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10 things that made us smile this week

10 things that made us smile this week
Upworthy/Instagram, Buitengebieden/Twitter

From dedicated dads to delightful donkeys, here are some reasons to smile.

We can all use more reasons to smile, and thankfully there is no shortage of them. Here we've gathered ten snippets of delight, joy, and hope to help you sail into the weekend with a happy heart.

Enjoy.

Good dog becomes VERY concerned when his owner jumps into the lake.

Don't worry, hooman, I come save you! The way the doggo went around to get into the water instead of jumping in leads me to believe maybe it was even a little scared to go in. But doggone it, there was a life to save! Sweet puppers.

Yikes on bikes, this kiddo is a great little actor.

First of all, fun costume. Second of all, the kid is ALL IN. Terrifyingly good.

Love this dad teaching his daughter a tricky skateboarding move.

Three cheers for awesome dads.

Speaking of skating, how often do we see a news anchor reporting WHILE skateboarding?

You just know this guy has been waiting for the opportunity to show off his skating skills his whole broadcast news career. Congratulations, dude!

Librarians are superheroes and this "Tough Topics" guide proves it.

Some people don't want to go up to a librarian and ask where to find a book about [fill in somewhat embarrassing/stigmatized/uncomfortable topic here]. This "Tough Topics" guide uses the Dewey decimal system, so it's actually universal to all libraries.

This donkey adores this human and it's so dang cute.

I love you. I love you. I loooovvvveee yoooouuuu. (Could live without kissing a donkey's nostril, but that's just me.)

This flower carpet in Belgium is absolutely stunning.

Every other summer, volunteers create an elaborate flower carpet in the center square of Brussels. 500,000 Dahlias and Begonias went into this carpet, which was made in 2018. Absolutely stunning.

Miles Bonham is a wickedly talented 5-year-old.

It's the zoom-in on the sippy cup that really drives the point home here. This kid is incredible. Read more about Miles and his musical talents here.

Kind kiddo gives his coat to a classmate who he noticed didn't have one.

Click the right arrow to see the sweet message from the kid's teacher. What a stand-up little guy!

The Rock is every parent with a kid in the backseat singing a neverending song.

Hilarious. We parents have alllll been there. But this patience is impressive, and the encouragement he gives his daughter despite having endured the same song over and over and over and over is just so sweet. Read more about The Rock singing along with his kiddos here.

Hope that brightened up your week! Tune in again next weekend for more reasons to smile.

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Parents have kids record them dancing but capture their reactions instead and it's pure joy

This is one TikTok trend that's totally worth it.

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Kids watching their parents dance to Taylor Swift is sheer delight.

We all know parenting can be tough, but if there's one thing that makes the roller coaster of emotions totally worth it, it's seeing our children's faces light up with joy.

Children's smiles are infectious, and not in the scary pandemic kind of a way. There's simply nothing better in this world than the face of a bright-eyed little human beaming with happiness, which is why a recent TikTok trend has people grinning from ear to ear themselves.

The premise is simple: The parent asks the kid to record them dancing to Taylor Swift's "Love Story" with the screen facing away from them (under the guise that the parent dancing needs to see themselves). So instead of recording the parent dancing, it's actually recording the kid's face watching them.

And oh, the love and joy on these kids' faces is so, so sweet to witness. Watch:

@thechavezfamilyy

The end 😭😭 why am I bawling at this trend?! He’s SO CUTE #momsoftiktok #momtok #toddlersoftiktok

That face. OMG.

And check out the encouragement from this little fella:

@themarshhfamily

The end did it for me 🥹😭I birthed such a sweet, loving and encouraging little boy!! #momtok #toddlersoftiktok #taylorswiftchallenge #lovestorychallenge #boymom #toddlermom

Seriously, seeing close-ups of kids' joy should be a daily thing.

@makingthemoffitts

#nationaladoptionmonth #adoptionawareness #thisisadoption #thisisfostercare #adoption #fostercare #makingthemoffitts #lovestorychallenge #taylorswift

Some dads have gotten in on the trend as well. Look at the way this little girl beams at her daddy.

@durbanofamily

Had to jump on the trend! Love this beautiful girl!

Of course, part of the beauty of having kids is you simply never know what they're going to do. While some youngsters gaze lovingly at their parents while they dance, others have a … well … different reaction. Check out this girl's facial expressions:

@haleigh.booth

It’s the side eye at the end for me 😆😂😂😂😂

Hilarious. And because this is the internet, naturally someone had to do the TikTok trend with their dog. Gotta admit, Ellie's toothy grin is pretty darn cute as well.

@elliegoldenlife

This is why I don’t dance 😂

TikTok trends can sometimes be strange, annoying or problematic, but once in a while one comes along that brings people together in surprisingly delightful ways. Seeing people's kids' pure enjoyment watching their parents being silly is simply the best.


This article originally appeared on 11.15.22

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