He turned a $5,000 truck into a mobile shower that’s making a big difference.
Jake Austin has been volunteering with the homeless in St. Louis, Missouri, for years. But he just recently had a huge epiphany. Meet Jake. Photo by Shower to the People, used with permission “Most of my life I’ve been volunteering in different capacities,” he said. “One group was doing food and clothes, and I went…
Jake Austin has been volunteering with the homeless in St. Louis, Missouri, for years. But he just recently had a huge epiphany.
Meet Jake. Photo by Shower to the People, used with permission
“Most of my life I’ve been volunteering in different capacities,” he said. “One group was doing food and clothes, and I went down there to help out. They had a hygiene table that was in disarray. So I asked if I could take it over.”
Austin started bringing in donations — soaps, shampoos, etc. — and handing them out to folks in need.
But one day, a man politely turned Austin and his donated soap down. And that’s when he realized: Donated hygiene items don’t do people any good unless they have a safe, comfortable place to use them.
“People will say, ‘I have 10 blankets and a bag full of sandwiches, but I haven’t showered in months,’” Austin told Upworthy.
For folks who are homeless, a shower can be a rare and sometimes life-changing luxury.
Photo via iStock.
A hot shower might not trump the need for basic things like food and shelter, but that’s exactly what makes hygiene such an overlooked need for many people who are homeless.
The fact is, being able to maintain basic hygiene is an absolute must for anyone hoping to secure or hold down a job. It’s also a huge factor in warding off disease and infections.
Plus, it’s hard to deny the fact that you just feel better when you’re clean.
That’s why Austin wants to make it easier for people in his city to get clean using an incredible mobile shower truck.
It’s like a food truck, but for showers! Photo by Shower to the People, used with permission.
Jake bought an old truck off Craigslist for $5,000, and after a successful GoFundMe campaign and help from a bunch of really smart people, he retrofitted it to house two private shower stalls with sinks and mirrors.
The unit hooks up to fire hydrants and heats the water using an external generator, meaning the truck can travel and provide free, warm showers pretty much anywhere in the city.
Photo by Shower to the People, used with permission.
According to Austin, St. Louis has plenty of homeless shelters, but the showers are usually only open to official residents.
“Folks will save up what money they can find and try to get a gym membership. Beyond that they’ll use public sinks, libraries, the river. Or they’ll go into people’s backyards to use the hose,” he says.
The Shower to the People truck is an awesome, low-cost solution that offers more privacy, more convenience, better-kept facilities, and shower services for 60 people every day.
So far, Shower to the People and other programs like it are making a big difference.
Austin and his crew, in partnership with FOCUS North America, had the cameras rolling during their truck’s first day on the streets, and the reactions said it all.
He recalled one powerful moment:
“A couple of weeks ago there was a girl that came up to the truck. She was kind of crabby. Upset. Rightly so, given her experience. She had kind of an attitude, but we were being as polite as possible. She wanted to shave her legs — we were trying to be efficient, but I said, ‘Hey, take as much time as you need.’ When she came out, she was glowing. It was such an amazing experience.”
GIFs via Shower to the People/YouTube.
It’s a little early to tell if increasing access to showers will directly lead to big turnarounds for the folks who participate, but helping them feel a little better is a good start.
Shower to the People isn’t the first group to provide showers for folks who are living rough, either.
There are also programs like Lava Mae in San Francisco and Think Dignity in San Diego that offer similar services. And Austin wants to take his own version of a mobile shower unit into more cities soon too.
Austin says, “Our goal isn’t just to have clean people on the streets. Our goal is to help get people off the streets.”
A hot shower won’t solve everything for people living in extreme poverty, but it can be a step in the right direction on the path to a better life.
Kudos to Jake Austin for finding a simple solution to an underserved problem. Let’s hope more smart people will be following in his footsteps real soon.
From Pakistan to Tanzania, the most effective education solutions are community-led. Here’s how local leaders, in partnership with Malala Fund and supported by Pura, are mobilizing entire communities.
When asked to describe what Tanzania smells like, Grace Isekore closes her eyes and breathes in deep. For a moment, she’s somewhere else entirely. Tanzania is a rich tapestry of sights and scents, from the smell of sea mist that permeates the coastline to the earthy cardamom and cloves she cooks with in her kitchen. But when Grace emerges from her reverie, her answer is unexpected.
“Tanzania smells like peace,” she says, her eyes still closed. “I see a beautiful country where we are free to move, free to speak. And there is peace within the community.”
For Grace, that sense of peace isn’t just something she smells; it’s something she works toward every day. As a project coordinator with Pastoral Women’s Council (PWC), a women-led organization that empowers pastoralist communities in northern Tanzania, she has seen firsthand how girls flourish when they have the opportunity to attend school. Like scent, education not only connects girls to their own culture, but also helps broaden their horizons, realizing new possibilities for themselves and others. That transformation reshapes entire communities and ripples outward, with the potential to change countries and transform the world for the better.
Different scents, different approaches, and communities driving change
Spices in Tanzania. Captured by James Roh for Pura
For Grace and others around the world, education is freedom, as well as a pathway to a stronger community. Rooted in that shared belief, Pura, a home fragrance company, was inspired to build on their four-year partnership with Malala Fund to create something truly unique: a fragrance collection that connects people through scent to communities in Tanzania, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Brazil, where barriers to girls’ education are among the highest.
Using ingredients from each region, the new Pura x Malala Fund Collection uses scent to transport people to these regions directly. “Future in Bloom,” for example, invokes Pakistan’s lush valleys through notes of jasmine, cedarwood, and mango; while Tanzania’s fragrance, “Heart on Fire,” evokes the spirit and joyfulness of the girls who live there through cardamom, lemon, and green tea.
The new Collection honors the work Malala Fund does every day, partnering with locally-led organizations in these four countries to ensure every girl can access and complete 12 years of education. Each scent celebrates the joy, tenacity, and courage of the women and girls driving change on the ground, while also augmenting Pura’s annual grant to Malala Fund by donating eight percent of net revenue from the Pura x Malala Fund Collection to Malala Fund directly.
Just as each country’s scent is unique, so too are their needs related to education. But with support from Malala Fund and Pura, local leaders are coming up with creative ways to mobilize entire communities (parents, teachers, elders, and the students themselves, in their pursuit of solutions, understanding that educating girls helps everyone thrive. Here’s how their efforts are creating real, durable impact in Tanzania and Pakistan, and creating a ripple effect that changes the world for the better.
Parent-teacher associations help Maasai girls and their communities in Tanzania problem-solve
A girl’s school in Tanzania. Captured by James Roh for Pura
Northern Tanzania, Grace’s home, is home to pastoralist communities like the Maasai, a nomadic people who have moved with the seasons to nurture the land and care for their livestock for centuries. The nomadic nature of this lifestyle creates significant and unique barriers to girls’ education. Longstanding gender roles have enabled Maasai to survive in the harsh environment and have placed great value on both women and men. Over time, as nomadic life has been threatened by the privatization of land and stationary education models have been implemented, the reality of pastoralist livelihood has shifted and introduced new complexities. Now, the sheer distance to schools is both a practical challenge and one that often comes with danger from the landscape, predators, and potential exposure to assault along the journey. Girls shoulder the responsibility of household chores and there is often cultural pressure around early marriage – both leading to boys’ education being prioritized over girls’.
“There are very, very good [pastoralist] cultural practices, which are passed from generation to generation,” says Janet Kimori, an English teacher at Lekule Girls Secondary School in Longido, Tanzania. But when cultural practices act as educational barriers, “you have to sit down and look for where you are going to assist. As a school, as an individual, the school administration—all of us will chip in and know how we are going to deal with this problem.”
PWC works to ensure girls are able to exercise their right to an education while also preserving pastoralist culture. One successful approach, the organization found, has been the formation of Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs), created with help from Malala Fund. In PTA meetings, students, parents, teachers, elders, and government officials meet, discuss educational barriers, and come up with community-led solutions that preserve and honor their culture while advancing educational outcomes.
PTA meeting in Tanzania. Captured by James Roh for Pura
One recent PTA meeting highlights how these community-led solutions are often the most effective. At Lekule Girls Secondary School, the lack of fresh water forces girls to walk long distances to collect water for the school’s kitchen during the school day, and these long journeys not only disrupt class time but can leave girls vulnerable to sexual assault in isolated areas. Through facilitated discussion, PTA members landed on a solution: installing a borehole to pipe in fresh water to the school. Reliable access to water creates a better learning environment for the girls, but it also benefits the community at large, as local governments are then more likely to invest in health clinics and other community resources nearby.
With a solution in place, the PTA was then able to discuss ideas and map out a course of action. The women would raise money for the cost of the borehole, while the men would recruit workers to dig the hole and lay the pipe. Together, they would ask government officials to match their investment.
The benefits of PTA meetings within the pastoralist communities are undeniable. “The girls are talking and addressing issues in a confident way, and parents feel they are part of the resource team to solve challenges happening at school,” Grace says. One unexpected benefit: The larger cultural impact these PTA meetings have created. Thanks to the success of PTAs within pastoralist communities, the models are now being endorsed on a national level, and schools across Tanzania are starting to use them to solve problems in their own communities. When a community creates opportunities for girls to learn, everyone benefits.
Safe spaces in rural Pakistan help students and their parents connect, then drive change
Safe space for girls meeting in Pakistan. Captured by Insiya Syed.
A continent away in Pakistan, the country’s northernmost region of Gilgit-Baltistan seems like a land untouched by time. The region’s looming mountains, snow-capped peaks, lush valleys and crystalline lakes draw nature lovers and landscape photographers from around the world, but living among this kind of breathtaking scenery has its drawbacks. Schools in the region are few and far between, and the area’s harsh climate often makes roads inaccessible for travel. Poverty and gender-based discrimination are additional obstacles, making school even further out of reach, and girls are affected disproportionately. Going up against these barriers requires a persistent, quiet strength that’s found in the women who live there and reflected in Pakistan’s signature scent.
Saheli Circles are how local leaders in Gilgit-Baltistan are bridging the gap between girls and education. An Urdu term for “female friend,” Saheli Circles are after-school safe spaces where girls explore subjects like art and climate change, while also developing skills that help them manage emotions, set goals, and build positive relationships. Girls study in groups, visit the library, play sports, and tackle filmmaking and photography projects, all designed to develop self confidence and teach the girls how to advocate for issues that matter to them. But the work doesn’t stop there.
“What we’re trying to achieve here will only be impactful if it trickles down to the home environment and the school environment,” says Marvi Sumro, founder and program director of Innovate, Educate, and Inspire Pakistan (IEI), the local organization that developed the Saheli Circles model and partnered with Malala Fund in 2021 to make it a reality. Ever since, Saheli Circles have grown to involve teachers, elders, and parents to encourage relationship building that’s essential for young girls and adolescents. “Our spaces can give mothers and daughters an opportunity to interact a little differently—do an art activity, or have a cup of tea together, or some good conversation,” Marvi says.
The relationship building is what makes the biggest positive impact throughout the community. Recently, one Saheli Circle was able to bring together parents, teachers, and administrators to advocate for better education at their local school, and together they convinced the department of education to hire a science teacher. Another Saheli Circle organized a fund where members of the community can contribute monthly to pay for uniforms, books, and other school expenses for the girls in their village, eliminating those small, hidden costs that are often a barrier to education for many. A third Saheli Circle was able to produce a short film about how gender-based household chores can take away valuable study time from girls, leaving them at a disadvantage. “The girls put the film together and showed it to the mothers, and the response from the mothers was just beautiful,” Marvi says.
Girls smiling in Pakistan. Captured by Insiya Syed.
The education and relationship building that the girls receive in Saheli Circles connects them to larger opportunities and economic freedom that are not possible in their hometown. “For girls in Gilgit-Baltistan, education is extremely important because of the fact that we’re so far away from where the economy is, where the opportunity is. Education becomes this bridge for us, for our girls, to access all the opportunity and economy that exists in [larger cities].”
From rural Tanzania to remote Pakistan, local organizations prove every day that prioritizing girls’ education benefits everyone. Communities that lift up girls are able to secure resources like clean water and well-staffed schools, as well as build stronger relationships.
These outcomes are only possible because of the women and girls who work tirelessly in these regions to overcome barriers and drive progress. The Pura x Malala Fund Collection is a way to honor them, celebrate their achievements, and unite people the world over around a shared belief that education is freedom. Like scent, that belief can build, travel, and has the possibility to transform the world.
Experience the Pura x Malala Fund Collection here, and connect with the stories of real girls leading change across the globe.
Living abroad is a dream many people have, whether it’s spending a summer in a foreign country or packing up their entire life to make the permanent move. In fact, according to a 2025 Harris Poll, more than half of Americans believe they could have a higher quality of life abroad, and many say they’d move if they had the means. Some estimates show that an estimated 5.5 million Americans live abroad, according to the Association of Americans Resident Overseas.
But life is funny, and sometimes these expats come back to the United States for a variety of reasons like family or career, which gives them an extremely interesting perspective when they begin their re-entry.
Take American-born TikTok user Kayleigh Donahue, for example. She’s going viral on the platform because of her unflinching take on why it was a mistake for her to move back to the U.S. after spending 4 years in Ireland.
Moving to the U.S. was a step backwards
Kayleigh moved back to the Boston area from Ireland to make more money, but that didn’t go as planned.
Even though she got paid more, the cost of living was so much higher that she saved less money than she did in Ireland. She also missed the generous number of vacation days she got in Europe as compared to America.
“I have been bamboozled,” she begins in the now viral clip with over 600 thousand views.
Many people like Kayleigh move abroad, especially to European countries, for a slower way of life, better work-life balance, more opportunity for travel, or just to see something different. But America is the land of opportunity, right? For some, that promise always beckons, no matter where they go. So even though Kayleigh had an amazing life in Ireland, she wound up moving home to advance her career and make more money.
The real cost of the American Dream
“Basically, I really got sucked into the American Dream way of living when I was abroad, which is funny because I loved living abroad,” Kayleigh said. “But you know, making more money, that’s enticing. Good job, that’s enticing. It’s not true. It used to be. It definitely used to be. You could come here and make a ton of money, make a great life for yourself. But the younger generation today, in this country – screwed. It’s literally all a lie that is sold to you. It’s such a struggle, and the older generation doesn’t seem to see how much of a struggle it is for the younger generation here.”
In the end, who wants to work harder for a lower quality of life?
“Needless to say, I will most likely be moving back to Europe where 20-plus days of paid vacation a year is literally the law, and I will make less money, but somehow, you know, the cost of living is lower there and I can save more,” Kayleigh concluded the video.
The comments support Kayleigh
Viewers applauded Kayleigh for coming to the realization:
“Yep, I made the same mistake. Then I realized that people and quality of life are more important than income. Enjoy life!” one wrote.
“Get that. We moved back to US and it was horrible. We moved back to the UK. Happier now was 6 weeks off a year” said another.
“I think there are actually very few people who derive their enjoyment and self-worth from their job. Quality of life is so much more important,” another user added.
Kayleigh made good on her promise. As of January 2025, she now lives in Amsterdam with her Dutch husband, and they seem to be loving their life abroad.
A Mercer survey in 2024 put Amsterdam as the sixth best city in the world for quality of life. It’s a place with rich culture, amazing public transportation, and a reasonable cost of living to earning potential ratio.
Young Americans really aren’t asking for that much. They just want to be able to afford and enjoy their life, and they’re willing to work hard for it. America should be giving them those opportunities instead of losing more and more talented young people to other countries.
This article originally appeared two years ago. It has been updated.
People say having children is like having your heart walk around outside of your body. You send them off to school, practices, or playdates and hope that the world treats them kindly because when they hurt, you hurt. Inevitably, there will be times when your child’s feelings are hurt, so you do your best to prepare for that day.
But what prepares you for when the child you love so much winds up accidentally healing your inner child. A mom on TikTok who goes by Soogia posted a video explaining a phone call she received from a parent in her daughter’s classroom. The mom called to inform Soogia that their kids had been sharing lunch with each other. Soogia wasn’t prepared for what came next.
An unexpected phone call
The classmate’s mother informed her that her son loves the food Soogia’s daughter brings to school and wanted to learn how to cook it, too. “I was like, ‘thank you for my food’? Like, what is she talking about? Did she find my TikTok? ‘F**k, I’m mortified.’ But that wasn’t the case,” Soogia recalled, hardly being able to get the story out through her tears.
That may seem like a small thing to some, but the small gesture healed a little bit of Soogia’s inner child. Growing up as a Korean kid in California, Soogia’s experience was a bit different than what her children are now experiencing.
“I guess I just never thought that my kids would be the generation of kids that could go to school and not only just proudly eat, but share their food with other kids that were just so open and accepting to it,” Soogia says through tears. “Knowing that they don’t sit there eating their food, feeling ashamed and wishing that their fried rice was a bagel instead, or something like that. And I know, it sounds so small and it sounds so stupid, but knowing their experience at school is so different from mine in such a positive way is just so hopeful.”
At the end of the video, she vowed to send extra food in her daughter’s lunch every day so she could share her culture with the other kids.
The comments were heartfelt
Soogia’s tearful video pulled on the heartstrings of her viewers who shared their thoughts in the comments.
“Soogia! It will never be small. Your culture is beautiful & the littles are seeing that every day. You’ve even taught me so much. I’m grateful for you,” one person says.
“Beautiful! I can see your inner child healing in so many ways,” another writes.
“Welp. Now I’m sobbing at the airport. This is beautiful,” someone reveals.
“These Gen Alpha babies really are a different, kinder generation. I love them so much,” one commenter gushes.
Ultimately, the story is a wonderful reminder that everyone has a backstory and that a simple gesture like appreciating someone’s culture or history can mean far more to them than you’ll ever know.
This article originally appeared 2 years ago. It has been updated.
Americans’ attitudes about water have changed over the past 30 years. In the past, a common phrase on the athletic field was, “Don’t drink too much water, you’ll get a cramp,” which was partially true because of the risk for overhydration. Beyond that, the only people with water bottles were hippies. Now, people everywhere walk around with large water bottles, sometimes up to 64oz, attached to themselves like purses. It’s like people leave the house with the sincere belief that they will not be able to find potable water for the next three weeks.
The hydration craze has also meant that water bottles have become trendy status symbols and markers of personal identity. Are you more of a Yeti person or a Stanley? The trend has also been passed down to our children, who are encouraged to bring water bottles to school daily. In 2024, Miss Smith from the popular Bored Teachers TikTok page had fun with the trend in a video that received over 1.5 million views.
“Does anyone over 30 remember being allowed to have a water bottle in their elementary classroom?” she asks in the video.
Miss Smith recalls the only water she had during school back in the day was at lunch or during snack time and even then, the time she was allowed at the water fountain was limited.
“You were like gulping for life at that water fountain while kids behind you were like obnoxiously counting down or being like, ‘She’s getting more than 3 seconds!’” Then, the teacher would tap you on the shoulder, and you were done.
“Can you imagine if we did that to today’s kids? The emails! The calls I would get,” she continued.
The funny thing is that even though kids didn’t drink much water back in the day—and if they did, it was out of a fountain—somehow they survived. Now, we’re raising an entire generation that feels compelled to lug a heavy and costly bottle with them wherever they go, fearing they will suffer from dehydration.
Plenty of people remember those days well
The post resonated with many folks over 30 who lived through the dry days of pre-millennium America.
“I hear all the time that behavior issues have risen since we were kids; my theory is we were too dehydrated to misbehave,” one commenter joked. “We didn’t have water bottles because they also didn’t want us to ever go to the bathroom,” another added. “I don’t remember drinking water as a kid. Unless it was from a hose, it was Kool-Aid or milk. How am I still alive?” another said.
Your water bottle is SO ‘2023’
The hydration craze was a news topic in early 2024 after the new, limited edition Stanley + Starbucks water bottle was released at Target stores. The frenzy over the $49.95 bottle had people camping outside Target and jumping counters to get their hands on newly designed bottles popular with younger women.
The bottles promise to keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold for an extended period of time. So, when you drop your daughter off at first period, her water is still cold by the time the 3:05 bell rings. Having cold water throughout the day certainly is a luxury, but does it explain the hype? Some think the hydration craze has gotten out of control, but if history has anything to say about it, trends come and go and extra hydration in fancy cups might be on the way out.
This article originally appeared two years ago. It has been updated.
Millennials and Gen Z truly have a sibling kind of relationship. They take turns teasing each other but in the end it’s nothing but love between the two generations. One such viral taunting involved people saying that Gen Zers have aged like milk. Several Gen Zers themselves even agreed that people often mistake them for much older than they are. But that’s neither here nor there.
Gen Z eventually fired back with their own commentary about how poorly millennials age. But millennials came with receipts to prove that this was beyond untrue. Millennial Chris Bautista uploaded a pretty savage video response to these young whippersnappers explaining why they feel that way.
According to Bautista, the answer is quite simple. Millennials set the bar for what aging looks like for people approaching middle age.
Why millennials think they’re aging better
“I’m gonna say this a little bit louder for the Gen Zers in the back that didn’t hear me the last time. Millennials look fantastic for our age and you cannot tell us otherwise,” Bautista starts. “The reason why you think we don’t look great for our ages is because we have set the new standard of what it looks like to age.”
Then he pulls out the evidence. Pictures of celebrities who were the age millennials are right now when the pictures were taken. Yikes! Most millennials look nowhere near the age of the people in the pictures.
Fellow millennials were quick to chime in with their guesses as to why they are the poster children for anti-aging.
“It’s cause all millennials used the St. Ives peach scrub exfoliating wash and we achieved eternal youth,” someone surmised.
“It’s gotta be the Flintstone vitamins,” another quipped.
“I don’t know, I am 40 and got stopped at my son’s high school security guard because he thought I was a student. No one ever believes my age,” wrote a third.
A fourth shared, “But seriously like what’s the reason? Cause this life has been stressful.”
Experts actually have some answers
There are several theories as to why the anti-aging phenomenon has occurred. None of them actually involve Flintstones vitamins or St. Ives scrubs, but they do have that signature self deprecating millennial humor. They range from being the first group heavily indoctrinated to cosmetic “tweakments,” to being depressed and therefore indoors all day, to simply having youthful energy due to never being able to truly grow up.
However, according to experts, it really comes down to millennials being among the first group to take the basics seriously. By basics, we mean, sunscreen (and somehow bypassing the anti-sunscreen conspiracy theory craze via TikTok) as well as hydration (hellooooo Stanley water bottles). Plus, millennials aren’t as known to have a proclivity towards vaping, like their Gen Z counterparts. Sometimes it really comes down to the simple things.
Regardless of aging it seems that the sibling banter between these two generations will remain alive and well forever and ever.
This article originally appeared two years ago. It has been updated.
At Upworthy, we love sharing the “best of humanity” with our audience, and this story out of Utah, originally reported by CBS News’ Steve Hartman, shows the power of love to break down barriers.
When Schauna Austin was 20 years old, she got pregnant and knew she wasn’t ready to raise a child, so she made the difficult decision to give the baby up for adoption.
She gave birth to a son she named Riley and only had three days to spend with him before surrendering him to his new family. So, she held him tight for 72 hours straight.
“It was perfect,” Austin said about those three emotionally-charged days. “I knew I would have him for a short time, so I made every minute count of it. I didn’t sleep for three days.” It must have been tough for Austin to give up her son because the grieving process of surrender and adoption can be incredibly difficult.
The beginning of an unlikely journey
Riley was placed with Chris and Jennifer Schoebinger through a closed adoption, and they decided to rename him Steven.
In a closed adoption, the birth mother, Austin, would not receive any information about the adoptive family. In Utah, closed adoptions are a rarity these days, with about 95% allowing some exchange of information between the birth and adoptive parents. Usually, the birth parents have a good deal of input over whether they prefer to have regular contact or not with the adoptive family.
However, about a week later, the Schoebingers made a major decision.
The Schoebingers decided Austin should be involved in Steven’s life. They wanted to officially open the closed adoption.
You can imagine that it’s a big and potentially risky decision for adoptive parents to bring in a birth parent. It could complicate things, stir up difficult feelings, or even bring conflict into their lives. But the Schoebingers weren’t worried about any of that.
“It was like, ‘OK, this is the way it should be. She was part of our family,’” Jennifer told CBS News.
“You know, you can’t have too many people loving you, right? Why couldn’t he be both of ours?” Chris added.
A life documented in books and photos
Every year, the Schoebingers sent Austin pictures and bound journals showing Steven’s journey in deep detail. They even had lists of all the new words he learned each year. The books were titled “The Life and Times of ‘Riley,’” paying homage to Steven’s original name.
The hope was that one day when the biological mother and son were ready, they could pick up where they left off. That moment came when Steven was seven years old and his biological mother taught him to fish. The unique arrangement has been fantastic for both Austin and her biological son. “I was blessed beyond words,” Austin said. “I kind of got the best of both worlds, for sure,” Steven agreed. It may seem like relationships between children and those who gave them up for adoption would be complicated, but studies show that 84% of adoptees reported high levels of satisfaction when maintaining ongoing contact with their birth parents. It’s considered the standard these days unless there are specific reasons why it’s in the best interest of the child to have the adoption be closed.
Steven is now 28 and in August 2022, he and his wife, Kayla, had their first child, a boy they named…wait for it…Riley. Austin, herself, is now a grandmother.
He’s heeere!!! ? Our first grandchild. Welcome, Riley. You don’t know me yet, but our home will always be your home. No matter what life throws your way, you will be loved and accepted and we’ll eat pie! And ice cream. And you’ll wonder if that’s the only thing grandpa eats? ? pic.twitter.com/7ac8A0GVKI
The remarkable story of Austin and the Schoebinger family proves that when we put walls between ourselves and others, we are often blocking everyone off from more love and support.
It’s Father’s Day. And as a father, I’m excited for my son to soon be a new father. Still strange to think I’ll be a grandfather. But I’m really looking forward to it. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/0RZlD8cwP7
People on social media were incredibly moved by the story. Dozens of commenters chimed in on YouTube to express their gratitude for the families involved:
“Steven’s adoptive parents are WONDERFUL! They weren’t selfish, and did what was best for STEVEN, His dad said it best—–the more love a child has, the better. His bio mom lucked out with this special couple as well, especially when they sent her the books each year! This story was ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!” one user wrote.
“Speaks volumes of his adoptive parents and also the love of his natural mother to make the hardest decision on earth,” another said.
“Thank you for including the birth mom in the raising of your son. I’m adopted and it was a closed one. the struggle of not knowing your birth parents is real. I just spent my first Christmas in 56 years with my Ukrainian birth family. Full circle family is love. Oh what a ride!” someone added.
Ultimately, Chris Schoebinger, the adoptive dad, said it best:
“I think the lesson we learned is that sometimes we create barriers where barriers don’t need to be. And when we pull down those barriers, we really find love on the other side,” Chris said.
This article originally appeared two years ago. It has been updated.
“JAW.” Cute, simple, straightforward. You can take any movie with a plural “s” and just remove it for a tiny chuckle. “The Avenger.” “Star War.” “Heather.” But the best responses make you think for a minute before the light bulb goes on and the belly laugh hits:
“The Postman Rang Once The One Time He Stopped By.”
“I for Vendetta”
“Malcom I”
“Jumanjus.”
That last one is a perfect example of why people are loving the responses to this prompt. “Jumanji” isn’t even plural, but applying the rule that gives us cactus/cacti and octopus/octopi, we get “Jumanjus.” Cleverly hilarious.
Some adjustments are just so silly, you can’t help but laugh, like “Indiana Jone.” Many of them use animal groups (pride of lions, murder of crows, school of fish) that you have to decipher or stretch your logic to break down things we don’t think of as plural (wall to brick, wind to air molecule, corporation to sole proprietor). And “I for Vendetta” and “Malcolm I”? Perfect. (As one person said, we don’t have enough Roman numeral humor in the world.)
People loved seeing how creative others were in their responses:
“This thread is for the ‘pleasure to have in class’ kids only and I love it. 😂”
“Gods everyone is so much smarter than me. I’m just over here trying to think of titles ending in S.”
“I’ve never been more ok with everyone been smarter than me. 😂”
“I cannot read this thread while my partner is trying to sleep beside me. I am SHAKING the bed, laughing.”
Why do people find these depluralized titles so funny, though? Likely the same reason we delight in puns and spoonerisms. Wordplay tickles our brains and our funny bones.
As neuroscientist Dean Burnett shared with BBC Science Focus, “Humor is essentially our brain going ‘This isn’t how things usually work… but I’m okay with it!’”
Burnett explains that humor happens in our brains when there’s incongruity between what we expect to happen and what actually happens and we resolve that incongruity.
“Basically, thanks to these complex systems in our brains, humour can be derived from things being surprising, unexpected or wrong in some form, as long at it’s resolved, without negative consequences,” he writes.
That’s essentially what’s happening when we see a familiar movie title altered in a way that we don’t expect but that ultimately makes sense. Whatever the humor trigger, it’s so fun to have so many people enjoy some wordplay together.
Parents might have noticed their teens feasting on a plain bowl of meat and rice. The ‘boy kibble’ craze started as a simple joke to get likes on social media. Kids are now consuming the same meal every day, no complaints.
Parents can spend years of time and energy attempting to fix how their kids eat. But this viral trend offers an opportunity to embrace a different strategy: work with what they already want to do and make it healthier.
The trending three-meals-a-day, seven-days-a-week meal plan is one simple dish on repeat. A bowl consisting of meat, usually beef, for the high iron and protein, and rice. That’s it.
Teens like it so much because it’s straightforward, easy to prepare, and removes some of the obstacles to healthy eating. It can take a lot of time to learn how to make a tasty, healthy meal.
Healthline reported that the trend is inexpensive and offers young men interested in muscle building a basic high-protein meal. Nutrition experts agree that the dish provides important nutrients. However, without modification, it has nutritional gaps. Even eating very healthy foods without variety leads to deficiencies.
Dr. Sanjai Thankachen, medical director at New Leaf Detox, explained how some eating habits can be concerning. “If eating patterns become very restrictive or tied to body image concerns, it may signal disordered eating, which is an unhealthy relationship with food and weight.”
However, Thankachen does recognize the value and draw for teens, “Trends like ‘boy kibble’ often appeal to teenagers because they simplify decision-making. Fewer choices can reduce stress and make it easier to meet basic nutrition goals, especially protein intake. That part can be useful.”
The simple truth is that ‘boy kibble’ is much healthier than typical teen diets. Avoiding highly processed foods, sodas, fast food, and sugary snacks and replacing them with more protein and consistency is a positive step in the right direction.
The Society of Behavioral Medicine suggests consistency beats chaos trends like skipping meals or binging junk food. Regular eating patterns offer better energy, nutrition, and brain function, especially in teens.
There is a real, hidden parenting upside to this new eating plan, too. A psychiatrist, Sam Zand, told Upworthy the trend was a strong starting point for modeling healthier eating habits. “One approach is by taking advantage of the ‘trend’ and have your teen continue to use easy and independent meal options, while incorporating more variety and nutritional quality.”
Zand continues, “This will also provide parents the opportunity to model how to have a flexible, unrestricted approach to eating, which can buffer their children from developing a negative self-image and/or problems with physical and/or emotional health at a later age.”
A 2025 study in the National Library of Medicine found adolescence was the critical window during which diet shapes lifelong health outcomes. Parents have a little over a decade to encourage imperfect, but better habits. Basic protein and carbs, not fast food, can have a lasting, long-term impact.
Parents understand that guiding teens in the right direction takes a strategic and patient skill set. A 2024 study in Frontiers found that overcontrolling parents led to worse eating habits. Parents who provide structure and support while allowing some autonomy bring healthier eating habits.
this was amazing and is not to be mistaken with bear dinner, as that would include berries and honey If you want help getting in the best shape of your life dm me “START” no gimmicks, just results #gym#bodybuilding#Fitness#fitnesscoach#workout
Teens don’t fail at nutrition because they’re apathetic or don’t care. They struggle because food choices can be overwhelming, and healthy options aren’t the easiest to make. It’s exactly why ‘boy kibble’ is so appealing.
These are some simple suggestions to encourage a step up to the kibble plan:
Stock the freezer with frozen veggies
Buy more healthy sauces instead of sugar-based ones that high in preservatives
Have pre-cut veggies available
Keep a variety of pre-cooked proteins
Store up on microwaveable grain options like Quinoa blends, Couscous, and Farro
Let them keep the ‘boy kibble’ and avoid shaming the repetition
Sometimes these healthy habits don’t start with perfect choices. Workable choices, however, can be easy for parents to get behind. How can you make what they’re already willing to eat a little better?
It’s a challenge every parent faces: striking that precarious balance between providing for their kids while still fostering independence. In today’s world, previous generations‘ struggles are a thing of the past, making that balance even harder to strike.
One parent recently found themselves at a loss with this predicament. They took to Reddit to see if they should “manufacture hardship” for their kids.
In their post, they explained how they and their husband grew up “poor,” but managed to create a “very comfortable upper-middle-class life.”
Because they freelance, they’re able to be a completely “engaged” parent as well—always there for “school pick-ups and getting driven around to extracurriculars.”
And while the OP’s kids don’t act spoiled with material things, they noticeably lack a “capacity for dealing with even slight inconveniences.” From getting picked up five minutes later than their normal time, to minor switches to dinner plans, to non-VIP experiences at theme parks, this parent noted “attitudes” and “unregulated frustrations.”
“If they ever face a college essay question about overcoming adversity, I don’t think they would even be able to answer it,” they wrote.
Why kids today aren’t as resilient
In an article for Psychology Today,Nancy Colier LCSW, Rev. noted the rise of “helicopter parenting” and living life via a curated social media algorithm makes unregulated kids a common dilemma. Both, she argues, are symptoms of a modern culture that “conditions us to believe that life should be how we want it to be, that we shouldn’t have to struggle, and that our children shouldn’t have to, either.”
She goes on to say that “we don’t do our kids any favors” when we erase any trace of character building discomfort, and instead, “we create people who are dissatisfied and unhappy, and ultimately, are unable to deal with real life.”
However, Dr. Kate Renshaw, Director at Play and Filial Therapy, argues that “the real issue isn’t that children’s lives are too easy, it’s that they’re too tightly managed.” Furthermore, she tells Upworthy that “manufacturing hardship” can cause more harm than good.
“Hardship without a consistent trusting relationship is confusing and stressful,” she says. “The neuroscience is clear: a child’s nervous system needs a co-regulatory anchor—a safe adult—to process difficulty in a way that builds resilience rather than artificially add to states of dysregulation.”
This is why she suggests encouraging “unstructured, child-led play” where frustration tolerance can “naturally develop.” This can look like a stuck Play-Doh lid, navigating friendship decisions about gameplay, or outdoor play where the natural elements cannot be controlled by adults.
Suffice it to say, if even experts can’t agree on which approach is best, there isn’t exactly a one-size-fits-all solution. Even in the Reddit comments, some agreed that the parent should introduce some friction, while others said the attitude might go away on its own. So at the very least, maybe parents in this situation can give themselves a little grace.
