Adults surprising their grandparents with sleepovers is the most wholesome trend of 2024
Watching the grandparents go from confused to elated is just so sweet.

Who says sleepovers have to stop when you're an adult?
As far as childhood memories go, nothing hits quite like those sleepovers at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. A night full of comfies and yummies all while snuggled up and watching a movie…such a special time for bonding.
Well, in a fabulously wholesome new viral trend, pajama-clad adults are bringing the sweet tradition back into the present, much to their grandparents' surprise—and delight.
Take a scroll stroll though #grandparentssleepover on TikTok, and you’ll find countless videos featuring unsuspecting grandparents at first confused by an impromptu grandkid visit, then utterly thrilled that they get to relive a nostalgic memory.
Take Brandi Fair and her grandma Pam, for instance. In a video posted to Brandi’s TikTok, which currently has 5.6 million views, we see Pam sitting on the couch, minding her own business, when all of a sudden Brandi and the rest of Pam’s grandchildren burst through the door with pillows, sleeping bags and fun games.
“Surprised their Nana with a sleepover. They have done this since they were little,” Brandi’s caption reads.
@nurseb662 Surprised their Nana with a sleep over. They havent done this since they were little 😩❤️#grandparents #christmas2023🎄🎁 ♬ These Memories - Hollow Coves
She shared with TODAY.com that the night consisted of Bingo and looking through old photos, followed by a biscuit and gravy breakfast the next morning. Adding one last bit of novelty to the event, the grandkids also apparently snagged Pam’s deck of playing cards and hid them throughout the house for her to find later.
"She said, 'I will never forget this,’” Brandi told TODAY.com. Sleeping over at “Grandmother Pam and Paw-Paw Larry's” had been routine for the kids, and since Larry had passed away, Pam had been lonely.
Meanwhile, watch this Italian grandma become over the moon as she is bombarded by her giggling grandkids blaring festive music.
@.gabrrieellaa #suprisingmygrandparents #adultsleepover #growingupitalian #italian #italiancheck #italiangirl #italiangrandparents #hardcoreitalians #tiktoktrends #newyorkcity #newyork #nyc @growingupitalian ♬ original sound - Gabriella Artusa
Or this couple opening the door to a Christmas surprise.
@juliagalluccio3 she was so confused at first😭😭 #cousins #adultsleepover #christmas #surprise ♬ original sound - julia galluccio
“Just like the good ol’ days!” the presumed granddad can be heard saying.
It can be difficult to carve out time in our busy adult lives to spend with our grandparents—not to mention we might not even live in the same area or might have never had a close relationship to begin with. But if and when we can find the time, the rewards are endless for both parties, especially when it comes to emotional well-being and mental health.
Grandparents offer us a wealth of knowledge and family history, and can provide valuable conversation that we simply couldn’t fully appreciate as kids. Likewise, keeping in touch regularly can help them ward off depression and boost brain function.
Luckily, there are other ways besides sleepovers to cultivate those close relationships, like cooking together, taking walks, sharing family stories, asking questions or participating in a class, just to name a few.
And if distance is an issue, regular Zooms, FaceTimes, phone calls, emails, letters, etc., do a world of good for strengthening bonds.
But of course, if you can head on over to Grandma and Grandpa’s house in a onesie with some microwaveable popcorn, then obviously do that. It’s the most fun option, clearly.- She got all four of her grandparents to draw a flower. Then surprised them with a tattoo. ›
- Doggo loses his mind with joy when he finds out he's going to visit Grandma and Grandpa ›
- How spending time with grandkids can help grandparents stay healthy, happy, and sharp. ›
- Grandfather asks granddaughter to come over for a sleepover - Upworthy ›
- The decline of cousins in the U.S. - Upworthy ›
- Fed up parents explain why they 'never want to bring the kids over' - Upworthy ›
- Hostingcore: The cozy trend reviving spontaneous hangs - Upworthy ›
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."