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Best dad ever or too harsh? NFL player takes his sons' trophies away.

A trophy for "nothing"? This dad says no way.

James Harrison, a linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, isn't having any part of the "participation trophy" trend for his sons.


Photo by James Harrison.

His boys received trophies for "nothing," according to Harrison, and they're not keeping them!

"While I am very proud of my boys for everything they do and will encourage them till the day I die, these trophies will be given back until they EARN a real trophy," he wrote in an Instagram post.

Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images.

He explained his reasoning: "I'm sorry I'm not sorry for believing that everything in life should be earned and I'm not about to raise two boys to be men by making them believe that they are entitled to something just because they tried their best ... cause sometimes your best is not enough, and that should drive you to want to do better ... not cry and whine until somebody gives you something to shut u up and keep you happy."


I came home to find out that my boys received two trophies for nothing, participation trophies! While I am very proud of my boys for everything they do and will encourage them till the day I die, these trophies will be given back until they EARN a real trophy. I'm sorry I'm not sorry for believing that everything in life should be earned and I'm not about to raise two boys to be men by making them believe that they are entitled to something just because they tried their best...cause sometimes your best is not enough, and that should drive you to want to do better...not cry and whine until somebody gives you something to shut u up and keep you happy. #harrisonfamilyvalues
A photo posted by James Harrison (@jhharrison92) on



Harrison received a lot of support in the comments on his post, which has gotten over 13,000 likes — and counting.

"Thanks for saying publicly what every parent has been saying for years. At some point you will lose even when you do your best and more young men have to get used to losing and learning from it. Thanks again," wrote one fan.

"I'm with you! Too many self-entitled kids these days. Need to teach them the core values about earning your way in life!" wrote another.

"Bravo. Couldn't agree more. Kids need positive reinforcement and encouragement for sure, but the 'everyone gets a trophy' mentality does nothing to teach them work ethic, drive, determination, and fortitude. Now they will want to push to win a trophy, as it should be. Hard work pays off ... [b]ut you've gotta do the work!! Great job," wrote someone else who was in strong agreement.

Do all parents agree with Harris? Should everyone get a trophy?

This certainly isn't a new topic of discussion among parents, with some falling on both sides of the fence. A 2014 poll of 1,000 adults found that 57% believed only actual winners deserved trophies, while 40% were fine with their kids receiving participation awards.

However, as the parents' age, income level, and education increased, their support for participation trophies decreased:

  • Among those making $90,000 or more, 26% were in favor of participation awards.
  • Among college grads, 29% were in favor of participation awards.
  • Among the 35-54 year-old crowd, 39% were in favor of participation awards.

Experts have differing opinions, but many feel that the child's age is an important determining factor.

Photo by Thinkstock.

Craig Sigl, an expert on sports training for kids and adults, shared his opinion with Consumer Affairs, saying that it's OK for young kids, but we should knock that off for older ones.

"We are teaching them through sports participation, to go out into the world and participate. [To] do things. Be part of something.
We're also teaching them to follow through and don't quit even though sometimes it's not always exciting like a video game. People on the team depend on you [to have] discipline, to show up to every practice and game.
The trophy or ribbon is a significant recognition of these attributes if the kid goes the whole season ... [s]o I agree with the concept for kids in tee-ball and pee-wee sports. First, second grade, maybe third at the oldest. Generally not for kids who are older than that." — Sigl, in Consumer Affairs

So what about you? Do you agree with Harrison and think that participation trophies for kids do them no favors? Or are you fine with a trophy for every kid?

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Korean mom has a perfect response to the teacher who called her son's lunches 'disgusting'

Good for her for standing up for her child's culture.

via Roman Harak/Flickr

A Korean mother and her son

A recently posted story on Reddit shows a mother confidently standing up for her family after being bullied by a teacher for her culture. Reddit user Flowergardens0 posted the story to the AITA forum, where people ask whether they are wrong in a specific situation.

Over 5,600 people commented on the story, and an overwhelming majority thought the mother was right. Here’s what went down:

“I (34F) have a (5M) son who attends preschool. A few hours after I picked him up from school today, I got a phone call from his teacher,” Flowergardens0 wrote. “She made absolutely no effort to sound kind when she, in an extremely rude and annoyed tone, told me to stop packing my son such ‘disgusting and inappropriate’ lunches."

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These incredible acoustic cameras can actually see sound

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via Steve Mould/YouTube

YouTube creator Steve Mould shows us what echo looks like through an acoustic camera.

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YouTuber Steve Mould, who has a science channel with over 2.1 million subscribers, took the complicated concept of the acoustic camera and made it easy to understand in his latest video, “Acoustic cameras can SEE sound.”

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Woman was mocked online for calling an $80 purse a 'luxury item.' Her response went viral.

"I'm so grateful that my dad was able to get me one. He worked so hard for that money.”

@zohtaco/TikTok

Zoe Gabriel, showing off her new purse from Charles & Keith

Insults of any kind are painful, but jabs towards someone’s financial status are their own breed.

In January 2023, Singapore-based Zoe Gabriel was on the receiving end of this particular flavor of mockery when she posted a TikTok about a purse from local retail brand Charles & Keith—a gift bought for her by her father.

In her excitement, the 17-year-old called the bag, which costs around $80, a “luxury” item as she unwrapped it. Her excitement was sadly cut short by some of the negative comments she received.

One comment seemed to stand out above the rest and prompted Gabriel to post an emotional response video.

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Dad gives his young daughter a 'spa day' while mom and sister are out and people are gushing

"This healed a part of me. Thank you for doing this with your daughter."

Mason Smith/Instagram

Mason Smith pampered his baby girl during her "spa day."

Raising kids is no small feat. Just the basic logistics of caring for a human being from their helpless newborn stage to the full-fledged adult stage is a lot, much less doing the countless other things that will actually help that human thrive.

Parents who go above and beyond to create a nurturing environment and build strong core memories with their kids are inspiring examples for us all, and one dad's spa day with his daughter has people positively gushing.

Mason Smith (@thedadsocial) shared a video of a special spa day he gave his young daughter when her mom and older sister were having their own pampered outing. "Mom and sister went to the salon so I couldn't have her feeling left out," he wrote.

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Communications consultant reveals the interview tip that gets her the job every time

It really seals the deal.

via Jennifer Reardon/TikTok

Jennifer Reardon shares her question that gets her the job everytime.

Job interviews are one of the most stressful situations people go through. A recent poll of over 2,000 people found that job interviews are the fifth most stressful experience a person can have, right after health and financial problems, family issues and running late.

That’s why it is vital to be prepared to handle any questions you have to field during the interview. You’ll be less nervous and make a better candidate. However, many people never think to have a question prepared for their potential employer at the end of the interview when they ask, “Do you have any questions for us?”

Communications director and consultant Jennifer Reardon, who goes by the name @notjenneeree on TikTok, says that she has the perfect question to ask at that pivotal moment at the end of the interview. And she claims that she got the job every time she’s asked the question.

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Study of Upworthy headlines claims negativity drives website clicks. We have some thoughts.

Let us give you a peek behind the editorial curtain here.

Photo by Egor Vikhrev on Unsplash

Let's talk about what makes people read articles.

The adage, "If it bleeds, it leads," refers to the media's tendency to headline stories involving death or violence, but it can also be used to point to people's negativity bias. Simply put, people tend to pay more attention to negative news stories than positive ones.

A new study seems to reinforce this idea. And much to our surprise, it's centered on headlines used in Upworthy stories.

Using a public archive of Upworthy headlines and traffic data from 2012 to 2015, two separate teams of researchers analyzed whether people's click tendencies changed with negative or positive words in headlines. In those olden days of Upworthy, a handful of headlines for a single story were tested on the website to see which one would receive the most clicks. The research teams analyzed those results and found that negative words in headlines led to more people clicking on a story (2.3% more), and positive words in headlines led to fewer clicks (1.0% fewer). They also found a preference for headlines that express sadness over those that express joy, fear or anger.

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