or prefer crawling not long after taking their first steps.' In other words: When life gives your baby limes… get the camera ready? Turns out, Mateo's stunt isn't the only case of a baby skipping the rulebook on development. As The Post previously reported, a pint-sized powerhouse stunned her mom back in 2023 when she was caught on camera crawling across her hospital bed — at just three days old. Samantha Mitchell told Kennedy News at the time that her daughter, Nyilah Daise Tzabari, was already on the move and holding her head up mere days after delivery — making her feel like she'd 'never had a newborn' at all. 'The video was taken when Nyilah wasn't even a full three days old. She was two and a half days old,' she explained. Most babies don't start crawling until they're around 6 to 9 months old — and they're usually on their feet not long after that, according to Healthline. But little Nyilah Daise wasn't wasting any time. The tiny tot started flipping from her belly to her back at just 18 days old — and by 2 months, she was rolling over like a pro. Who needs baby steps when these tots are practically born ready to bolt? Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Doctors dismissed woman's common symptoms for months... until they discovered she had a deadly colon cancer
A Pennsylvania woman was diagnosed with deadly cancer after being dismissed by doctors. Rylie Toomey, 27, was in the midst of planning her wedding and training for a half marathon when she was struck with unbearable abdominal pain in October 2024. She rushed to the hospital, where doctors performed a CT scan and insisted she was just constipated before sending her home. Doctors told her the same thing when she returned every few months for testing, until she ended up in the emergency department screaming in pain this past April. She was also suffering from a fever. She said: 'In my head I was like, I think I'm going to die - that's how much pain I was in. 'I felt like I was being stabbed, and my belly was super bloated, too. It felt like I was just going to explode.' Toomey had suffered a perforated bowel, meaning there was a hole in her intestinal wall. During that hospital visit, another CT scan detected stage four colon cancer that had spread to her liver and lungs - and she became one of the thousands of young Americans who have been diagnosed with colorectal cancer despite living healthy lives. Toomey told 'When you hear, "You have cancer," you're just like, that can't be right. That can't be me because leading up to this, I was so healthy. 'To hear that I had colon cancer just didn't make sense, just because you feel like colon cancer is linked to unhealthy people or people who eat unhealthy or the elderly. 'I just was not expecting that at all.' The American Cancer Society estimates over 154,000 Americans will be stuck by colorectal cancer this year, including about 20,000 under 50. While this is roughly in line with two decades ago, the disease is rising sharply in younger groups. From 1999 to 2018, the rate of colorectal cancer in the under-50 population rose from 8.6 cases per 100,000 people to 13 cases per 100,000 people. Colorectal cancer diagnoses in 20- to 34-year-olds is set to increase by 90 percent between 2010 and 2030, and rates for teenagers have surged 500 percent since the early 2000s. Lifestyle factors like diet, lack of exercise and a sedentary lifestyle have all been blamed, though these causes fail to explain why physically fit people like Toomey have increasingly been diagnosed with colorectal cancer. The latest evidence, published in April, also suggests childhood exposure to a toxin released by E. coli bacteria could increase the risk of colorectal cancer by triggering inflammation and altering the balance of the gut microbiome. Marijuana was also linked to colorectal cancer in a recent study, as it is thought to block tumor-suppressing cells. Toomey told that she regularly plays lacrosse, runs and cycles and sticks to a healthy diet. She also has no family history of colon cancer. About one in five colorectal cancer patients are diagnosed like Toomey, after a bowel-related emergency often caused by the tumor growing, recent research shows. Toomey is now receiving chemotherapy every two weeks and regular immunotherapy infusions, with eight treatments left. Treatment forced her to push back her wedding, which was supposed to take place last month, and schedule it for June 2026. She said: 'It's definitely something that keeps me going right now. It's kind of hard to stay positive in situations like this, but this is something that's bringing me joy and keeping me going.' Friends have set up a GoFundMe page for medical expenses. Toomey is also urging other young people with symptoms to get checked out immediately and push for answers, even if doctors are dismissive. She said: 'I just don't want anybody to ever go through something like this. I think this happened for a reason so I can help others.'
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Moms Share the Most 'Unhinged' Things They Did After Having a Baby
When Lauren Nolan gave birth to her first child, Charlie, six months ago, she remembers feeling a bit "unhinged." "Postpartum hormones really threw me for a loop," she tells "That combined with an emergency C-section recovery and first time baby ... it's all very overwhelming." So the Chicago-based content creator decided to start a conversation with her followers based on a popular trend. "Moms — tell me the most unhinged thing you did freshly postpartum," she wrote on an Instagram reel on April 19. "Not like 'I cried a lot,' or, 'I only wore pjs.' I'm talking 'unhinged.'" And oh baby, did her audience deliver. She still receives comments on the reel every day. Here are a selection of our favorite responses: "I walked to the coffee shop down the street and realized I was wearing only the baby in the carrier on top. No shirt. No bra. Just the baby." "I was holding my daughter and dropped the remote control on her head while nursing her by accident. I then cried and laid on the couch and dropped the remote control on my own head a few times to see how bad it hurt. 😵💫😵💫😵💫😵💫" "I dreamt that I had twins. I woke up in a panic because I couldn't find the other baby. Legit was looking for it for a good 15 minutes before I realized I only had the one baby." "Dialed 911 in a panic because I saw on the monitor that someone was standing over my baby's crib in the middle of the night. It was me. I was the one standing over the crib. 😭🫠" "Took the dog to the vet to get his nails clipped. Was wearing an eye patch for postpartum Bell's palsy. Forgot the dog at home." 'I woke up in the middle of the night with my 1-week-old at the time and had forgotten what I named him and started crying. I had to wake my husband up to ask him.' "Woke up one night nursing, burping and then rocking baby to sleep. Was about to put him back in the bassinet only to realize baby is asleep in the bassinet and I was nursing and burping my phone." "Shaved my head. One of my kids came home from elementary with lice 10 days after birth. I just shaved everyone's head cause I couldn't handle hours of combing four children." "I cried all day long because my 3-day-old baby didn't have any friends 😂" Though the vast majority of the comments are lighthearted, some touched on more troubling emotions that can follow childbirth. So, how do you know if your unhinged postpartum moments are normal or something more worrisome? Dr. Catherine Birndorf, a reproductive psychiatrist and co-founder of The Motherhood Center, tells when to reach out to a trusted medical professional. "A rapid drop in hormones after childbirth can cause you to do things you normally wouldn't do, which can be unnerving. In fact, 80% of people who give birth experience 'baby blues' in the first two weeks," Birndorf shares. "But I'm surprised more people don't lose it." Baby blues are "a non-pathological state, not an illness like postpartum depression or postpartum anxiety," she explains. Most of the comments Birndorf saw on the Instagram reel fit into the baby blues category, but if moms continue feeling "overwhelmed, mad, guilty or helpless" for more than two weeks, she says it is time to seek help. Nolan, who experienced what she describes as the "normal" amount of unhinged behavior, says that she found a lot of validation in reading the comments and hopes other new moms do too. 'You just grew a human and birthed a human, and then are taking care of a human, and as much as your partner wants to understand and support you, there's no way of explaining that to someone else who hasn't been through it,' she says. "Of course we're all crying. Of course we're all struggling. We're sleep deprived. We're recovering," she adds. Reading other women's stories "made me feel a lot less alone. It reminded me that every new mom feels that way." This article was originally published on
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Should You Talk to Your Baby Like an Adult?
Videos of caregivers chatting with babies as if they're adults are going viral and sparking conversation. Instead of relying on traditional 'baby talk,' some parents are choosing to speak to their infants in full sentences, ask thoughtful questions and use advanced vocabulary, even if the child can't yet understand. While it can lead to adorable response from children, the trend raises questions about whether this method is the best way to support a baby's language development and promote bonding. In February, podcaster Alex Hodges posted a video of herself 'updating' her infant daughter Tate on their evening plans as if she were a friend. The video received over 13 million views on Instagram, and many parents in the comments section shared how speaking to their child similarly seemed to benefit their language. 'Be careful ladies!!! I talked to my daughter like this from the day she was born. She started talking at 10 months old and now at almost 6 she has yet to take a breath!!' one user commented on the post. 'I literally have done this same thing with both of my kids (my husband calls it their play by play) and they talk SO much now and communicate so clearly it's the best thing ever ' added another. While some parents claim that adult-like conversations are helpful for a child's development, asked language experts whether this really is the case. Dr. Claire Vallotton, a professor at Michigan State University who specializes in early development of language, tells that engaging in "back and forth" conversations with babies can be a great way to teach them how to converse. Children 'often love this type of interaction' Vallotton says, and it can help create a connection between parent and child, which can encourage more communication. Speaking to babies like an adult can be helpful in teaching how to take turns in conversation, but it might not be the most helpful in teaching vocabulary, she says. Therefore, child-directed speech, popularly known as 'baby talk' is still important for children. 'You can have these lovely conversations back and forth with your child in that rhythmic way of introducing them to conversation,' she says. 'But don't neglect that they also need to hear child-directed speech, baby talk that will help them learn the sounds and vocabulary in their language.' Baby talk is a method of speech that adults naturally gravitate to when speaking to children, Vallotton says. It can entail raising the pitch of one's voice, exaggerating intonation and using a smaller vocabulary, according to Dr. Erika Hoff, an expert on language development and professor of psychology at Florida Atlantic University. 'It would sound ridiculous if you talked to an adult that way,' Hoff tells 'But there are actually quite a few studies that suggest it's helpful to babies.' Hoff says that while talking to your baby like an 'intelligent, patient conversational partner' can be helpful, there are several reasons not to overlook child-directed speech. Babies are more interested in baby talk than the 'monotone' way adults speak. Plus, shorter sentences can help them 'crack the code' of language, Hoff says. Vallotto agrees that baby talk is important for language development. 'It's really important to talk to children like they are children,' she says. There is a reason why caregivers feel compelled to use baby talk when talking to an infant, Vallotto adds. Babies are more likely to pay attention to it, and all adults, not just parents, naturally pick up on this positive response over time. 'It's something that parents intuitively do,' Vallotto says. 'You don't have to teach them to do it. They just naturally do it because babies reinforce that behavior.' While the way children pick up language from conversation can be complicated, both Hoff and Vallotton say that the most important thing to remember is simple: Just talk. Vallotton notes that parents are 'intuitive geniuses.' If they pay attention to their children, they make 'really good, intuitive decisions on how to engage their children in protoconversations," she says. Hoff says that it is helpful to engage children in conversation rather than a monologue because research shows that the best way to learn language is to practice it. But she agrees that the optimal way to talk to children comes naturally to parents. 'Don't stress it,' Hoff says. 'Just talk to your child." This article was originally published on
