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How one woman and 'Supergirl' helped a teen feel comfortable in her own skin.

'I was her at that age. Scared of who I was, and thought I was alone.'

​Mary Swangin was working an otherwise ordinary Saturday at a Fort Wayne, Indiana, comic book store when a teenage girl came in looking "absolutely terrified."

Swangin tweeted the encounter later that day, explaining that when she went to help the girl, it quickly became clear that the girl needed more than just a good comic recommendation — she needed someone to listen and understand her. As luck would have it, Swangin happened to be the perfect person for the job.

Once Swangin started talking to her, she realized the girl must have recently come out of the closet, and Swangin, having also come out around that age, immediately empathized with her.

The girl explained that she's a huge fan of Supergirl's sister Alex Danvers, who recently came out in an episode of The CW show.

In season 2 of "Supergirl," Danvers (played by Chyler Leigh) realizes that she's a lesbian and becomes romantically involved with Maggie Sawyer (played by Floriana Lima), an openly gay cop on the show — a pairing affectionally known as "Sanvers" by fans.

GIF from "Supergirl."

"We're walking to the Super area when I ask if she watches the show. She smiles a bit and nods. Says Alex is her favorite. I mention that I'm a huge shipper and the poor thing just breaks down in tears. I'm trying to figure out what the hell I did to upset her. She's crying and I'm freaking out. After a minute or so, everything clicks. I'm staring down a crying baby gay. One who was having some big issues. I tell her that it was hard for me when I wanted to come out too. She finally stops crying and asks me if it gets easier," Swangin tweeted.

In the course of their conversation, the girl confessed to Swangin that she had been suicidal and that Danvers' coming out story arc was one of the only things keeping her hope alive in a difficult time.

"I was her at that age. Scared of who I was, and thought I was alone," explains Swangin over a direct message on Twitter. For Swangin, the character she was drawn to was Kate Kane as Batwoman. "She was a military cadet who was expelled under DADT [Don't Ask Don't Tell] and hit rock bottom," writes Swangin. "She had to claw her way up, and if she could do it, so could I."

Which is why she decided to share the whole story on Twitter:

Sometimes superheroes don't wear capes. Sometimes they wear regular clothes and work in comic book stores.

$60 comics aside, this girl will know forever that she's far from alone in her coming out story.

Even Chyler Leigh, the actress who plays Danvers, responded to the tweet thread to let the girl — and anyone else feeling alone — know that she, and Supergirl, have her back.

The more that marginalized groups are represented in the media, the more people will feel accepted and connected to a larger community. Like it or not, pop culture has that power, and with that power comes the obligation to be as inclusive as possible.

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Naming twins is an art. Here are some twin names people say are the best they've ever heard.

With twins, all the regular pressures of having a baby are doubled, including choosing a name.

Photo credit: Canva

Are you in favor of rhyming twin names? Or is it too cutesy?

Having twins means double the fun, and double the pressure. It’s a fairly known rule to name twins in a way that honors their unique bond, but that can lead to overly cutesy pairings that feel more appropriate for nursery rhyme characters than actual people. Plus, it’s equally important for the names to acknowledge each twin’s individuality. Again, these are people—not a matching set of dolls. Finding the twin baby name balance is easier said than done, for sure.

Luckily, there are several ways to do this. Names can be linked by style, sound or meaning, according to the baby name website Nameberry. For example, two names that share a classic style would be Elizabeth and Edward, whereas Ione and Lionel share a similar rhythm. And Frederica and Milo seem to share nothing in common, but both mean “peaceful.”

Over on the /NameNerds subreddit, one person asked folks to share their favorite twin name pairings, and the answers did not disappoint.

One person wrote “Honestly, for me it’s hard to beat the Rugrats combo of Phillip and Lillian (Phil and Lil) 💕”

A few parents who gave their twin’s names that didn’t inherently rhyme until nicknames got involved:

"It's the perfect way! Christmas cards can be signed cutely with matching names, but when they act out you can still use their full name without getting tripped up.😂"

"The parents of a good friend of mine did this: her name is Allison and her sister is Callie. Their names don’t match on the surface, but they were Alli and Callie at home."

“Alice and Celia, because they’re anagrams! Sound super different but have a not-so-obvious implicit connection.”

This incited an avalanche of other anagram ideas: Aidan and Nadia, Lucas and Claus, Liam and Mila, Noel and Leon, Ira and Ria, Amy and May, Ira and Ari, Cole and Cleo…even Alice, Celia, and Lacie for triplets.

Others remembered name pairs that managed to sound lovely together without going into cutesy territory.

twin names, twins, babies, baby namesThese matching bunny ears though. Photo credit: Canva

“I know twin toddler boys named Charlie and Archie and they go so well together,” one person commented.

Another wrote, “Tamia and Aziza. I love how they follow the same sound pattern with the syllable endings (-uh, -ee, -uh) without being obnoxiously matchy matchy.”

Still another said, “Lucy and Logan, fraternal girl/boy twins. I think the names sound so nice together, and definitely have the same 'vibe' and even though they have the same first letter they aren't too matchy-matchy.”

Other honorable mentions included: Colton and Calista, Caitlin and Carson, Amaya and Ameera, Alora and Luella, River and Rosie, and Eleanor and Elias.

One person cast a vote for shared style names, saying, “If I had twins, I would honestly just pick two different names that I like separately. I tend to like classic names, so I’d probably pick Daniel and Benjamin for boys. For girls my two favorites right now are Valerie and Tessa. I think Val and Tess would be cute together!”

Overall though, it seems that most folks were fans of names that focused on shared meaning over shared sound. Even better if there’s a literary or movie reference thrown in there.

twin names, twins, babies, baby namesMany adult twins regret that their names are so closely linked together. Photo credit: Canva

“My mom works in insurance, so I asked her. She’s seen a lot of unique ones, but the only twins she remembers are Gwenivere [sic] and Lancelot... bonus points... little brother was Merlin,” one person recalled.

Another shared, “If I had twin girls, I would name them Ada and Hedy for Ada Lovelace and Hedy Lamarr, both very early computer/tech pioneers. Not that I’m that into tech, I just thought it was a brilliant combination.”

Other great ones: Susan and Sharon (think the original “Parent Trap”), Clementine and Cara (types of oranges), Esme and Etienne (French descent), Luna and Stella (moon and stars), Dawn and Eve, plus various plant pairings like Lily and Fern, Heather and Holly, and Juniper and Laurel.

Perhaps the cleverest name pairing goes to “Aubrey and Zoe,” since…wait for it… “they’re A to Z.”

It’s easy to see how naming twins really is a cool opportunity for parents to get creative and intentional with their baby naming. It might be a challenge, sure, but the potential reward is having the most iconic set of twins ever. Totally worth it!


This article originally appeared last year.

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A meteorologist's cat crashed his at-home forecast and became his beloved co-host

Betty the Weathercat brought smiles and comfort to millions during the pandemic.

Jeff Lyons 14 News/Facebook

A meteorologist's cat bombed his at-home forecast and became his beloved co-host.

2020 was a weird one. While we were all doing our best to stay safe during a global pandemic, institutions that had been in our lives for decades were forced to evolve. School was hosted virtually, restaurants got rid of paper menus, and even the news was being broadcast from living rooms and home offices all over the country.

During the early days of the COVID-19 lockdowns, Indiana's 14 First Alert Chief Meteorologist Jeff Lyons set up a green screen in his living room and gave weather forecasts from home during the lockdown. Soon, he gained a surprising costar.

Although Lyons was used to broadcasting alone, he quickly gained a new partner to share the weather with—his cat, Betty.

Betty made her debut when she wanted some attention during a weather broadcast. Lyons picked up the fluffy feline and cradled her in his arms while he talked about the weather. The response was so great, the station shared a little behind-the-scenes green screen fun with Betty and the clip that ended up airing on television.

Over a million people watched the clip in April of 2020, with Lyons' forecast reaching far, far beyond his usual Indiana audience.


"I vote for all future weather reports to have Betty in them" one commenter on Facebook wrote.

"My new favorite weather guy.... and I don't even live anywhere near the area (from NJ) but how can anyone not love Betty" another added.

Betty soon became a regular on Lyons' television appearances. Sometimes, she'd just hang out and watch her human do his professional human thing.

However, like all cats, Betty didn't always like to perform when requested. (Like how they only want to sit on your lap when you're trying to work. Cats gonna be cats.)



People fell in love with Betty's cameos in Lyons' from-home forecasts. Viewers started sharing photos of their own cats on Lyons' Facebook page, and fans began tuning in from around the world to see Betty being Betty.

Pets were such a huge piece of everyone's lives during the pandemic, as people found themselves spending more time at home and less time with other living, breathing beings. Lyons' relationship with his cat personified the connection we all craved at the time, and it made people feel a little less lonely.

Sadly, Betty the Weathercat, as she came to be known, passed away in 2023. Viewers were heartbroken:


"We will love and remember Betty forever. She brought such brightness into the Covid gloom…appropriate for a Weather Cat!" wrote a viewer on instagram.

"Her onscreen joy lives on. Rest well beautiful girl" said another.

"She was quite the personality & your stories of her were such fun. Wow, 16 years is a great life. Thank you for sharing her," someone added.

Betty had been with these viewers through one of the darkest times in many of their lives, so saying goodbye wasn't easy.

But Lyons has adopted two new cats since (Bobby and Cissy), and together, they're doing their best to honor Betty's legacy. Although they don't join Lyons on broadcasts nearly as often.



"Everybody knows I'm a softie ! We couldn't resist this brother and sister team of Bobby (black cat) and Cissy (tuxedo cat) at the Vanderburgh Humane Society ! They are 4 months old orphans who have come to live with us. I'm sure they sense Betty's spirit (and a few furs) around the house," Lyons wrote in a post from December 2023.

To this day, he shares photos and videos of his new Weathercats reacting to heat waves, thunderstorms, and dry spells. Even though Betty is longer with him, she helped propel Lyons to a new level of fame and he will always be known as the Weathercat guy: a role he seems to be more than OK with.

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


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Millennial dad of 3 shuts down boomer parents for their 'ridiculous' holiday expectations

"Why is it that every time I have to make the effort for you, yet you can't do the most basic thing for me?”

via Canva/Photos

A Millennial dad has had it with his boomer dad's expectations.

A TikTok video posted by @carrerasfam is going viral, with over 300,000 views, because so many millennial parents can relate. In the video, a husband politely but firmly tells his “practically retired” baby boomer dad that he’s not taking his 3 young kids on a 400-mile drive to their house for the holidays.

Carerras Fam is a popular TikTok page about “all things postpartum and mamahood.” The husband opens the conversation with his dad by explaining all the inconveniences of taking 3 young kids on a long road trip. “I know you want us to drive down for the holidays, but it's kinda ridiculous that you want me to pack my 3 kids with their portable beds with my clothes, their clothes, the formula, everything that goes on with raising 3 kids and having them feel comfortable. Drive down for over four hours just so that we could spend some time in your house?” the husband says.

@carrerasfam

Sorry it’s just so much work. But you’re welcome to visit us #millennial #millennials #parents #parenting #parentsontiktok #boomers #millennials

It’s obviously inconvenient for the couple to pack up their kids and drive 4 hours, but it’s also unsafe because the house is not baby-proof. "I'm gonna have to run around, make sure that they don't break any of your stuff, and which you will take care of them,” the husband continues using sarcastic air quotes.

The dad brings up another great point: His parents are in good health, so why don’t they drive to their house? “You could visit. You don't have little kids,” the dad continues. “You don't have anything going on.

"Why is it that every time I have to make the effort for you, yet you can't do the most basic thing for me?”

It’s clear from the phone call the dad understands that traveling with the kids and staying in a house that isn’t correctly set up for young kids will make the holiday a struggle. Instead of making memories, they’ll most likely be running around bent over trying to save their kids from breaking something or hanging out at Target buying electrical socket plugs and a bottle brush because they left theirs at home.



The video struck a chord with many millennial parents.

“First holiday with a kid… parents are confused why I won’t drive 9 hours with a 3mnth old for Christmas,” too_many_catz writes. “The ‘not baby proofed’ part hit my soullllllll. It’s so stressful having to chase your kids around and ask to close doors, move pictures, block stairs, etc. And nobody takes you seriously!" OhHeyItsIndy added.

It’s also expensive for young families to travel. “Add to it they want us to spend money on gas, airfare, etc. when we live paycheck to paycheck and rent while they own homes and live comfortably off a pension,” another user wrote.

This one hit hard: “They always act like you're asking the world of them, yet they will willingly go on any other vacation that they choose,” Mackenzie Byrne wrote.

TX Travel Chick may have hit the nail on the head with her explanation for why boomer parents expect their children to road trip it to their house for the holidays. “Because we are used to following their orders!!! REVOLT,” she wrote.

Ultimately, it would be interesting to learn why boomer parents want to inconvenience their kids when it would be much easier for them to take a trip to see them, especially if they can afford a hotel. One wonders if they are being entitled or if they’ve forgotten how hard it is to travel with young kids.

This article originally appeared last year.

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Woman gives stray cat the most Gen X name ever, and her friend can't stand it

As if?

via Canva/Photos

A woman making a "loser" sign and a shocked cat.

There are no hard-set rules for naming a cat, but if you want to follow the current trends, give them a cute-sounding human name. Over the past two years, the top five most popular cat names have been Luna, followed by Charlie, Lucy, Bella, and Leo.

No matter what type of name it is, it can also be hard to settle on one for a new cat because it’s what you’ll be calling out for the next 12-plus years. What if you name the cat Jerry, but it acts like a Sebastian or a Michael? Then what will you do? Two friends got into a spat over naming a cat, with the new owner rejecting their friend’s suggestions in favor of a term popular among Gen Xers in the ‘80s and ‘90s.


“I found a little stray cat in front of the grocery store. Super friendly but skinny and obviously abandoned,” A Redditor with the username SpecialEggSalad wrote. “My friend was with me and kept throwing out names. I didn’t like any of them. It was Ross, Beck, Tucker, Zorro… I asked her to just chill. She was getting worked up and kept asking if she could have the kitten. [It’s] My kitty. Anyway, after 20 minutes of her, just suggesting endless amounts of names…She got mad and said, ‘Fine, call him whatever you want.’ So now the cat's name is WHATEVER.”


When SpecialEggSlad announced the cat’s name, her friend “turned red in the face and she was about to cry.” It could be that the friend hated the feeling of rejection, but if she grew up in the ‘80s or ‘90s, she’d understand that being on the receiving end of a “whatever” was quite the insult.

What did 'whatever' mean to Gen X?

You see, Gen Xers were known for having an aloof attitude because, in those days, caring too much about anything was totally uncool. So whatever was more than a catchphrase was a way of life. The term became popular in the early ‘80s when Valley Girl speak expanded from Los Angeles to the world. But what began as innocuous slang evolved into something more nihilistic. In Nirvana’s breakout 1991 anthem, Smells Like Teen Spirit, where Kurt Cobain ditches any attempt at making a point in the song by singing, “Oh well, whatever, never mind.” Whatever was a way of distancing yourself from the powers-that-be, whether it was political, religious, corporate, or the media.


The term was also part of ‘90s hand-gesture culture, where people would call someone a loser by making an L with their index and middle fingers and placing it on their forehead. In Clueless, the affluent teens used two hands to merge the double Ls into a W, to signal “whatever,” with a double loser casher. Business Insider’s Emily Stewart notes that Gen X’s attitude comes from being raised as the least parented generation in recent memory. “Gen X's ‘whatever’ attitude has translated to a society that's perpetually a little ‘whatever’ about them,” she wrote.


It may be a knock on Gen Xers that they were once so nihilistic that they rallied around the term whatever, but it’s also a sign of knowing what’s important. A lot is going on in the world, and we only have so many Fs to give; it’s best to hand them out to the people who deserve them. Because when you care about everything, it’s hard to truly care about anything.

In the Reddit post, SpecialEggSlad faced criticism from commenters for naming her cat Whatever, which made it look like she didn’t care about the animal. Realizing this, she changed the cat’s name to Peekaboo. Let’s just hope the kitty grows into its name and isn’t a cat that refuses to hide, even if given an incredibly cozy cardboard box.

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Popular pet rescue advocate explains why she supports 'kill shelters' and it's eye-opening

She makes some excellent points.

Photo credit: Canva (left), Isabel Klee/TikTok used with permission (right)

Isabel Klee explains why "kill shelter" is a misnomer.

Isabel Klee has created a name for herself in the animal rescue world with daily videos documenting the heart wrenching and heartwarming transformations of the pets she rehabilitates. In early 2025, millions of people got sucked into the saga of Isabel's foster dog, Tiki, who came to Isabel completely traumatized and shut down. Under her care, Tiki slowly but surely learned to trust and began to thrive, and people loved seeing him become the brave, playful, loving, dog he was always meant to be.

Now Isabel has a message for her audience that might feel counterintuitive for animal lovers but is also something that can't be ignored. In a video captioned, "Just because you turn away from a problem doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist," Isabel surprisingly encourages people to "support your local 'kill shelter.'"

@simonsits

Just because you turn away from a problem doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist

She shares that a "no kill" rescue shelter that she has worked with before had posted something "extremely harmful." In a video against spay abort practices, the shelter said "overpopulation is a myth." Isabel describes "spay abort" as "the ethical procedure that a rescue organization does when they find a pregnant animal and choose to spay them…so that we aren't contributing to the already critical level of overpopulation happening in shelters around the country."

Isabel explained how overpopulation is very much not a myth and why she doesn't agree with the terms "kill" and "no kill" to describe shelters.

"I feel it creates an us vs. them narrative," she says. "I also think it's all about marketing, where the 'no kill' shelters are the heroes and the 'kill' shelters are absolutely horrible."

animal rescue, animal welfare, animal shelter, pet adoption, pet fostering 'Kill shelters' are really just open-intake shelters, which means they don't turn any animal away.Photo credit: Canva

"In reality," she continues, "kill shelters are open intake municipal shelters. This means they take in every single animal that comes to their door. They take in strays. They take in owner surrenders. They take in medical cases. They take behavioral cases. […] They are not able to say no, even when the dog has no place to go."

"No kill" shelters, she explains, are largely privately-owned shelters that are closed intake, meaning that they can pick and choose which animals they accept. They can turn animals away and control their population.

"Now, there's nothing wrong with that," Isabel says. "In fact, these privately-owned rescues and shelters are so important. But to villainize municipal shelters is just wrong. And for a 'no kill' shelter to say that overpopulation is a myth is frankly just insulting."

Isabel wants to be clear: "Just because you turn away from the problem doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It exists every single day, day in and day out."

animal shelter, cats, animal rescue, pet adoption, foster pets Animal shelters can easily become overpopulated.Photo credit: Canva

"I truly believe that the state of animal rescue is at a tipping point," she says. "And pitting people against each other who are all on the same side is not helpful. Shelters need rescues, rescues need shelters, everyone needs fosters, and the world needs proper, science-backed education."

People who have worked at both kinds of shelters are sharing their own experiences that corroborate what Isabel is saying:

"I’m a shelter director in the deep South & I can assure you we all dream of never having to euthanize but overpopulation is not a myth. We’re drowning."

"THIS THIS THIS TIMES A ZILLION. We are technically a 'no kill' shelter but all that means is that when we are full, we don't take more on...and guess where those animals have to go? If you care about the animals, support whichever shelter is local to you. We all need help."

"I started a nonprofit to support our local open intake, high volume shelter in Texas. The amount of hate that we get is wild when the shelter is really just dealing with a larger community problem."

stray dogs, animal shelter, animal rescue, pet adoption, foster dogs Stray animal overpopulation is a big problem in places all over the U.S.Photo credit: Canva

"As a former shelter worker, there is no such thing as a 'no kill' shelter anyways. only 'low kill' just because they don’t euthanize of space doesn’t mean they don’t euthanize."

"Spay aborts are one of the hardest decisions any rescue or shelter has to make. I’m on the board at our local animal rescue and we have previously done spay aborts and it’s always very hard for us."

"Thank you! I’ve worked at both and it’s exactly that. We had to take in every animal no matter what at the “kill” shelter whereas “no-kill” or rescues, we could just say no we’re full. And neither place takes euthanasia or saying no lightly. We want to help every animal but are given only bad choices because YES, WE ARE IN AN OVERPOPULATION CRISIS."

animal rescue, animal shelters, no kill shelter, pet adoption, foster pets Both "kill" and "no kill" shelters need support.Photo credit: Canva

"I got my beautiful baby from a kill shelter! They were about to euthanize him because of the insane amount of animals being brought in after Helene. The workers were so relieved when I got him, some even crying. They don’t want to euthanize."

The reality is that no one who cares about animals wants to euthanize them, but municipal shelters that don't turn away any animals have limits to their capacity. What's to be done when the limit is breached? What alternatives are there? Do those animals get tossed out onto the street to suffer, potentially becoming a danger to other animals and people? Is that really preferable to humane euthanasia of those unlikely to be adopted due to illness or behavioral problems when a shelter is already overpopulated and there aren't enough people to take them in? And how do we prevent overpopulation in the first place? These questions aren't easy, and people working in those shelters are the ones in the thick of it trying to figure out the best answers. Vilifying those folks is most certainly not the solution.

animal rescue, foster dog, pet adoption, animal shelter, animal welfare Animal rescues try to home as many animals as they can, but demand is greater than supply in many places.Photo credit: Canva

In addition to population control through spay and neuter efforts, what is really needed are more people to foster and adopt. If you are interested and able to care for an animal either temporarily or long-term, contact your local animal shelter or rescue. The more responsible humans we have to care for the animals in need of a home, the less we'll have to debate the terminology we use for overcrowded shelters and worry about the methods used to manage a currently unmanageable problem.

You can follow Isabel Klee on TikTok (@simonsits).

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