Kelly Clarkson tears up after Henry Winkler shares some simple advice for her dyslexic daughter
"The Fonz" has been a dyslexia advocate for years.
Actor Henry Winkler speaking at the Foreign Office in London on his experience of living with dyslexia, March 2013. Kelly Clarkson at the 2018 Radio Disney Awards.
Henry Winkler is best known for playing one of the most iconic TV characters of all time, Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzerelli, on “Happy Days.” But at 77, his career is still going strong as he plays acting coach Gene Cousineau on HBO Max’s critically-acclaimed “Barry.”
But success hasn’t been easy for Winkler. He had a challenging time in school as a child because he had undiagnosed dyslexia. The disorder also made it extremely difficult for him to memorize lines as an actor.
“When I was growing up in New York City, no one knew what dyslexia was,” he said, according to The Reading Well. “I was called stupid and lazy, and I was told that I was not living up to my potential. It was, without a doubt, painful. I spent most of my time covering up the fact that reading, writing, spelling, math, science—actually, every subject but lunch—was really, really difficult for me.”
At 31, after his stepson's learning disabilities were diagnosed as dyslexia, Winkler learned that he also has the disorder. The diagnosis helped him develop strategies that make it easier for him to memorize his lines and continue his success in entertainment.
Since then, he has advocated for people with dyslexia and has written over 30 children’s books, including the "Hank Zipzer" series about a hero who has dyslexia.
Winkler appeared on the April 18th episode of “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” where he comforted the host whose daughter, River Rose, 8, has dyslexia.
“She was getting bullied at school for not being able to read like all the other kids,” Clarkson said. Winkler assured Clarkson that her daughter wasn’t alone, citing the fact that 1 in 5 kids have the disorder.
“It’s more common, I didn’t know that,” Clarkson said.
“She’s in the tribe,” Winkler responded.
What’s cooler than being in the same tribe as Fonzie?
“It really empowered her that y’all are so open about it,” Clarkson said, noting that her daughter’s school had a program about dyslexia that mentioned numerous celebrities have the disorder.
Winkler then looked directly into the camera and shared some great advice for Clarkson’s daughter and the millions who struggle with dyslexia. “How you learn has nothing to do with how brilliant you are,” he said.
Winkler’s bold declaration made Clarkson well up with tears. “My makeup artist is going to kill me,” she joked.
Winkler’s simple message is something everyone should hear: Your ability to learn isn’t necessarily a sign of your intelligence.
"Many people mistakenly believe that the ability to learn is a matter of intelligence," Ulrich Boser writes in Harvard Business Review, adding that “learning strategies can be more important than raw smarts when it comes to gaining expertise.”
Kudos to Winkler for being a tireless advocate for people with dyslexia and educating the public about the disorder. As the Harvard Business Review says, learning is about finding the right strategies. The better we understand learning disabilities, the more we can help those who struggle to find the strategies that work for them—just like The Fonz.
- If you have dyslexia, this website can show your friends what reading is actually like. ›
- Dyslexic plumber gets a life-changing boost after his friend built an app that texts for him ›
- Eye-opening video shows what it's like to have dyslexia. It must be incredibly frustrating. ›
- Henry Winkler shut down daughter's Kardashian reality TV dream - Upworthy ›
Millennial mom struggles to organize her son's room.Image via Canva/fotostorm
Boomer grandparents have a video call with grandkids.Image via Canva/Tima Miroshnichenko
Information from the NICABM website regarding the "Window of Tolerance."Photo Credit: The National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine 
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Gen Xers and Millennials share 17 of the strangest things their Baby Boomer parents do
"My mom writes her emails in MS Word, then attaches the Word document to the email."
A Baby Boomer couple.
Generational fights have raged since the dawn of time, and a recent spat between Millennials and Baby Boomers is no exception. Baby Boomers, who raised Millennials, accuse the younger generation of being entitled and irresponsible with money. At the same time, Millennials accuse Boomers of having it easier economically while making it harder for those who came after them.
Where is Gen X in the battle? Probably off in the corner somewhere, saying, "Whatever." Aside from the generational sniping, there are some things the older generation does that are just plain baffling to younger people. Whether it's outdated worldviews, a refusal to adapt to modern technology, or a lack of self-awareness, Baby Boomers can do some strange things.
To help the younger folks get over their frustrations with parents from the "Me Generation," a Redditor asked: "What is the most Boomer thing your parents still do?" The stories were pretty funny and relatable, showing that almost everyone with parents over 60 is dealing with the same thing.
Here are 17 of the "strangest" things people's Baby Boomer parents do:
1. Phones on full blast
"Play iPhone slot machine games at full volume in the doctor’s office."
"My dad pretty much exclusively has his phone on speaker, and just walks around in public talking with it at max volume (and talking really loud himself). I’m like 'Dad, the entire supermarket doesn’t want to listen to you, and Uncle Jim complains about how often you have to pee.'"
2. Still using checkbooks
"My mom balances her checkbook every week. They still have a landline."
"And she probably has way more money than you will until she dies!"
3. Email issues
"My mom writes her emails in MS Word, then attaches the Word document to the email."
"Like the email is just the virtual envelope for the digital letter."
4. Restaurant jokes
"All those little restaurant comments.
'Wow, they'll let anyone in here!' when seeing a friend at said restaurant.
'Thanks for having us, not everyone will' to the waiter at the end of the meal.
'As you can see, it was terrible' when the staff takes away the clearly entirely eaten plate.
'You're going to have me floating away in a minute' when more water is put into their glass"
5. Always have to mention race
"Constantly mentioning the race or ethnicity of everyone she mentions. Never with any negative connotation or comment, but usually, there is no reason for it to be relevant to the conversation."
"My Jewish mother will always whisper the word 'black' in case anyone hears her: 'So the nice black man at the hardware store helped me find the right garden hose.'"
6. Googling their Google
"Typing Google on Google before they Google the thing they’re looking for."
"In the Google search bar, they type Google? Lol."
7. Getting a job is a cinch
"Believing you can walk into a business and hand in a resume. If you have a college degree in any field, they'll hire you."
"Just physically hand over your resume to HR or the hiring manager. You'll make a mark and get hired!! Call the office and ask to speak to HR/Hiring Manager."
Any Millennial who argued with their Boomer parents about how hard it is to land a good job should feel vindicated by a 2022 study, which found that most older Millennials didn't secure good jobs until their early 30s, while most Boomers did so in their 20s. "To secure a good job, young adults need to acquire more education and high-quality work experience than was necessary for previous generations," the researchers wrote.
8. Why are they together?
"Stay married forever while they behave like neither one of them can stand each other."
"I'm on the other side of that. After my mom passed, my dad now acts like their marriage was picture perfect and they were the love of each other's lives, even though they couldn't stand each other for at the very least 40 of the 54 years they were married."
9. Collectables or hoarding?
"Think their 'collectibles' are truly valuable."
"My mom insists her Hummels are going to put my kids through college!"
"Mine are the Thomas Kincade paintings. She has a Victorian glass piece that might actually be worth something, but those damn paintings are the real investment."
10. Can you grab the mail?
"Ask me to bring in the mail when they go away for more than 24 hours."
"My parents think everybody is standing at the door waiting for the mailman every day, and don’t believe me when I tell them that some people go days without checking their mail. They think everybody is waiting for the mailman every day because 'somebody might send them a check.' Like, really?"
11. Zero responsibility
"'Well, I guess I was just a bad father.' Yeah. That attitude of anti-responsibility is exactly why 3 out of 4 of your children don't talk to you."
"Ha! Have the same dad, do we?"
12. Comment on people's appearance
"Comment on EVERYBODY’s body/appearance/weight. The first thing my dad does after not seeing me for a year is poke me in the gut and tell me how fat I am."
13. Boomer panic is real
"Literally throwing their hands up in a panic when they don't understand something. Where did they learn that?"
"Or just saying 'well, I don't know', especially when that comes right after you explaining it and showing them how to do something, with them nodding along and asking relevant questions all the way through."
In a video by YourTango, editor Brian Sundholm tried to explain Boomer panic in an empathetic way: "Most of us nowadays know the importance of recognizing and feeling our emotions." Sundholm then quoted therapist Mitzi Bachman, who explained that when people struggle to express their emotions, it can result in an "unhinged" reaction.
14. Annoying Facebook posts
"Post nonsensical rants on Facebook for other boomers to like, share, and comment. Often these rants are political, but not always. Basically cringe-fest."
"Most people won't do it, but share this post if you believe in god and freedom."
"I do NOT give Facebook permission to use my photos and personal information!"
15. Dinner pushers
"While we're eating breakfast. What do you want to do for supper?"
"Can't we enjoy this meal without worrying about the next?"
16. They print everything
"My boomer in-laws print EVERYTHING! The number of times I have said, 'quit wasting ink, email it to me, or text me the link. Or just text me the schedule, don't print it out.' GPS on their phones? Nope...print a map."
"Boomers and their paper man. My dad has finally started using the internet, but he still prints everything he likes. Like he'll see a boat listing on Craigslist and print the entire page, including a massive color photo of it, and he's definitely not going to be buying it either. He's got a stack of papers that is the internet that sits by his recliner. He just sits there with Fox News on (though it's usually muted for some reason, that's a plus) and looks at his papers."
17. Flirting with servers
"My dad is 77 still flirts with the young waitresses. It's f**king weird for everyone."
"He thinks he is in cute old man territory, but he is not."