
This week's roundup of delightful finds from around the internet.
Hello friends!
It probably shouldn't be surprising, but this week's roundup of delightful finds from around the internet is saturated with babies. Not just human babies, but animal babies, too. Hilarious babies. Adorable babies. Babies babies babies.
It makes sense, what with their unbearable cuteness and all. Babies are the best. No matter how ugly things get in the world, we can always look at the sweet innocence of new life to remind ourselves of humanity's potential. We can delight in the wonderment of their discoveries and try to capture some of that wholesome curiosity ourselves. We can revel in their smiles and giggles and share that contagious joy with others.
Of course, if babies don't make you smile (is that really a thing? no way that's a thing) there are some other fun finds here as well, from a silly Wordle parody to a heartwarming gush of library love.
Enjoy!
Woman stops traffic to help a mama duck and her zillion ducklings cross the street.
A human taking the initiative to help a little animal family avoid getting squished by cars is really sweet. But it's the way the mama duck follows the woman's hand signals that does me in. How does she know??? (And how on Earth does she have that many ducklings at once?)
Author Clint Smith reminds us that public libraries are one of the greatest human inventions.
Quite practically, my books could not have been written without public and research libraries. It was the generosity of librarians who assisted me at every turn, it was the space these buildings offered me to work, and it was the range of people who made these spaces a community.— Clint Smith (@Clint Smith) 1645027827
Writers make money selling books, so saying "get my book for free from a library" is awesome. It's also a reminder that libraries are one of the best things humans have ever come up with. "I mean think about it, a place where you can go and get books...for free!" Smith wrote. "And then pass them along to someone else. And then...get even more books. And it's open to everyone. What a concept! It's a testament to public community institutions, and one we shouldn't take for granted."
Tired of winter? Let these kitties being fascinated with the snow refresh you.
Kitten sees snow for the first time..pic.twitter.com/p8UFXFW6P5— Buitengebieden (@Buitengebieden) 1645035860
Those of us who live in the northern climes are pretty much over the snow by mid-February. But seeing these cats' wonderment at watching the snow fall is a good reminder of how magical it can be.
Speaking of the magic of snow, watch this humongo doggo freak out over a little lip of snow.
Dogs.. pic.twitter.com/0vFDxfX0d1— Buitengebieden (@Buitengebieden) 1645013448
He gives it a go several times, chickens out each time, and then absolutely refuses. Hilarious.
And this tiger kitty spooking its enormous mama momma is hilarious, too.
Tiger cub sneaks up on its mom.pic.twitter.com/kn7YsZsMpC— \ud835\udd50o\u0334g\u0334 (@\ud835\udd50o\u0334g\u0334) 1645018200
Snow tigers are gorgeous, aren't they? This little one's pounce is so cute, but its mom's genuinely startled reaction is too funny.
This 3-year-old reacting to "Goofy" calling her through her walkie-talkie is too adorable.
@zeth I don’t know if we can top this reaction 😂
The video was shared last summer, but it's my first time seeing it. I've now watched it a dozen times. The little mini-hyperventilation is just the best. And the "And he answered!" Find more Zeth and Saylor here.
"A Whole New Wordle" parody hilariously nails the word game phenomenon.
"Let me share my Wordle score with youu..." The Holderness Family does awesome parody videos, and they hit all the high spots in the Wordle phenomenon with this one.
This monkey momma is all mommas.
The highs and lows of parenting in 19 seconds. \n\nCredit: Imgur/mfrybeasleypic.twitter.com/728DTYT21M— Danny Deraney (@Danny Deraney) 1644940122
"Hey, get down from there!"
"Okay, momma. Now lemme smother you with big, open-mouthed kisses."
Basically parenting a wee one in a nutshell.
Dad gets baby to stop crying in 18 seconds and is so happy about it.
@tuquedaddy Reply to @king.marcellius I wanna see people try!! Duet this and try if you can!! I wanna see y’all super heroes 🥰🥰🥰 #tuquedaddy #fypシ #parenting
Sorry for the first 10 seconds of this video—baby cries are torturous. But the way he talks to his son and the smile on his face at the end is just the sweetest. That is one dang cute baby. Read more about this video and the baby hold here.
Speaking of cute babies, check out this little one discovering the joy of cheese.
Mmmm, the queso promised land. Been there, baby. Same smile and everything.
Hope you enjoyed this week's roundup! Come back next week for more snippets of delight to make your week a little brighter.
- The Dalai Lama Has Some Very Uplifting And Wise Words About ... ›
- The 'how it started, how it's going' meme is exactly the uplifting ... ›
- Having a rough week? These uplifting comics are your chicken soup ... ›
- 10 delightful finds from around the internet this week - Upworthy ›
- 10 joyful and uplifting finds from around the internet this week ›
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."