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10 things that made us smile this week

Upworthy's weekly roundup of joy

family laughing, baby dancing, family crying with joy

@_reann.m_/TikTok (via Instagram), @kelley_renee2/TikTok, @j.asonjaden /Instagram

Lots of joy and laughter in this week's list

Hey ho, happy humans!

Whether you're feeling stressed over end-of-the-school-year chaos, depressed over the challenges our world faces or refreshed by the beautiful spring blossoms blooming everywhere, you can surely use some extra doses of joy.

In this week's list, we have some delightful interactions between parents and young adult children, a hilarious take on millennials getting older, some helpful and entertaining animals, a throwback to one of the most iconic (and earwormy) jingles of all time, a photo that has been blowing people's minds and of course, some utterly adorable toddlers.

We hope these little nuggets brighten your day! Enjoy!

1. Watch this first-generation college student find out he got accepted to Harvard

See on Instagram

So much pride and joy. These videos never get old.

2. The Holdernesses welcome millennials to the Gen X club, and it's too accurate

"The younger generation calling all your clothes 'vintage.'" HA. It happens to all of us eventually. Read the full story here.

3. If you thought a chinchilla couldn't be a ninja, you thought wrong

Sound up, and wait for the end. Such impeccable timing.

4. Daughter pranks her parents with a fake scholarship video and her mom can't keep it together

See on Instagram

This family is hilarious.

5. This photo is blowing people's minds because it's not photoshopped or A.I.-generated or anything

Egret standing in water

Egret standing in the water

The All-Japan Association of Photographic Societies, used with permission

It's a genuine photo. No editing tricks. the brown on the top right is a wall and below is its reflection. Still hard to picture, I know. Find the full explanation with other visual proof that there's nothing altered in the photo here.

6. Check out these stories of animals sensing when someone needed medical care

See on Instagram

Swipe through to see all of them. Our furry friends can be much more than just cuddly companions.

Speaking of which:

7. Cat thinks they're fighting, doggo makes it clear he thinks they're playing

\u201cNinja dog.. \ud83d\ude02\u201d
— Buitengebieden (@Buitengebieden) 1683268724

Those are some impressive spins there, buddy. Cat doesn't even know what to do with that.

8. Footage of the Chili's "Baby Back Ribs" song being recorded is pure nostalgic joy

Everyone who lived through the 90s had this song stuck in their head on repeat for years. Learn more about the famous vocalists behind the iconic jingle here.

9. Kiddo figures out how to give a thumb's up and it's 10 seconds of adorableness

See on Instagram

You can see those gears turning. Tiny humans are the best. Speaking of which…

10. Wee one has his moves to 'Uptown Funk' totally down and it's so smooooooth

@kelley_renee2
He's got it pretty much nailed now 🤣 @brunomars

Can't even talk, but he can sing along with Bruno. And the timing of those foot stomps. May we all dance with such abandon.

Hope that brought some smiles to your faces! Sign up for our free newsletter, The Upworthiest, here to get more posts like this one delivered to your inbox.

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1956 commercial shows that refrigerators back then were more advanced than they are today

We "modern" folks don't even have all of these luxuries.

Vintage Fanatic/YouTube

Can we bring back some 50s fridge features, please?

There are very few things that would make people nostalgic for the 1950s. Sure, they had cool cars and pearl necklaces were a staple, but that time frame had its fair share of problems, even if "Grease" made it look dreamy. Whether you believe your life would've been way more interesting if you were Danny Zuko or not, most would agree their technology was...lacking.

All eras are "advanced" for their time, but imagine being dropped off in the 50s as someone from the year 2023. A recent post by Historic Vids on Twitter of a 1956 commercial advertising a refrigerator, however, has some people thinking that when it came to fridges, maybe they were living in the year 2056. I don't typically swoon over appliances, yet this one has me wondering where I can purchase a refrigerator like this.

Of course, there's no fancy touch screen that tells you the weather and asks how you'd like your ice cubed. It's got more important features that are actually practical.

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1950s appliances

Doctors performed a groundbreaking brain surgery on a baby still inside the womb

The success of this surgery could mean many more to come.

Canva

The innovative procedure is performed in utero and guided by ultrasound.

Fetal surgery is undoubtedly a complicated and delicate procedure, with both physical and ethical implications. It’s rarely even an option for treatment, only being done for a select number of conditions and only for pregnant women who meet certain criteria.

And still, doctors at two Boston hospitals stepped forward to repair a malformed blood vessel in a baby girl’s brain two days before she was born, succeeding in the first ever surgery of its kind.

The baby, named Denver Coleman, suffered from vein of Galen malformation (VOGM), a rare abnormality where blood vessels connect directly to veins rather than capillaries, affecting the blood vessels’ ability to carry oxygenated blood from the heart to the brain. The resulting surge of blood pressure can lead to major health issues like congestive heart failure, losing brain tissue or an enlarged head.

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Parents see their lives in hilariously relatable end-of-school-year 'Maycember' parody

The Earth, Wind & Fire "September" parody is a hit with harried parents.

The Holderness Family/Facebook

"Maycember"—busy like December but without the fun holidays.

For parents of school-aged kids, May is absolute mayhem and there are very few ways around it. May is the culmination of everything—concerts, recitals, award ceremonies, finals, end-of-school-year picnics, spring sports and a dozen other things that seem to sneak up on you until one day you look at your calendar for the month and weep.

Oh, and by the way, have you signed your kids up for summer camps yet?

May is just…a lot. It's akin to the busyness of the December holiday season, but without all the pretty lights and holiday spirit to carry you through it.

In their signature style, The Holderness Family has captured the reality of "Maycember" in a video parody of Earth, Wind & Fire's "September." The Holdernesses have brought us many funny and relatable videos about a range of realities, from people's mid-pandemic Wordle obsession to GenX welcoming millennials to the over-40 club, and now they've got their fingers on the pulse of parents pulling their hair out with end-of-school-year scheduling.

Check out "Maycember":

No wonder they put Mother's Day in May. (Although it's a little hard to enjoy it when you're up to your eyeballs in all the things.)

Judging by the comments, they hit the nail on the head.

"Oh hi there, I see you made a documentary about my life right now! "

"Great video. Plus, all of the spring yard chores. When is there time for pickleball?"

"Yep facts! ! Everything is true and accurate scary accurate. Thanks for the camp reminder "

"The BEST one yet! I didn't know if I should laugh or cry....maybe a little of both. Good to know our family isn't going thru this alone! POWER TO THE PARENTS!!! (and teachers....thanks for all you do!)"

"My kids are grown and have moved out but oh my goodness do I remember the month of May all through their school years. Everything is packed into that one month. I always remember how busy we were. There are days I don’t miss it but there are days that I do! Well done!"

Hang in there, parents. May may be mayhem, but it'll be over soon. (And seriously, get on those summer camps now if you haven't yet. Those things fill up in a blink.)

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Funny video shows what other countries' figures of speech sound like in American English

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via Aaron Alon/YouTube

A woman expresses her frustrations with her partner in a therapist's office.

When learning a new language, one of the most challenging things is picking up figures of speech, or idioms. The big reason is that a lot of them don’t make sense.

Aaron Alon had a lot of fun with funny idioms from around the globe, including 70 from 28 different languages, in a video called "Communication Problems.” Alon is an award-winning composer, writer, director, filmmaker and teacher who shares his talents on his YouTube channel.

The video features a couple sharing their relationship problems with a therapist while speaking in idioms from other countries in American English. While the couple talks in incomprehensible expressions, their approximate English meanings and the country from which they originate are shown in the subtitles.

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