13 simple, life-changing Googling tips you didn’t know you needed

Google is one of the most powerful tools humanity possesses and most of us have no idea how to use it.

Jun 16, 2022

Photo credit: Photo by Firmbee.com on Unsplash – Most of us aren't making the most of Google's powerful search capabilities.

Do you ever just stop and marvel at how much the internet has changed human existence? At no other time in history has the average person had access to so much knowledge. Yes, we use it for dumb things too, but anyone with an internet connection can learn anything they set their mind to, from languages to auto mechanics to music to rocket science. It’s mind-blowing.

This unlimited access to information is amazing, but it can also be overwhelming. If I Google “rocket science,” I get 190 million results in 0.7 seconds. If I actually had an interest in learning about rocket science—which I don’t—I wouldn’t even know where to begin.

I could narrow down those results with more specific search terms, of course. But that would barely be scratching the surface of Google’s search abilities. As Chris Hladczuk wrote on Twitter, “If you use it right, Google is the most powerful tool in the world. But the truth is most people suck at it.”

It’s true. Many of us have no idea how to actually utilize Google effectively to find the information we want or need. I use Google all the time and thought I was pretty good at it, but after reading Hladczuk’s thread of tips and researching more, I realized there are so many ways I could up my Google game to save myself some time and effort.

Here are 13 tips and tricks for better Googling that we can all use:

1. Make use of the one-click filters that Google already set up.

Google makes it easy to narrow down search results with pre-set filter categories that show up at the top of your search results. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s easy to gloss over them if you don’t know they’re there. If you just want news stories or just want images for your search topic, you’d click “News” or “Images” at the top of the search results page.

To further filter, click “Tools” on the right. Depending on what other filters you’re using you can sort by date (in News), type of document (in Books), duration or quality (in Videos), and so on. Just utilizing these built-in filtering tools will greatly enhance your Google search experience with very little effort.

Google's preset filters help you narrow down search results with one click. Screenshot via Google.com

2. Use the minus sign (-) to eliminate words you don’t want in your results.

Let’s say you want to research George Bush’s presidency but you want the first Bush, not George W. Bush. You could Google “George H.W. Bush,” but that’s not generally what he was referred to prior to his son running for president.

Using the hyphen, or minus sign, before a word or phrase you don’t want included in results will eliminate that word or phrase from the search. So Googling “George Bush -W.” tells Google to pull up results for George Bush, but without “W.” Voila! All senior Bush results.

3. Quotations marks (” “) give you exact phrase results.

Googling multiple words at once can give you a mixed bag of results. The search will include all of the words, but not necessarily in order. If you are looking for an exact phrase, let Google know that by putting it in quotation marks.

4. Use a colon (:) to search a specific website.

Let’s say you wanted to see all of Upworthy’s articles about dogs. Type in “dogs:upworthy.com” and Google will give you all of our pupworthy content. (Generally speaking, you should put in the .com or .org or whatever the extension is on the URL, but “dogs:upworthy” works, too.)

5. Looking for a specific file type? Tell Google with (filetype:).

Do you swear you saw a printable PDF of dad jokes, but can’t remember where you found it? A search for “dad jokes” gives you a gazillion results you’d have to wade through to find a PDF. But you can search just for PDFs by typing “bad dad jokes filetype:PDF” into your Google search bar.

6. Search for similar or synonymous terms with a tilde (~).

Say you wanted to find a Spanish teacher in your area. Searching “local Spanish ~teacher” would also bring up search results for Spanish tutors, instructors and so on. (Google does some of this intuitively, but there may be instances when results are too honed in on one word.)

7. Do a fill-in-the-blank search with an asterisk (*).

Want to know what percentage of Americans have been vaccinated for COVID-19? Want to know how many gorillas are left in the wild? A search for “* percent of Americans vaccinated for COVID” and “* gorillas left in the wild” will bring those exact numbers right to the top of your results.

Pull up a tip calculator with one click. Screenshot via Google.com

8. Calculate a tip or set a timer in a jiffy.

Searching for “tip calculator” brings up a simple, handy tip calculator without having to click through to any website. Nifty.

And you can set a timer by typing “timer” and however many minutes you want into the search bar. The timer starts automatically and will beep when finished. (Just don’t close that browser window.) You can also pull up a stopwatch with a simple “stopwatch” search.

9. Track a package without having to go to the carrier’s website.

All you have to do is copy and paste any tracking number into the Google search bar. No need to go to USPS or UPS or FedEx websites first. Just straight to Google.

10. Track a flight without having to go to the airline’s website.

Just like the tracking number, simply enter your flight number (e.g., DL 275) into the Google search bar. Easy peasy.

11. Do quick definition checks and look up time and weather in different places.

Sometimes Google is more intuitive to use than we might assume. Want to look up what “obfuscation” means? No need to search for an online dictionary. Just type “define obfuscation” into the search bar. (You don’t even have to spell it right, as long as you’re close.) Wondering what the weather’s like where grandma lives? Search “weather Orlando” to get current conditions. Need to know if it’s too late to contact that friend overseas? Search “time Barcelona” to get the current local time.

12. Search for free-to-use images with Creative Commons licenses across multiple websites at once.

Finding photos that are free to use, either with or without attribution requirements, can be tedious. But it’s easy to find Creative Commons License photos on Google if you know what to click.

Type in your search term for whatever images you want (say “snuggly kittens”), then click Images, then Tools, then Usage Rights, then Creative Commons Licenses.

(Quick reference: Images > Tools > Usage Rights > Creative Commons Licenses)

When you click on an image, you can click “License details” and it will tell you which Creative Commons license applies to the photo so you know how to attribute it.

13. Reverse search images to see where they came from or where else they’ve been shared.

If you want to try to track down where an image originated, you can search using an image itself, either using the image URL or uploading it to images.google.com. Just click on the camera icon and either paste the URL or upload the image, and the search results will show you all the places the image lives on the internet.

Bonus: Just for fun, try typing “askew” into the Google search bar.

The folks behind the scenes at Google have a silly sense of humor, so you never quite know what you’re going to get when you use it. You can also put “play pacman” into the search and actually play a mini Pac-Man game. Who knew?

Google is an incredibly useful tool in far more ways than most of us use it, and hopefully these tips will help you utilize it to its full potential. Happy searching and three cheers for digital literacy!

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In Partnership With Habitat For Humanity →

Homeowners celebrate the completion of their new home in Cambodia's Siem Reap Province alongside Habitat for Humanity volunteers and staff.

Culture, Family

A safe, stable home can change lives for the better. Here’s how Habitat for Humanity wants to make that possible for everyone.

Better health, better jobs, and a brighter future all start with access to a safe, affordable home.

Sarah Watts

3/25/2026
A single door can open up a world of endless possibilities. For homeowners, the front door of their house is a gateway to financial stability, job security, and better health. Yet for many, that door remains closed. Due to the rising costs of housing, 1 in 3 people around the world wake up without the security of safe, affordable housing.

Since 1976, Habitat for Humanity has made it their mission to unlock and open the door to opportunity for families everywhere, and their efforts have paid off in a big way. Through their work over the past 50 years, more than 65 million people have gained access to new or improved housing, and the movement continues to gain momentum. Since 2011 alone, Habitat for Humanity has expanded access to affordable housing by a hundredfold.

A world where everyone has access to a decent home is becoming a reality, but there’s still much to do. As they celebrate 50 years of building, Habitat for Humanity is inviting people of all backgrounds and talents to be part of what comes next through Let’s Open the Door, a global campaign that builds on this momentum and encourages people everywhere to help expand access to safe, affordable housing for those who need it most. Here’s how the foundation to a better world starts with housing, and how everyone can pitch in to make it happen.

Volunteers raise a wall for the framework of a new home during the first day of building at Habitat for Humanity’s 2025 Carter Work Project.

Globally, almost 3 billion people, including 1 in 6 U.S. families, struggle with high costs and other challenges related to housing. A crisis in itself, this also creates larger problems that affect families and communities in unexpected ways. People who lack affordable, stable housing are also more likely to experience financial hardship in other areas of their lives, since a larger share of their income often goes toward rent, utilities, and frequent moves. They are also more likely to experience health problems due to chronic stress or environmental factors, such as mold. Housing insecurity also goes hand-in-hand with unstable employment, since people may need to move further from their jobs or switch jobs altogether to offset the cost of housing.

Affordable homeownership creates a stable foundation for families to thrive, reducing stress and increasing the likelihood for good health and stable employment. Habitat for Humanity builds and repairs homes with individual families, but it also strengthens entire communities as well. The MicroBuild® Initiative, for example, strengthens communities by increasing access to loans for low-income families seeking to build or repair their homes. Habitat ReStore locations provide affordable appliances and building materials to local communities, in addition to creating job and volunteer opportunities that support neighborhood growth.

Marsha and her son pose for a photo while building their future home with Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity in Georgia.

Everyone can play a part in the fight for housing equity and the pursuit of a better world. Over the past 50 years, Habitat for Humanity has become a leader in global housing thanks to an engaged network of volunteers—but you don’t need to be skilled with a hammer to make a meaningful impact. Building an equitable future means calling on a wide range of people and talents.

Here’s how you can get involved in the global housing movement:
- Speaking up on social media about the growing housing crisis
- Volunteering on a Habitat for Humanity build in your local community
- Travel and build with Habitat in the U.S. or in one of 60+ countries where we work around the globe
- Join the Let’s Open the Door movement and, when you donate, you can create your own personalized door
- Shop or donate at your local Habitat ReStore
Every action, big and small, drives a global movement toward a better future. A safe home unlocks opportunity for families and communities alike, but it’s volunteers and other supporters, working together with a shared vision, who can open the door for everyone.

Visit habitat.org/open-door to learn more and get involved today.
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Photo credit: Canva – A female student shocked by her poor grade on a test.

Family, Parenting

The forgotten reason teachers don’t use the letter ‘E’ in grading anymore

It will never return to report cards.

Heather Wake

5/9/2026

We all know how the grading system works. A is the best score you can get (and the only acceptable score for the perfectionists among us). Then comes B, which is also generally considered positive. By C, you’re in dangerous territory. D is even worse. And F, well, F is the equivalent of wearing a dunce cap.

But where’s the E grade? Why do we skip over this letter?

Turns out, we didn’t always exclude the letter E from our grading system. And it led to some very confused parents.

The missing grade that vanished from report cards

The earliest record of a letter-grade system comes from Mount Holyoke College in 1897, which quickly spread to virtually every school in North America. When it first debuted, E was the lowest grade a student could receive, with A still being the highest.

Though popular, the system was fairly wonky from the start. As reported by Slate, A represented scores between 95 and 100, while B and C each stood for 10-point ranges. Students could get a D only with a score of “precisely 75.” Anything below that received an E. And then, only a year later, they added F to represent “fail,” and tweaked each letter grade to represent only five points, with scores below 75 resulting in failure. E reflected scores 75 to 79.

Why schools dropped the letter E

However, as the story goes, many parents who viewed E on their child’s report cards interpreted it as “Excellent,” rather than practically failing.

By 1930, most schools became aware of the unintended consequences and did away with the letter grade entirely.

Of course, this hasn’t been the only time schools have experimented with different grading metrics. Some played around with varieties of numerical scales (0-4, 0-9, 0-20, 0-100). Others tried just three grade groups (best, worse, and worst), while some used four under the following labels: “first in their respective classes,” “orderly, correct, and attentive,” “have made very little improvement,” and “they have learnt little or nothing.”

In fact, the further back you go, you’ll notice that tracking an individual student’s progress and mastery through close, personal observation and detailed, descriptive feedback was the norm rather than categorization. But as schools kept getting an influx of students, a standardized and seemingly more efficient system became the norm.

Of course, there have been criticisms of this method since its inception. For decades, educators have shared concerns that it prioritized getting a certain letter grade rather than the intrinsic value of learning.

Could grading systems change again?

Image of a hand writing “Never Stop Learning” in marker. Canva

That debate is still happening today. In recent years, some schools and universities have experimented with alternatives like pass/fail systems, standards-based grading, narrative evaluations, and competency-based assessments that measure whether students have mastered specific skills rather than averaging test scores. Others have adopted portfolios and teacher feedback in place of traditional report cards altogether.

Supporters of these approaches argue that they can reduce anxiety and encourage students to focus more on growth, participation, and curiosity. Critics worry they may make it harder to measure achievement consistently or compare students across schools.

Either way, the disappearing E grade is proof that the grading system has never been quite as fixed or timeless as many people assume. What feels permanent in one generation of classrooms can easily be rewritten by the next. And, arguably, it should be able to adapt as we do.

Keep Reading →
Some dads just get it.

Family, Parenting

Boomer dad plays song to comfort his daughter going through divorce and it’s everything

Sometimes you don’t need words.

Heather Wake

Upworthy Staff

5/9/2026

There’s no shortage of stories out there showing how emotionally distant or out of touch some baby boomers can be. Younger generations are so fed up with it that they have their own catchphrase of frustration, for crying out loud. The disconnect becomes especially visible in parenting styles. Boomers, who grew up with starkly different views on empathy, trauma, and seeking help, have a reputation for being less than ideal support systems for their children when it comes to emotional issues.

But even if they often have a different way of showing it, boomer parents of course have a lot of love for their children, and many try their best to be a source of comfort when their kid suffers as any good parent would. Occupational therapist Jacqueline (@jac.rose8) shared a lovely example of this by posting a video of her boomer dad helping her through a divorce in the best way he knew how.

His solution was unexpected and perfect

Turns out, it was the perfect thing.

“My husband just said he’s divorcing me and my dad came over and I was non-functional in bed,” Jacqueline wrote her video, adding that “…boomer dad didn’t know what to do, so he played his favorite song, the Dua Lipa ‘Rocket Man’ remix.”

In the clip, Jacqueline’s dad is faced toward the window describing what he imagines while listening to the song and performing the sweetest dad dance ever. They go back and forth a little bit, but it’s clear that her dad just wants to sit with her in the moment, be a little silly, and provide her with some comfort.

@jac.rose8
#divorcetok #divorcesucks #divorcesupport #divorcesupportforwomen #divorcesupportsquad #supportivedad #disabilitytiktok
♬ original sound – Jacqueline

The heartwarming moment served as a great reminder that a lot of words aren’t always necessary.

The internet fell completely in love

“I am CRYING. This is so precious, he is trying his hardest to be there for you in any capacity. How pure ❤️,” one person wrote.

Another added, “This would instantly make me feel better.”

Even Jacqueline shared in the comments that her dad “didn’t know what to say but he was there and helped me in such a sweet way. He’s the best.”

Proving that he has multiple love languages, Jacqueline later shared that her dad also went out to Home Depot to replace her lightbulbs. Not only that, but her mom also made Jacqueline’s favorite dinner.

@jac.rose8
Replying to @NatCat1738 divorcetok divorcesucks divorcesupport divorcesupportforwomen divorcesupportsquad supportivedad supportivemom disabilitytiktok
♬ original sound – Jacqueline

Great parents exist in every generation

It can be easy to sometimes focus a little too much on the generational differences between boomers and everyone else, but really, it goes to show that great parents (and great people) exist in every generation. Part of what makes them great is knowing that they don’t need to be perfect in order to show up when things are hard. Being there and sharing their love is enough.

This article originally appeared three years ago. It has been updated.

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Photo credit: @toriefowler/TikTok, used with permission – Florida Teacher Torie Fowler explaining why course recovery is used to play the system.

Family, Parenting

Florida teacher says she’s quitting her job because of school’s ‘course recovery’ shortcut

She explained how many students use course recovery to play the system.

Heather Wake

5/8/2026

There are plenty of reasons teachers across the country have listed for why they are leaving their jobs. But whether it’s burnout or battling against artificial intelligence, there’s one common denominator: the classroom is, by and large, no longer the haven of learning it once was.

One teacher recently gave a prime example of this when she explained “course recovery,” and why that alone has led to her quitting.

What is course recovery?

In a now-viral Tiktok clip, Torie Fowler, an English teacher in Florida, shared that course recovery was originally intended to help struggling students stay on track for passing a class. Essentially it works by offering a semi-condensed make-up curriculum, primarily via online modules, rather than forcing students to repeat the full semester.

However, as Fowler explained, things have gone too far.

@toriefowler
Do you know what course recovery is? I’m positive it’s a public school thing, but what exactly is the child learning from this concept? #teacherlife #teachersoftiktok #teaching #teacher #publicschool
♬ original sound – Torie Fowler

For instance, one of her seniors who earned an 18 percent in her class (which is already bonkers considering the student didn’t ever show up to class, apparently) was assigned course recovery. Somehow, this student was able to complete the entire nine weeks of recovery assignments in a single day, magically passing the class with a 75.

“What are we doing?” Fowler said at the end of her clip.

Granted, course recovery does have its uses. In an interview with Today, Fowler noted that students burdened with illness, family instability, or learning challenges can greatly benefit from it. Still, the students who know how to play the system use it as an easy workaround, forfeiting the opportunity to actually learn. And so far, the system encourages that kind of behavior.

“We are teaching them that there are no consequences for their actions,” she said. “It’s becoming more about getting them through and walking across the stage than actual learning.”

@toriefowler
You can read the full article at the link in my bio, but in terms of public education, do you agree? #teachersoftiktok #teacher #teacherlife
♬ Self Aware – Temper City

Teachers across the country share the same concern

Fowler is far from the only educator experiencing this frustration. Down in the comments, many fellow teachers sounded off.

“We have the same here in RI. It’s so unfair to the teachers, admins and other students.”

“I’ll do you one better: in my district a student who fails a class can do course recovery and change the whole grade for that class. That F becomes an A on the transcript as fast as the student can find answers to everything online, and they can do that in a day.”

“Credit recovery is a joke. I had a student fail on purpose bc CR was easier. If they can complete an entire semester of Algebra in 3 days (I’ve seen it), they aren’t learning the content. Why are we allowing this?!?”

Fowler’s video is just one of many worrying examples of how modern schools are prioritizing graduation rates over meaningful education. Many teachers say they entered the profession to help students grow, think critically, and build real skills for the future. When that mission starts feeling impossible, it’s no surprise that so many educators are deciding they can no longer stay.

@toriefowler
In all my feels as I realize my time in this room is coming to an end this month. Some of it was more than I could dream of, while the reality of a system we can’t change is more than I want to carry. #publicschool #teacher #teachersoftiktok #teachersbelike #teacherlife
♬ original sound – Breezee Talk – Breezee Talk

However, as Fowler put it, it’s important to talk about what’s not working, because with enough conversation, “change can begin.”

Keep Reading →
Photo credit: Images via Canva/Photodjo, Andy Dean Photography – Millennials are frustrated with their Boomers parents about real estate.

Family, Modern Families

Millennials struggling to buy a home want ‘out of touch’ Boomer parents to get their reality

Some advice for Millennials dealing with parents who won’t listen.

Emily Shiffer

Upworthy Staff

5/8/2026

Millennials trying to buy homes in today’s economy are up against a rock and a hard place. Unlike for their Boomer parents, the dream of buying a home continues to feel further away.

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), Millennials “continue to be fenced out of homeownership.” The organization reported that in 2025, the average age of first-time homeownership rose to 40 years old, up from 38 just the year before, with the share of first-time buyers falling to a record low of 21%. “The historically low share of first-time buyers underscores the real-world consequences of a housing market starved for affordable inventory,” said Jessica Lautz, NAR deputy chief economist and vice president of research.

Millennials are venting on Reddit

Millennials are airing their frustrations amongst each other in the Reddit thread r/Millennials, sharing their stories and experiences with their Boomer parents, with many calling Boomers “out of touch.”

@thejennifink
The disconnect with reality is real but I can’t stop bringing it up. #housingmarket #zillow #realestate #boomers #millennials #millennialsoftiktok #home
♬ original sound – Jenni Fink

One Millennial wrote, “This topic is like hitting a dead horse, but I just needed to rant. Back story, I work out at a gym with people who are our parents age, and of the boomer generation. I overheard them saying, ‘we bought our first home for $65,000. I’m sure kids these days are only paying $125,000 for that same house’. When they said that, I burst out laughing. How are they so out of touch? It drives me nuts.”

Another Millennial replied, “Willful ignorance. Takes four seconds to go on Zillow and find out that’s bullsh*t .”

And another shared, “I’m not kidding… when I showed my dad actual data on itemized COL inflation, he said that ‘the data just says that but that doesn’t mean it’s real’…. This is a guy that I would normally consider smart and with it. When it comes to these kinds of topics of societal degradation, he can’t accept it. He is willfully ignorant to things being worse now for me than they were for him at my age.”

@mel_owens
& invent a time machine. #boomer #homeowner #housingmarket #homebuying #comedy
♬ original sound – Melanie Owens

The Zillow experiment that actually worked

Others explained how they attempted to explain to their Boomer parents how expensive homes currently are. Another shared, “Last Christmas, the sibs and I collectively managed to remember all the addresses we had lived in in our childhoods and Zillowed all of them to show our parents. All are still standing. All were built in the 70s. All are rural or suburban/small towns. Parents were astounded at what these 50+ year houses are going for today, especially compared to what they paid for them 30-40 years ago.”

Millennials added their conversations with parents who got defensive. One wrote, “I legit just had this same conversation! They say ‘complain when it’s 14% interest’ excuse me, your house was 60k and dad was making 40, don’t piss on me and tell me it’s raining. That fancy 250k house is now like 600k…get a grip, average house is 438k.”

Another shared, “My dad still gives me a hard time about renting, constantly tells me how I should invest in a house. I sat him down one day and opened up a mortgage calculator, showed him how with the current interest rates it just wasn’t gonna happen- he seemed to get it. For a little bit anyways haha. I saw him last month and he told me again how rent is wasted money yadda yadda.”

How to talk to your Boomer parents about housing

Millennials can have healthy and productive conversations with their Boomer parents when discussions about buying a home become tense or uncomfortable, Aly Bullock, LMFT, a licensed marriage and family therapist with Paired, tells Upworthy.

Here are three things Millennials can say to their parents during these tough talks:

Phrase #1: “I understand that we have different views on this, and that’s okay with me.”

Bullock explains, “This acknowledges that you understand their POV and you are still willing to stick with your own opinion. It is a very gentle way of setting a boundary and letting them know you are comfortable having different opinions.”

Phrase #2: “I would love to hear you out, and my request is that in return you respect my right to make a personal decision even if it does not align with what you’ve shared.”

“Even when their kids are grown, parents still love the chance to influence their children,” says Bullock. “This phrase lets your parents know that you would love to hear their opinion, you welcome it, AND reminds them gently that you are grown and they should offer you similar respect.”

Phrase #3: “This conversation seems to keep causing tension between us, and I’d rather focus on something we have in common right now. Can we set it aside for a bit?”

According to Bullock, “This acknowledges the tension without placing blame. It gives the adult child an opportunity to stop the conversation before it deteriorates further, while emphasizing the positive pieces of the relationship.”

Finally, she notes that it may take placing boundaries around these conversations. “Remember that you don’t have to tell your parents everything. Some things are better left unsaid,” says Bullock. “The truth is that parents change as they age and may or may not be able to cope well with generational differences or unmet expectations. Try to have compassion for them as you decide which things to keep to yourself in order to protect your own mental health.”

This article originally appeared one year ago. It has been updated.

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Dad discovers child has pinworms and it's freaking people out

Family, Parenting

Dad discovers his son has pinworms and pediatrician hits him with even worse news

Pinworms are super common and absolutely disgusting.

Jacalyn Wetzel

Upworthy Staff

5/7/2026

If you’re a parent you’re likely in one of two categories: parents who have never heard of pinworms or parents who shuddered at the headline. Parents are not really given any sort of warning for all of the eyebrow raising situations that occur in childhood and one dad has found out that there was a lot left out of that non-existent parenting handbook. If you thought lice was bad, well, frankly, you have no idea.

Justin, a dad that runs the TikTok page parentingcheerleader took to social media to tell the world of the current nightmare fuel parenting situation he was experiencing. He’s also doing parents on social media a solid by giving them a heads up on the disturbing secret plaguing the parenting world: pinworms.

So what exactly are pinworms?

The viral video starts out with no trigger warning before he says though clenched teeth, “my son has worms in his anus.” Yeah, you read that right. It’s a thing. A slightly terrifying but totally normal thing.

These don’t look so bad until you realize where they live. By DPDx, PHIL – Public Domain

About 20% of kids will get pinworms at some point. They can affect anyone, but adults rarely get them because they generally have better hygiene habits and awareness about putting their hands in their mouth after touching surfaces. (You usually get a pinworm infection by accidentally swallowing the eggs. Yeah… sorry for that) The first signs will be an itchy butthole, trouble sleeping, and irritability or loss of appetite.

If you’re a glutton for punishment, read on! Pinworms are hard to diagnose, for obvious reasons. They’re very small and hard to see, plus they like to live in a very sensitive, hard to reach area. But they are visible to the naked eye, so diagnosis sometimes involves quite literally looking at a child’s butt with a flashlight. Sometimes doctors will use tape to see if they can collect eggs from the area, which can be seen under a microscope.

No word from Justin on how he figured out that his kid had pinworms, but that’s probably for the best.

“No one tells you about this stuff when you’re thinking about being a parent but apparently it’s like super normal for a child to just have worms in his booty hole,” a flustered, baffled Justin says. In the video, he’s on his way to pick up medicine for his kid while trying to somehow wrap his head around the reality of the situation.

Then a pediatrician made it worse

Dr. Cerissa Key, a pediatrician, chimed in on Justin’s disturbing revelation and assured him and every parent watching that pinworms are a common thing that happens in young children.

But she also dropped some info that others including Justin may not have been ready to hear.

“Justin, sir. I hate to be the bearer of bad news. But if your son has worms in his booty hole, sir, politely and respectfully, you also have worms in your booty hole,” Key reveals.

Key goes on to explain that kids are “disgusting” and don’t wash their hands well so pinworms spread easily if a child at school or daycare has them. She advises that parents stock up on the chalky banana flavored medication that clears them up and to wash everything on hot while being sure to vacuum your floors well. Luckily, there are good over-the-cofteoaboutunter options for suffering families, as well as stronger prescription methods available. Typically, medication can get rid of the pinworm infection pretty quickly.

Parents on the internet did not take this well

People in the comment section of both videos were horrified that this was an actual thing while others commiserated with the stressed dad.

“I have no kids and now I’m paranoid I have pinworms with no symptoms,” one person writes.

“I’ve raised 4 kids and never had this happen. Tomorrow this will be my entry on my gratitude journal,” a mom confesses.

“Do I have kids? No…Do I even work around kids? Also no…do I still have the urge to take this medicine just in case anyways? 100000%,” someone says.

Several people were forced to question if they even wanted kids anymore knowing there’s a 20% chance they may have to deal with this at some point in the future.

@therealdrkey
#stitch with @Justin Allllll about pinworms! It your kid has them, YOU have them. 😩 #pinworms #pinworm #pediatrician #momlife #itchybottom #itchyvulva #pinwormssuck #parenting
♬ original sound – DrCerissaKey

Not everyone was stressed, some were thankful for the information. “Thank you! We haven’t experienced pinworms yet, but super informative and helps to make parenting normalized,” another commenter writes.

Key suggests that if your child has pinworms that the entire family should take a dose of the medication two weeks apart to make sure any left over newly hatched eggs are also killed. Why so thorough? Well, it’s estimated that one pinworm (or threadworm) can lay up to 16,000 eggs.

And on that note…

While you may not have been warned about pinworms, no one ever said parenting would be glamorous. It just seems people weren’t prepared for how unglamorous it could get.

This article originally appeared three years ago. It has been updated.

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https://youtu.be/4Al1UorzYZE?feature=shared A man speaks to a judge in a courtroom.

Family, Parenting

Man ran a red light rushing to his wife. What the judge did next left the courtroom silent.

“Based on those circumstances, I think it’s appropriate that I dismiss this case.” Judge Frank Caprio after hearing why a man ran a red light to reach his pregnant wife.

Adam Albright-Hanna

Upworthy Staff

5/6/2026

When Jean Lucardi appeared before Judge Frank Caprio on “Caught In Providence,” he was facing a fine for running a red light. The case started with the kind of light-hearted banter that makes Caprio’s courtroom famous. The judge joked about Lucardi’s impressive beard, asking why he grew it.

“Because I’m bald,” Lucardi said. “So, making sense with my face.”

Caprio teased that maybe the sun’s glare on his bald head caused him to miss the light. But the mood shifted completely when Lucardi explained what actually happened.

A pregnant woman makes a phone call. Photo credit: Canva

Lucardi worked as a Lyft driver to support his family. The day he ran the red light, his pregnant wife called him while he was stopped at a signal. She was bleeding. She was having a miscarriage. This was their fifth loss.

“When she called me, she told me she was bleeding and she was pregnant at the time, and I shut down the app, and I was trying to rush to go be with her because she was by herself in the house,” Lucardi explained. He thought he was catching a yellow light but realized later it had already turned red. His wife eventually recovered, but they lost their baby that day.

The courtroom went quiet.

“Based on those circumstances, I think it’s appropriate that I dismiss this case,” Caprio said. He asked about Lucardi’s family, and Lucardi shared that it had been a difficult time. He’d been taking steps to help his wife heal from the trauma of multiple pregnancy losses.

“Our thoughts are with you and your family. Good luck to you. The case is dismissed,” Caprio told him.

The episode, titled “The Pain of Losing a Child,” captured something that doesn’t always show up in courtrooms: the ability to see the human being behind the violation. This wasn’t about letting someone off the hook for breaking a rule. It was about recognizing that sometimes life puts people in impossible situations where following every rule to the letter stops making sense.

Caprio has built a reputation for this kind of compassion. In another episode called “Homeless and Hungry,” he met a homeless autistic woman whose car had been booted with ten violations. She’d just secured a job and was living in her car. She asked for a lenient payment plan. Instead, Caprio covered $300 of her $400 fine through the Filomena Fund and gave her a month to pay the remaining $100. When he learned she was eating only one meal a day, he made sure she left the court with enough money to buy food.

These moments show what’s possible when the justice system makes room for understanding alongside enforcement. Lucardi left that courtroom without a fine, but probably with something more valuable: the knowledge that someone in a position of power had listened to his story and responded with humanity instead of just procedure.

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Photo credit: via Ketut Subiyanto/Pexels – A woman is upset with her husband and wants to leave him.

Family, Modern Families

‘Why women leave’: Woman who ‘does everything’ shares why she left her husband who did nothing

This is a common story in many households.

Tod Perry

Upworthy Staff

5/6/2026

There are a few prominent reasons why 70% of divorces in the United States among heterosexual couples are filed by women. Women have more economic opportunities than in decades past and are better positioned to care for themselves and their children without a husband’s income.

Another big reason is that even though the world has become much more egalitarian than in the past, women still bear the brunt of most of the emotional labor in the home. In 2022, Gilza Fort-Martinez, a Florida-based licensed couples’ therapist, told the BBC that men are socialized to have lower emotional intelligence than women, leaving their wives to do most of the emotional labor.

Secondly, studies show that women still do most of the domestic work in the home, and, among couples with children, women are often the default parent. In short, many women are pulling double or triple duty for their households.

One woman’s day says it all

In 2023, a TikToker with two children (now @littleoldme_myversion, but formerly @thesoontobeexwife) shared why she decided to leave her husband of two decades and her story recounts a common theme: She did all the work and her husband did little but complain.

The video, entitled “Why women leave,” has received over 2 million views.

@littleoldme_myversion
Y’all I laughed when I realized he truly does treat me better now then when he was trying to be in a marriage with me. How is this better?? How did I ever think before was ok?? #toxicrelationship #divorce #mentalloadofmotherhood #divorcetok #divorceisanoption #chooseyou #mentalhealth #mentalload #fyp #mentalload #emotionallabor
♬ labour – Paris Paloma

“So for the men out there who watch this, which frankly I kind of hope there aren’t any, you have an idea maybe what not to do,” she starts the video. “Yesterday, I go to work all day, go pick up one kid from school, go grocery shopping, go pick up the other kid from school, come home. Kids need a snack, make the snack. Kids want to play outside, we play outside.”

Her husband then comes home after attending a volunteer program, which she didn’t want him to join, and the self-centeredness begins. “So he gets home, he eats the entire carton of blueberries I just purchased for the children’s lunch and asks me what’s for dinner. I tell him I don’t know because the kids had a late snack and they’re not hungry yet,” she says in the video.

She then explains how the last time he cooked, which was a rare event, he nearly punched a hole in the wall because he forgot an ingredient. Their previous home had multiple holes in the walls. Dr. Gail Saltz, a psychiatrist and host of the Power of Different podcast, says that when men punch walls, it’s a sign that they haven’t “learned to deal with anger in a reasonable way.”

“Anyway, finally one kid is hungry,” the TikToker continues. “So, I offered to make pancakes because they’re quick and easy and it’s late. He sees the pancake batter and sees that there’s wheat flour in it and starts complaining. Says he won’t eat them. Now, I am a grown adult making pancakes for my children who I am trying to feed nutritionally balanced meals. So yes, there’s wheat flour in the pancake mix.”

Then her husband says he’s not doing the dishes because he didn’t eat any pancakes. “Friends, the only thing this man does around this house is dishes occasionally. If I cook, he usually does the dishes. I cook most nights. But here’s the thing: That’s all he does. I do everything else. Everything. Everything.”

She then listed all of the household duties she handles.

“I cook, I clean the bathrooms, I make the lunches, I make the breakfasts, I mow the lawn, I do kids’ bedtime. I literally do everything and he does dishes once a day, maybe,” she says.

@littleoldme_myversion
I HAVE OFFICIALLY FILED FOR DIVORCE 🎉 #divorce #divorcetok #toxicrelationship #divorceisanoption #fyp #mentalhealth #chooseyou #iamenough #iwillnotbeafraid #mentalloadofmotherhood #emotionallabor
♬ Cool Kids (our sped up version) – Echosmith

The comments poured in from everywhere

The video received over 8,700 comments and most of them were words of support for the TikToker who would go on to file for divorce from her husband.

“The amount of women I’ve heard say that their male partners are only teaching how to be completely independent of them, theirs going to be so many lonely men out there,” one commenter wrote. “I was married to someone just like this for over 35 years. You will be so happy when you get away from him,” another said.

“The way you will no longer be walking on eggshells in your own home is an amazing feeling. You got this!” one more added.

@littleoldme_myversion
If I ever date a man again they have to like Taylor, Chappell and alllllll the girly pop #taylorswift #chappellroan #swifttok #swiftie #pop #girlypop @Taylor Swift @Taylor Nation @chappell roan
♬ original sound – Little Old Me

Two years later, here is where she is now

Two years on, our TikToker is doing well. Her page is dedicated to “single motherhood,” “life in [my] 40s,” and, of course, “loads of Taylor Swift [and] some books.” In a recent TikTok video, she shares footage of a show where people of all ages and stages are dancing to a cover of Taylor Swift’s “I Can Do it With a Broken Heart” with text overlay that reads, “The only kind of men I will accept in life, those that enthusiastically sing Taylor Swift and Chappell Roan.” Honestly, that’s the standard and more power to her.

This article originally appeared three years ago. It has been updated.

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Photo credit: Canva – Postpartum depression requires various kinds of support.

Family, Moms

New mom shares texts from her mother-in-law that exemplify postpartum depression support

This mother-in-law knows what she’s doing.

Annie Reneau

5/5/2026
First-time motherhood can feel overwhelming in every way. Bringing a human into the world that you are responsible for and fall madly in love with is life-changing, to say the least. But when you add a layer of postpartum depression (PPD) onto that overwhelm, it can all feel like way too much to handle.

A mom shared texts her mother-in-law sent her when she was struggling with PPD with her firstborn, and people are loving them. The post from @mamaesterm provides a great example of what support looks like.

@mamaesterm
#babiesoftiktok #firsttimemom #postpartum #mil
♬ Atlantis (Sped Up Version) – Seafret

First, it’s important to note that one of the most important ways to support someone going through PPD is to encourage and help them seek professional help. Treatments are available.

Each text has a specific element that makes it particularly effective:

‘Can I come by and help tidy up while you take a nap with the baby?’

This message acknowledges that Mom needs sleep and also needs a clean home. Often, those needs are not compatible in the early weeks and months of motherhood. People tell you to “sleep when the baby sleeps,” but if you have a high-needs baby, nap time is often the only time you have to get things done. People will also say the state of your house doesn’t matter, but for many, if not most, it’s easier to manage mental health when the home is under control.

So, having someone ask if they can come and help with the house while Mom naps with the baby hits both needs simultaneously.

Helping with the house while Mom sleeps can be a huge help.

‘You’re doing such a great job, I know it’s hard sometimes. [heart emoji]‘

Encouragement is so important for new parents. It’s common to feel like you have no idea what you’re doing with a new baby, while desperately wanting to not screw it up. And when you’re struggling with PPD, the guilt over feeling unable to care for your child the way you want to makes all of that worse. Being told you’re doing a good job feels like a refreshing drink of water.

‘Look how sweet she is she’s the cutest little thing, I’m obsessed with the precious photo editing app you told me about.’ [baby photo]

When you’re wrapped up in all the feelings, hormones, and overwhelm of new motherhood with PPD piled on top of it, it’s easy to lose perspective. Seeing reality through a loved one’s eyes can sometimes help ease some of the distorted thinking.

The beauty in this message is there’s no shame or guilt attached to it. Some people might say something like, “Why are you sad? You have a beautiful, healthy baby!” which often just leads the mom to feeling guilty about feelings she can’t control. This text makes no judgments, and, in fact, reminds the mom of something positive she has done for her family.

Overwhelmed mother next to baby’s crib.

‘Pete mentioned it was a long night with baby girl. I’m doing a Starbucks run and will drop off breakfast for you on the porch.’

This one might just be the best. Asking if someone wants help is great. But sometimes just doing the thing without asking, especially if it’s not intrusive in any way, is the way to go. Saying, “I’m heading out for food. I’m going to grab you some and drop it on your porch,” removes any obligation from the equation. No decision had to be made. No pressure to interact or entertain, which can be a big load off. And no guilt over the state of the house or your lack of a shower, which is huge.

As one commenter wrote, “Starbucks left on the porch…that’s someone who just wants to love and help without intruding. She’s a gem, keep her.”

What are some common signs of PPD?

Hormonal fluctuations after birth can cause a lot of emotional ups and downs. What makes postpartum depression different from the “baby blues” is the intensity and severity of the downs.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, these symptoms can be signs you might be struggling with PPD:
- Feeling sad, worthless, hopeless, or guilty
- Worrying excessively or feeling on edge
- Loss of interest in hobbies or things you usually enjoy
- Changes in appetite or not eating
- Loss of energy and motivation
- Trouble sleeping or wanting to sleep all the time
- Crying for no reason or excessively
- Difficulty thinking or focusing
- Lack of interest in your baby or feeling anxious around your baby
If you’ve recently given birth and these symptoms sound familiar, definitely have a conversation about what you’re feeling with your doctor. And if you know someone who is struggling postpartum, support is crucial. In addition to helping them find professional help, providing encouragement and practical help, especially without having to be asked, can be invaluable.
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