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Weddings are expensive so, many brides look for ways to cut corners where they can. Designer wedding dresses can cost more than a nice used car so any sort of sale or thrift store find can significantly boost your budget for other things. Emmali Osterhoudt came across a deal so good on a wedding gown that she bought it immediately, even though she doesn’t have a fiancé.

It was too good of a deal to pass up at $25 when the original tag (still on the dress) read $6,200. The fact that the dress fit like a glove right off of the Goodwill rack makes not having someone to stand at the end of the aisle a mere technicality. Osterhoudt didn’t want to keep her find a secret, she uploaded a video of her future wedding dress to TikTok where it went viral.

The unbetrothed woman’s post generated more than 3.5 million views and caught the eye of the dress’s designer, Galia Lahav.

If you’re into celebrity news, including all the details of their big day, then you’ve likely come across Lahav’s name. She’s designed dresses for Katy Perry, Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera and Paris Hilton, according to Good Morning America. The dress is truly an incredible find on a day that Osterhoudt likely would’ve considered a bust, since she revealed in a follow up video that she used to answer people’s questions, she wasn’t having luck at that particular Goodwill.

“This Goodwill is in Birmingham, Alabama, in the Green Springs area and it had nothing. It had nothing but the dress,” Osterhoudt laughs. “I had gone in just to look at some picture frames for a gallery wall and I did. I had already checked out.”

@emmalifaith

Answer some of the Galia Lahav dress questions with me!!! 🫶🏼🫶🏼 #goodwill #goodwillfinds #galialahav #weddingdress

But on her way out she noticed a section they didn’t go through, so she went back to look. That’s where she found the beautiful designer gown, which luckily for other brides won’t be the only Lahav gown to hang on Goodwill racks. People received a press release from the designer revealing her plan to work with Goodwills across the country to donate wedding gowns.

“It’s a reminder that sometimes, life’s surprises can be as beautiful as the dress itself,” Galia Lahav said according to People.

@emmalifaith

Im so freaking excited about this find, i may not even use it when it comes to the day because im not getting engaged or married for awhile but maybe its fate lol also jlo has worn this brand as well #galialahav #galialahavbride #goodwill #weddingdress @Galia Lahav

Under the original video, people are flabbergasted by the woman’s thrifting find.

“As someone who has worked in bridal for 9 years and still has never seen a Galia Lahav in person, my jaw is on the FLOOR. The find of a LIFETIME,” one woman writes.

“We literally sell this dress where I work for $6800 20/10 find,” another person says.

“You had me at $25 designer wedding dress. A $6,175 save. To add it looks stunning on you, like it was made for you,” someone writes.

There’s no telling what you’ll find at the Goodwill, it can be anything from used salt and pepper shakers with little monetary value or a sculpted bust that turns out to be priceless. But thanks to Osterhoudt’s viral find, brides to be across America will soon be able to scour their local Goodwills to find a buried treasure left by the designer herself.

Deion Sanders changed our perceptions of an an athlete when he was one of the handful of people to ever play in the National Football League (1989 to 2005) and Major League Baseball simultaneously (1989 to 1997 and 2001).

Now, he’s changing perceptions on the sidelines as a head college football coach by being passionate, provocative and unapologetically “old school.”

Last season, the Colorado Buffaloes only won one game. This year, after hiring Sanders as a coach, the team is 3-0. One of the big reasons for the overnight change is that Sanders had no problem firing the entire coaching staff and replacing most of the team’s players.

Before the season began, Sanders told the team he was going to be hard on them and bring in a bunch of new guys from the transfer portal. If the players weren’t with how he was running things, he asked them to transfer out of the program.

“Now, if you went for that, if you were able to let words run you off, you ain’t for us because we’re a old-school staff,” he told “60 Minutes.” “We coach hard. We coach tough. We’re disciplinarians. So, if you’re allowing verbiage to run you off because you don’t feel secure with your ability, you ain’t for us,” he said.

“I’m sure that your straight talk was appreciated by some. But, is this scorched-earth policy good for college football or for the kids?” interviewer Jon Wertheim asked.

“I think truth is good for kids. We’re so busy lyin’, we don’t even recognize the truth no more in society,” Sanders replied. “We want everybody to feel good. That’s not the way life is. Now, it is my job to make sure I have what we need to win. That makes a lot of people feel good. Winning does,” he said.

Sanders’ honesty is probably refreshing to a lot of people who think kids are too coddled these days. What’s interesting is that his ultimate goal is exactly the same as a parent or coach who sugarcoats things. Sanders believes that by pushing young people hard they can achieve great things and through that success comes happiness.

Historically, guys with a passion for comic books, Star Wars, or anything else that might have a fandom, haven’t exactly been the poster boys for the ideal love interest. But nowadays, it looks like nerds really do get revenge.

Because apparently, everything that makes a great nerd, also happened to make a great husband. At least, according to thousands of women on social media.

Married podcaster Isabel Brown recently went viral on TikTok for attesting that “nerds make the best husbands,” and that society just gives them a bad rep.

Brown made her appeal as part of a stitch with another woman asking how to find a man that are thoughtful, attentive, good fathers, and know how to “spoil” their wives.

Brown’s response? “They’re nerds.”

“It honestly blows my mind how we have this entire trope in American literature and movies and TV shows about the nerdy girl who gets the glow up when she grows up,” ranted Brown of the common theme features in famed rom-com classics like “She’s All That” and “Never Been Kissed, but we don’t say that for men!” Brown says in her video.

In her opinion, we should be taking those nerdy traits as “green flags.”

“Hear me loud and clear, if he owns a lightsaber — green flag,” says Brown. “If he has purchased a wand from the wizarding world of Harry Potter — greenest possible flag. If he has an unhealthy obsession with Ashoka Tano, you better run to the altar.”

Brown even allots “bonus points” to a guy obsessed with monopoly.

@theisabelbrown

Nerds make the best husbands. It’s a fact.

♬ original sound – Isabel Brown

But why does she think these traits translate into being good husbands? Because from her perspective, it means these men will appreciate their partner’s inner drives more, and understand heartfelt passions.

“Those little underestimated nerd boys grow up to be men who see what’s on here,” she says, while placing a hand on her heart.

Brown clearly wasn’t alone in her opinion. Several married women who had nerdy husbands of their own chimed in to agree.

“Mine has a LOTR sword and I knew he was the one after that,” wrote fellow TikTok creator Elyse Myers.

Another woman commented “I married the anime loving, nerdy gamer boy. Wouldn’t change it for the world.”

One even created her own stitch video showing snapshots of her husband as a kid (read: nerdy kid) and adult while singing his praises.

“She’s right. It’s the nerds…[My husband] is amazing. He’s sweet, kind, loving and an amazing father. It’s the nerds,” she insisted.

According to a male relationship influencer who goes by @urdivorcesurvivalguide, it’s being chronic outsiders that make nerdy men good partners.

@urdivorcesurvivalguide #stitch with @Isabel Brown ♬ original sound – UrDivorceSurvivalGuide

“Watching those beautiful girls [they’ve] always been attracted to” receive less-than-stellar treatment from other guys that are typically seen as more attractive provides a curriculum for “what not to do [in relationships],” he says.

According to some, however, this isn’t a foolproof dating plan.

As self-described nerd Justin explains, if a woman simply dates a nerdy man in hopes that it will make him a more loyal and dedicated partner, but doesn’t have any nerdy qualities herself and isn’t “willing to become part of that culture in some way,” then they won’t actually be able to build anything meaningful.

@ramblinglifter #stitch with @Isabel Brown ♬ original sound – Justin

While it’s true that shared interests can create deep bonds, many experts agree that it isn’t vital to having a fulfilling relationship. In fact, having a partner with opposite interests can help us grow into more well rounded individuals. What really matters in the long run is having similar values and ethics.

Still, to Justin’s point, it probably isn’t best to date someone simply for what they can do for you. You need to actually appreciate who they are.

All this to say—aside from general personal improvement, it probably isn’t necessary for you to change key aspects of who you are in order to become more desirable by potential partners. What really matters is being authentic and actually being ready to be a partner.

When polarization starts to feel like a defining characteristic of humanity, sometimes we need a reminder that people really are capable of coming together as one.

Watching a stadium full of Green Day concertgoers bust out their best “Bohemian Rhapsody” when it came over the loudspeakers is just such a reminder.

As the person who uploaded the concert footage to Reddit noted: “For almost 6 minutes, the equivalent of a small city sang, with one voice, the beautiful song of a man who has been dead for decades. If you can do this, you’re not just a famous person, you’re a legend.”

What could be more palette-cleansing than hearing thousands of people breaking into song together for an entire six minutes? What’s more unifying than a piece of music being so beloved and well-known that a whole stadium knows every note and word and sings it in unison with all their heart?

via GIPHY

As one commenter on Reddit wrote, “Ever notice how one crowd singing together always sound the same as other crowds, as in has the same tambre [sic] and sound quality? It’s like the recognizable and familiar voice of humanity. Regardless of how different the people in the crowd are, the crowd always sounds the same. I think the idea that we are listening to humanity’s voice when hearing a crowd sing is a beautiful concept.”

Listen to the voice of humanity. It’s truly a beautiful thing.

This article originally appeared on 03.03.20

When people become famous, they know fans are going to want things from them all the time—autographs, selfies, shoutouts, handshakes and hugs. But what about when a fan reaches out in distress?

Canadian actor James Doohan, who played the lovably surly ship mechanic Scotty on the original “Star Trek” television show and films, received a harrowing note from a fan once. It’s hard to know when to take a letter from a stranger seriously, especially when you’re a famous actor, but he did.

“I got a fan letter from a young lady—it was a suicide note,” he shared in an interview. “So I called her. I said, ‘Hey, this is Jimmy Doohan—Scotty from Star Trek,’ I said, ‘I’m doing a convention in Indianapolis. I want to see you there.'”

The woman came to the convention, and Doohan said he couldn’t believe what he saw. “Definitely suicidal,” he said. “Somebody had to help her somehow, you know. Obviously, she wasn’t going to the right people.”

Doohan told the young woman that he was going to be at another convention in two weeks, and then another two weeks after that, and that he wanted to see her at each one of them. And sure enough, she showed up at all of them, despite them being held all over the country.

“That went on for two or three years, maybe 18 times. And all I did was talk positive things to her,” he said. “And then all of a sudden, nothing. I didn’t hear anything. I had no idea what was happening because I really never saved her address, right?”

Miraculously, eight years later, Doohan got a letter from the woman.

“I do want to thank you so much for what you did for me,” it read, “because I just got my master’s degree in electronic engineering.”

Doohan said the story brought tears to his eyes every time he talked about it. “You know, to me, it’s the best thing I’ve ever done in my life,” he said.

Though Doohan passed away in 2005, his legacy as the OG Scotty—and as a caring public figure who went the extra mile for a struggling stranger—lives on.

Watch him tell the story:

Think back to all those centuries ago (kidding), when you were but a wee teen in high school. Suddenly identity exploration and finding a sense of belonging become paramount. In those pivotal years, you meet other like-minded individuals with similar tastes and interests, and those people become your exclusive group of friends, otherwise known as a clique.

High school might look very different now than how it once did, but this rite of passage is still very much alive and well. Just ask Ms. C, who goes by the handle @stillateacher on TikTok.

Ms. C recently went viral for sharing a look at high school cliques from her perspective as a teacher, honing in on what she liked about teaching each clique. Her observations illuminate not only that yes, cliques persist (and with them their inherent problems) but that there’s something genuine, sweet and loveable about each one.

First on deck—the goth kids, primarily because Ms. C admits to being scared of them when she was a kid. But now, after actually connecting with a few, she insists that underneath those dark and gloomy exteriors lies genuine kindness.

“A common interaction between me and a goth kid is throughout class, they’re just kind of like giving me a death glare…And then after class, they just like linger around by my desk and I’m like, ‘Hey, what’s up?’ And they’ll just like lightly knock over something on my desk and be like, ‘You’re a really good teacher. This is my favorite class.’ and then just walk out,” she says in the clip.

So yeah, goth kids are just like cats. Misunderstood in the way they show love.

@stillateacher Something loveable about every clique #teacher #teachersoftiktok #teachertok #highschool #clique ♬ original sound – Ms. C

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Ms. C tackles theater kids next. Sure, this group has a big personality (perhaps too big for some), but Ms. C appreciates their brazen self-assurance.

“They reeeeealllly don’t care what anyone thinks,” she says, explaining that while other students add well-known pop singers to her class playlist, theater kids will shamelessly put in their favorite show tunes. Why? Because it’s “the best musical of all time!” Duh.

Plus, Ms. C commends their “really strong literacy skills from reading and memorizing all of these plays.”

For jocks, there are actually sub-cliques within the group “depending on which sport you play.” But despite each sport team having different personalities, Ms. C notes that a supportive coach makes all the difference.

“I’ve literally before picked up my phone and called the coach and then like be like, ‘So and so is having a tough day,’ and they come and talk to them in the hallway and the student is like immediately changed, inspired, transformed,” she says.

And while she admits that the teacher/jock relationship is often portrayed as contentious, she can’t help but commend jocks for their passion and commitment.

“A lot of the kids are just like die-hard for whatever sport they play. That keeps them coming to school consistently. It keeps them having something to do,” she says.

After her initial post received over 800,000 views, Ms. C began reviewing even more cliques. Like band kids, who are “clever,” “sarcastic,” fond of outdated memes and generally “lead a fun, joyful existence.”

@stillateacher Replying to @juan pablo Suarez band kids get a 5 star review #teacher #teachersoftiktok #teachertok #highschool #clique ♬ original sound – Ms. C

Or art kids, who are “self-deprecating” but “brilliant” and “generous” and “unproblematic royalty” overall.

@stillateacher Replying to @Escape_My_Reality ♬ original sound – Ms. C

Ms. C has even advocated for the AP overachievers, who are often labeled as insufferable in their eagerness.

@stillateacher Replying to @520momo_mama I will defend overachievers to the death #teacher #teachersoftiktok #teachertok #highschool #clique ♬ original sound – Ms. C

“You all have an edge and an intensity that you can leverage to lead truly extraordinary lives,” says, before joking that they’ll “also need a lot of therapy, so many blessings to you on that journey, and the earlier you start the better.”

Requests for more clique reviews are still rolling in, asking Ms. C to cover the skater punks, the nerds, the speech and debate team, cheerleaders and dancers, …and a lot of folks have suggested choir kids. So be sure to follow Ms. C for more wholesome entertainment.

High school cliques might evolve with the different generations, but one thing that will never change is that they each have something unique to offer.

To say that Americans have a sweet tooth is an understatement. According to a study of 54 countries published by World Population Review, American sugar consumption is the highest in the world at 126 grams per day. That’s the equivalent of drinking three cans of Coca-Cola every day.

In comparison, the average person in China consumes just 7 grams of sugar daily.

Not surprisingly, this heavy sugar consumption has led to an obesity crisis. As of 2020, 42% of Americans were obese. The country’s obesity rate has increased by 26% since 2008.

The tricky thing about the American diet is that a lot of foods that don’t necessarily taste sweet to us are saturated with sugar.

A recent tweet by Josiah Hughes received over 5 million views because it showed the shocking amount of sugar in the average bottle of Heinz ketchup. The image shows an empty bottle of Heinz ketchup that is about a third full of sugar. The image seemed like an exaggeration because ketchup isn’t overly sweet. It has a tangy, savory, acidic and smooth flavor with a hint of spice.

But this photo makes a bottle of ketchup look more like a candy bar.

“The powerful visual shows how much sugar is in 400ml of Heinz Ketchup. No wonder I feel sick when I consume a whole bottle,” Hughes joked in the tweet.

— (@)

The tweet’s popularity inspired Snopes, one of the internet’s most popular fact-checking sites, to investigate the claim. Is a bottle of Heinz ketchup roughly a third sugar?

To fact-check the claim, Snopes purchased two 14-ounce bottles of Heinz ketchup and referenced the nutrition information on the product label. The math was pretty simple. The average bottle of Heinz ketchup contains 391 grams of ketchup, of which 92 grams of it are sugar. That means that the ketchup is roughly 24% sugar. Snopes ranked the claim true: “A viral tweet offers a roughly accurate visual representation of the amount of sugar in a bottle of Heinz ketchup.”

“The vast majority of the product’s sugar content comes from both high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup, both of which are liquids,” the fact-check reads. A big reason why American foods are so saturated with high fructose corn syrup is that it is cheap because the government subsidizes it.

Many health complications can come with overconsuming high fructose corn syrup. A major problem is diabetes.

“Chronic overconsumption of high fructose corn syrup causes an increase in fat production and worsens insulin sensitivity,” Jennifer Feda, Clinical Nutrition Manager at the Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain, tells Hartford Hospital. “Even a small change like not drinking regular soda is beneficial. Limiting processed foods, in general, will not only help you limit intake of high fructose corn syrup, but also your intake of unhealthy fats, which is a bonus.”

Although the image of the sugar-filled ketchup bottle is shocking, it’s a wake-up call to many Americans about the dangers posed by the products we consume every day. The more transparent that companies and watchdogs can be about what’s really in our food, the better chance we all have to make healthier choices.

Dance is a unique art form in that the medium it utilizes is the human body itself. Simply through purposeful and graceful control of movement, dancers can express and evoke joy, sadness, fear, confusion—the whole range of human emotion. And when dancing is done well, it’s utterly mesmerizing.

Such is the case with Mariandrea, a 14-year-old from Mexico who auditioned for America’s Got Talent in July of 2023 and wowed both the judges and the audience with her dance performance. She has been dancing since she was 5, and as Simon Cowell pointed out, it’s clear that she was born to do this.

After showing off her sparkling personality during the pre-performance interview, Mariandrea danced to a cover of Tears for Fears’ “Mad World,” personifying the song in her performance. But it wasn’t just her intentional movement that reflected the emotional complexity of the ever-popular hit. Her facial expressions, ranging from subtle fear to a clown-like smile to genuine sorrow to angry defiance, change on a dime, adding an acting element to her routine that takes it to the next level.

Add in the incredible control she has of her body as it twists and turns and seems to defy gravity, both gracefully flowing and disturbingly contorting, and it’s easy to see why she earned a standing ovation and enthusiastic praise from all four judges.

Watch:

For someone so young to have such a strong grasp of her craft is quite extraordinary, and people were wowed by her talent as well as her showmanship.

“I had to watch this more than once. Her smile, energy, and face reminds me of a young Natalie Portman. You can tell she is more than a dancer also, very intelligent, expressive, talented, yes acting too. Wow! Congratulations!” shared one commenter.

“This young lady has a very bright future ahead of her! The passion that she emanated while dancing was above and beyond what we have seen in half the dancers that are older than her… Can’t wait to see what she does next!!!” wrote another.

“Stunned. I would have given her a golden buzzer. The sharpness, flexibility, timing, theatrics, and costume use. 10/10,” shared another.

One commenter pointed out that her dance felt like a monologue, and another person called it “absolute art.” Many people expressed disappointment that she didn’t receive the Golden Buzzer, which would propel her immediately to the final round. But if her other performances are anything like this one, she’s got a pretty decent chance of making it to the finals without it.

Everyone’s done it at least once. You recognize someone, so you shout, wave or playfully give them a tap, and sometimes you embarrass yourself when you realize it wasn’t someone you knew at all. One woman had that experience and it resulted in a giggle-filled retelling shared on social media, because she didn’t just accidentally wave to a stranger, she picked them up from behind.

Corey Engmann, a dog trainer out of Kansas City, uploaded a video to social media of her sitting in her car attempting to explain what she just experienced. The mom of three said she was in the checkout line when she noticed her friend from behind and decided to scoop her up in a playful joke.

Except the person she picked up was not her friend at all, it was an older woman. Engmann physically lifted an unsuspecting stranger off their feet while they were minding their business at the grocery store. During the entire video recounting the event, the dog trainer was in the midst of a full giggle fit.

Engmann laughed and wiped tears as she explained what she did when she saw her “friend” in the checkout line. “I gave her a big bear hug from behind and I picked her up off the ground and I went ‘BOO!’ and she screams so loud and I was laughing. And I put her down and she turned around, and it wasn’t my friend.”

The two women had a good laugh while in the grocery store but it was when Engmann attempted to make it right that she realized her error caused a problem. After offering to buy the older woman’s groceries, the woman declined and informed her she needed new pants because she wet herself from the surprise bear hug.

It’s so much better to hear Engmann tell it. Watch the video below:

@mustlovedogskc

This is what happens when you’re a hugger! #Mybad #whoopsieDaisies #comedy #laughing #fyp

One of the greatest parenting milestones is the day you get to explain to your children the basics of sex. Sometimes that day arrives because a kid bluntly asks how babies are made, sometimes parents bring it up so their kids to hear it from them before they hear it from other people, and sometimes it’s a result of an unexpected encounter (like a kid walking in on their parents doing the deed).

However you arrive at it, that initial conversation is always interesting. No matter how prepared you think you are, some awkward hilarity is inevitable as you navigate those new waters. Sex is pretty simple on the one hand, but quite complicated on the other, and figuring what details to share at what stage is a tricky balancing act.

Some kids are open and curious and ask a million questions. Some kids are quiet and reserved and process it all in their own sweet time. But the first reaction of most pre-pubescent kids when they first hear about the mechanics of sex, even if you introduce it in a sex-positive way, is something along the lines of “What?? Are you serious? EW.” And when they connect the dots that their parents had sex in order for them to be alive, the reaction gets even funnier.

A thread on Twitter illustrates how true this is as parents share their children’s reactions to hearing about the birds and the bees.

A thread on Twitter illustrates how true this is as parents share their children’s reactions to hearing about the birds and the bees.

u201c@Kezfromchadders @meganmuircoyle My daughter (6 at the time) asked if we need to have a doctor watch us do it since he is putting something inside my body. Then she asked if she could see how far it goes inside. ud83dude2c We then explained privacy.u201d

— megan (@megan)
1612314141

Clearly, Megan has three kids. Logic.

Some kids let questions slip out before thinking about whether they really want to know the answer. Once you know it, you can’t unknow it. Sorry, kiddo.

@meganmuircoyle On a summer walk my 1 boy(9) was asking ? about sex & I explained everything. My husband was away f… https://t.co/0hHQQxUFgt— arlene geerlinks (@arlene geerlinks) 1612372163.0

Parents have to be prepared for awkward questions, but sometimes you really can’t predict what a kid might want to know. Kids aren’t exactly known for having boundaries, and that’s doubly true for a topic that’s totally new for them.

u201c@AnnieTook @meganmuircoyle I remember asking my mom how youu2019d know u201c when you inseminated a womanu201d. I was like 9 and I still remember the look on Her face.u201d

— megan (@megan)
1612314141

Most of us don’t like to imagine our parents having sex, so this is one area where kids who are adopted have somewhat of an advantage (until they learn that procreation isn’t the only reason people have sex).

“@meganmuircoyle My kids are adopted, and I once heard, “Well, at least you guys didn’t have to do THAT!””

u201c@meganmuircoyle My kids are adopted, and I once heard, “Well, at least you guys didn’t have to do THAT!”u201d

— megan (@megan)
1612314141

“@meganmuircoyle My kid learned about it in the backseat at Target in a spur of the moment conversation. We got home and she goes up to her Dad, “YOU STUCK YOUR PENIS IN MOM’S VAGINA TWICE!!!””

u201c@meganmuircoyle My kid learned about it in the backseat at Target in a spur of the moment conversation. We got home and she goes up to her Dad, u201cYOU STUCK YOUR PENIS IN MOMu2019S VAGINA TWICE!!!u201du201d

— megan (@megan)
1612314141

It’s not just the questions, but the declarations that come along with kids learning about sex that can take parents by surprise.

“@meganmuircoyle @bames_jrolin My nephew was about 7 when he got this info. At the next big holiday dinner he spontaneously stood up on his chair, flexed his biceps and loudly announced, “I am strong and healthy and full of sperm!””

u201c@meganmuircoyle @bames_jrolin My nephew was about 7 when he got this info. At the next big holiday dinner he spontaneously stood up on his chair, flexed his biceps and loudly announced, u201cI am strong and healthy and full of sperm!u201du201d

— megan (@megan)
1612314141

It’s always entertaining to see a kid’s understanding move from innocence to reality.

@meganmuircoyle when he got older I told him about the cervix, contractions, labour etc and he was like “oh. okay.… https://t.co/u7mnCiVYUg— L. (@L.) 1612384726.0

And even more entertaining when you realize that you were the one who inadvertently introduced your kid to a sexual concept you may not have been prepared to discuss.

“@fitz_lorie @meganmuircoyle @JoJoFromJerz I asked my mom the same question around the same age. She wanted to know where I had heard such a word from. Ummm from you and my aunt talking the other day. 😂😂😂😂 She never asked that question again! It’s important to know I was raised Southern Baptist! 😂”

u201c@fitz_lorie @meganmuircoyle @JoJoFromJerz I asked my mom the same question around the same age. She wanted to know where I had heard such a word from. Ummm from you and my aunt talking the other day. ud83dude02ud83dude02ud83dude02ud83dude02 She never asked that question again! Itu2019s important to know I was raised Southern Baptist! ud83dude02u201d

— megan (@megan)
1612314141

And then there are the unintentional misunderstandings that occur when kids don’t get quite enough information.

Perhaps the funniest part about talking about sex with kids is how actually kind of weird the physical act really is when you think about it. Of course it seems absurd to children who haven’t sexually developed yet.

In fact, some kids find it so weird, they literally don’t believe it.

Like, what the heck with this design? And they don’t even know at this point about the nitty-gritty details that you only really know once you’ve done it.

As funny as these stories are, the fact that parents are having open and honest conversations with their kids about sex is seriously awesome. Some people do their kids a disservice by being too creeped out to talk about it, or maybe worrying they’ll give too much info, so they don’t talk about it.

Whatever your moral perspectives on the topic, sex is part of life. It’s basic health and biology. It’s a human reality that everyone learns about one way or another, and it’s generally better for kids to learn about sex from their parents than from their peers, who might give wrong information. Starting early by answering kids’ questions matter-of-factly, giving age-appropriate details (which admittedly can be hard to discern), and bringing up the topic occasionally if your kids don’t can help kids ease into a healthy understanding of sex.

While the basic mechanics conversation is indeed a parenting milestone, the best parent-child conversations about sex are ongoing and ever-expanding. Making consent and boundaries part of the conversation is vital as well. Some uncomfortable moments may be inevitable, but keep the line of communication wide open will go a long way toward helping kids prepare for what’s to come.

This article originally appeared on 02.04.21