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In unearthed 1970’s clip, Jonathan Winters explains why being sensitive is a huge asset

It's obvious why he and Robin Williams were such great friends

Jonathan Winters, comedy, mental health, interview

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Jonathan Winters

Jonathan Winters had a big, beautiful mind with his hand in many creative pots. A renowned comedian, actor, author, and TV host, he was also a visual artist — a painter, to be exact. He was loved… and he was uniquely funny. But he, like most humans, was complex. He was open about his struggles with bipolar disorder and his time in an institution. But, like many big, beautiful minds, he embraced his rollercoaster moods and often let them guide him into genius. In fact, his insights into the mind were decades ahead of their time.

In 1973, Winters gave an interview to City University, New York (CUNY) public television. The interviewer, James Day, asked many questions unveiling an extremely vulnerable (but also hilarious) Winters. In a resurfaced clip from that interview, he's asked if he found himself to be "overly sensitive." His answer was truthful and rather groundbreaking.

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Winters acknowledges that he is, in fact, "oversensitive." And that being so is a "disadvantage in many ways" because it makes him vulnerable. But he adds, "I think, without sounding corny or saccharine, I think that we that are overly sensitive lead richer lives because of it." When asked why, he says, "Well, because we're on a frequency. We're tuned in to more than the guy, certainly, that is hard-nosed and bitter and bugged...who has little to no humor or sensitivity."

When the interviewer pushes back again about the vulnerability, Winters responds, "You're vulnerable to a lot of hurts. And people, on a number of occasions, are inclined to say cruel things to you. And an overly sensitive person does take everything, all the arrows so to speak. But as I say again, I think you lead and we lead richer lives."

Day asks, "Is this the way you were when you were a child in Dayton, Ohio?" Winters answers unequivocally, "Yes, yes I was. My life was not unique to that of many others." And when Day suggests that having been an only child might have contributed to his sensitivity, Winters jokes, "I always say, I didn't have any brothers and sisters. But that means I'm first on the will."

It's not uncommon, of course, for people with creative minds to consider themselves sensitive. Winters’s Mork and Mindy co-star and dear friend Robin Williams was notoriously similar in that regard. Winters passed away just about a year before Williams did. And of Winters, Williams posted on his Facebook page, "First he was my idol, then he was my mentor and amazing friend. I'll miss him huge. He was my Comedy Buddha. Long live the Buddha."

Robin Williams, Mork and Mindy, Jonathan Winters, comedy Robin Williams as Mork. Giphy CBS

Comments under the clip were quite lovely. One shares, "Hemingway said the best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice. Ironically, their virtues make them vulnerable; they are often wounded, sometimes destroyed."

Another writes, "This is why he and Robin Williams loved each other so. Kindred souls."

Full interview, Day at Night, Jonathan Winters, 1973 www.youtube.com

But it's important to note that when using the word "sensitive," Winters did not mean this in a negative sense. In Andre Sólo's piece "Why Being Sensitive is a Strength" for Time Magazine, he writes, "As sensitivity is a personality trait, being sensitive means you take in more information from your environment, and you do more with it. Sensitive people are wired at a brain level to process information more deeply than others do. That includes sensory input (like noticing the texture of a fabric), emotional input (reading social cues), and ideas (spending a longer time thinking things through and making more connections between concepts)."

This completely supports the notion that sensitivity often equates to creativity and deep emotions/thoughts. "The most well-known and celebrated sensitive gift is creativity. It’s perhaps the one generalization that’s true: Sensitive people tend to be highly creative, and many — perhaps most — artists, musicians, and actors are themselves sensitive people." (He also adds that it doesn't just end with artists, but rather many "Big Thinkers," such as Charles Darwin.)

However sensitive Jonathan Winters was, he didn't just own it. He rightfully wore it like a badge of honor and used it to create some of the world's best comedy and art.

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7 'old people' sayings that are actually solid life advice at every age

"Make all your words sweet because tomorrow you may have to eat them."

Photo credit: Canva

Elder wisdom can come in handy.

With age comes wisdom, or at least we hope it does. As we get older, we collect life lessons that we can pass along to younger generations, sometimes with lengthy stories and sometimes with quippy sayings.

Adages like "A penny saved is a penny earned," or "Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise," have been part of our collective treasure chest of life advice for generations, but the aphorisms that spring from the experience of our loved ones and mentors are often the most meaningful.

Someone shared that they'd read and appreciated this old man's advice: “My grandpa once told me 'if you get on the wrong train, get off at the nearest station, the longer it takes you to get off, the more expensive the return trip will be.' He wasn’t talking about trains.” The person asked for more tidbits of wisdom from old folks and people started sharing sayings they heard from their elders growing up.

from AskOldPeopleAdvice

Here are some of the best "old man advice" sayings and how they can be applied in a person's life.

"You might miss what’s ahead of you if you keep concentrating on what’s in the rear view mirror."

Another commenter put it another way: "Don't look behind you, you aren't going that way." This adage is about not dwelling on the past. Many of us have a tendency to spend more time mentally in the past, rehashing old memories or being nostalgic for what once was, than we do in the present or looking forward to the future. There's nothing wrong with a little reflection, but if most of our focus is in the past, we miss out on the present. Rear view mirrors are for quick glances, not where our focus should be.

"Do the right thing, even if nobody is watching."

This saying is about good character and true integrity. If you notice someone drop a $20 bill and no one is around to see but you, do you give it back to them or do you pick it up and keep it? If you realize that a store didn't charge you for an item, do you point it out and make it right or do you allow the mistake to remain? There are opportunities each day for us to choose between right and wrong, and those choices really speak to who we are if they are made without anyone else knowing.

integrity, right, wrong, right thing, doing good lisa simpson help GIF Giphy

"Be nice to everybody you meet on the way up the ladder. You'll see the same faces on the way down "

Don't get cocky and don't burn bridges you think you won't need to return to. There's value in being kind for its own sake, but there's also the reality that being kind also makes people like you. When people like you, they're more likely to lend you a helping hand, and you never know when you're going to be in a position to need one. It's also a good reminder that you're not inherently better than anyone else just because of where you are in life. We're all constantly in flux, so it's important to stay humble and kind.

In other words, "Make all your words sweet because tomorrow you may have to eat them."

"One of the most powerful negotiating tools is silence."

The power of silence in general is often underrated, but it can be an especially useful tool in a negotiation. Some people are so uncomfortable with silence that they will make concessions simply to avoid it. And sometimes the best response to an unreasonable demand is to just say nothing and stare, letting the other party come to the realization themselves. It takes calm confidence to simply be quiet and let the silence fill the room, which can feel surprisingly intimidating.

"Always listen to your gut, even if you can’t explain it."

Ah, the strange and mysterious sense of intuition that we can't really describe but know when we feel it. Whether it's getting a creepy vibe about a person or a little voice telling you to do or not do something, those "gut instincts" can serve us well. Of course, if we are prone to anxiety, our instincts can sometimes be confused with anxious thoughts, but "go with your gut" is solid advice anyway.

gut feeling, listen to your gut, go with your gut, intuition, discernment Listen To It Season 1 GIF by The Roku Channel Giphy

“It doesn’t matter what path you’re on if it’s the wrong mountain.”

Sometimes people trying to find their way end up hitting roadblock after roadblock, which may mean they just haven't found the right path yet or might mean they need an entire overhaul of their life. That might look like switching career paths entirely, rather than trying to find a job in your field that fits. It might mean changing majors in the middle of your studies when you find yourself not enjoying any of your classes. It might mean finding a new community or reevaluating your relationships.

"The harder I work, the luckier I get."

Several sayings line up with this one, like "Luck is the intersection of preparation and opportunity," and "Luck favors the prepared mind." There's a lot to be said for fortune and hard work going hand in hand. If we expect good things to just land in our lap, we will likely be disappointed, but if we move in the direction of things we want to happen and do the work of preparing for good things to come our way, "luck" frequently seems to follow.

luck, hard work, lucky, good luck, napoleon dynamite Napoleon Dynamite GIF by Ben L Giphy

Finding a saying that resonates can be really helpful when we're facing a specific challenge in life, especially when we commit it to memory and repeat it often.

This article originally appeared in March.

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Man makes valiant effort to sing while using a period cramp simulator. It's a good reminder.

"Why do I feel it in my KNEE, bro?!?"

Images courtesy of Tommy Montgomery and Talia Fossum-Wernick/TikTok

Talia and Tommy on stage during Tommy's Dogs in Strollers Babies on Leashes comedy show in NYC.

One of the biggest differences between male and female humans is the monthly menstruation experienced by most females. As our bodies prepare to build and house a baby, our uterus builds up a cushiony lining of blood. When no fertilized eggs show up, the uterus sheds that lining in a process that involves all manner of monthly symptoms including (but not limited to) painful uterine cramping.

Menstrual cramps can run the gamut from barely noticeable to incapacitating, and they can last a matter of hours or stretch on for days. People who struggle with bad cramps often try to explain how painful they are, but those who haven't experienced them really have no way of knowing or understanding what they really feel like.

jennifer aniston, friends, menstrual cramps Menstrual cramps are hard to explain if you've not experienced them. Giphy

Or rather, they didn't until the advent of the period cramp simulator. You may have seen videos of men being hooked up to cramp/contraction machines that simulate uterine cramps—but have you ever seen a man try to sing while wearing one?

Talia Fossum-Wernick shared a video of her with her fiance, Tommy Montgomery, on stage during Tommy's Dogs in Strollers Babies on Leashes comedy show at People's Improv Theater in Manhattan. Tommy is hooked up a period simulator that Talia controls, and as she bumps up the levels, he attempts to sing "Go the Distance" from Hercules. Tommy's a talented singer and makes a valiant effort, but by the time the machine ratchets up to level 3, he's wincing. By level 5, the pain disrupts his singing.

@shoobiedoboop
He did not go the distance. #comedy #sketchcomedy #musicalcomedy #feminism #periodsimlator

"Why do I feel it in my knee?!?" he cries out as he hunches over in pain at level 7. His attempts at singing go awry over and over, interrupted by his groans, wheezes, moans, and nervous laughter. At one point, he just says to Talia, "I love you, I'm sorry." As she takes it to level 10, Tommy tries to do a grand finale note, but ultimately, he's unable to "go the distance."

Tommy and Talia tell Upworthy that they had decided to add the bit to their act about 20 minutes before leaving the house for the show, so none of it was rehearsed or scripted. However, it was not Tommy's first time using the simulator.

"He bought it as a birthday present [a few years ago]," says Talia, "and he was like, 'I have a whole collection of videos of my male friends trying this.'"

They've had a bunch of their friends, male and female, try it, and much like the comment section, people's feedback shows how different each person's experience is. "It just runs the full spectrum of people saying 'as a woman I've never experienced this' and 'as a woman have experienced so much worse,'" says Talia. "I think it is a good reminder for the wide spectrum that all of this lives on."

woman curled up in bed, period cramps, menstrual pain Some women's period cramps make it almost impossible to get out of bed.Photo credit: Canva

Women in the comments were quick to point out that the simulator only simulates pain, not the dozen or so other symptoms that can accompany cramps.

"Mind you just the pain; no added nausea, feeling the blood exit, digestive issues, worsening of disabilities and symptoms, heat flashes, tiredness and fatigue…"

"And yet women perform on stage all the time while on their period."

"I think this is my favorite of all of the period pain simulator videos I've seen. cuz normally the guys just sitting or standing, but seeing this really shows how it can affect your day-to-day life if you're not prepared or used to it."

"Meanwhile, the lady who voiced Mirabelle was in ACTIVE LABOR while recording 'waiting on a miracle' hehe." (Fact check: TRUE)

encanto live, the family madrigal, stephanie beatriz Stephanie Beatriz recorded one of the song from Disney's "Encanto" while in active labor. DisneyMusicVEVO/YouTube

"And Endometriosis goes above a 10 and isn't only during your period. 😭 I was a competitive gymnast and dancer with that misery. Women are tough!"

"Honestly as someone with endometriosis and is also a performer this made me feel so much better."

"I remember being in absolute disbelief when I first experienced cramps… I could not believe us women were expected to function normally while cramping 😅"

The fact that so many women deal with this level of pain on a monthly basis and are just expected to suck it up and not let it affect them is bonkers when you see Tommy's reaction. Sure, women "get used to" it. Sure, it doesn't usually ramp up from 1 to 10 that quickly (though it can). But also? Women have every right to claim a trophy for toughness on this front.

Check out what happens when they swap and Talia wears the cramp simulator in response to a commenter who said the simulator had to be worse than cramps since he'd never seen a woman doubled over in pain like men do with the simulator. Hahahahaha.

@shoobiedoboop
Replying to @Friedfish1092 you have never seen a woman curl over in pain because A) she’s strong af or B) they don’t trust you enough to let you know they’re hurting ❤️

Again, the comments delivered:

"Conditioning, bro. Once a month every year from age 12 with no tolerance of missing school or work or sports or chores.. you get used to being in pain."

"It's not that the pain tolerance makes us feel it less, it's that we learn to compensate bc we have to. My mom said after getting a hysterectomy she didn't realize how much pain she had dealt with."

Tommy points out that even with the simulator experience, he knows it's not the same as what menstruation cramps and everything that goes with periods feels like. "I can still understand and listen and be empathetic, but ultimately it's not something that I will ever experience," he says.

One thing Tommy and Talia hope people take away from their viral video is the reality that this is something many women have to deal with on a regular basis and are still expected to perform normally. Another is that we need to listen when women say they're in pain and take it seriously. As many women in the comments talked about, even doctors often miss serious diagnoses because they don't listen or believe women when they talk about their pain.

woman at the doctor with abdominal pain Women's pain is often not taken seriously. Photo credit: Canva

"There's just a constant dismissal or lack of curiosity from men about women's experience," says Tommy. "Men should be listening and ask more questions. And men should be proud feminists and say that with their chest, and not be so protective of this version of masculinity that gets no one anywhere."

"I think there's a conversation to be had," says Talia, "and it's really fascinating to me that this one-off bit where he wears it for two minutes has sparked this huge conversation."

Talia says it's weird that we don't talk about the fact that many women we see on stage or performing or giving speeches or doing other jobs that require being "on" are doing so while managing intense pain, even though it's a common occurrence.

"I think I'm realizing for myself how my solution is just a bunch of Advil and to grin and bear it," says Talia, "and I don't know what another solution is and haven't really been presented with one."

Getting a feel for one another's experiences—at least as much as we can—is a big first step toward empathy and understanding. Perhaps seeing Tommy struggle his way through "Go the Distance" will help inspire more people to listen and understand other people's reality.

You can follow Talia on TikTok and Instagram and Tommy on Instagram. The pair will be bringing a one-act show written by Talia, The Lolita Apologies, to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August.

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I showed my Gen Z kids 'Dead Poets Society' and their angry reactions to it floored me

"Inspiring" apparently means different things to Gen X and Gen Z.

Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers/YouTube

Robin Williams played inspiring English teacher John Keating in "Dead Poets Society."

As a Gen X parent of Gen Z teens and young adults, I'm used to cringing at things from 80s and 90s movies that haven't aged well. However, a beloved film from my youth that I thought they'd love, "Dead Poets Society," sparked some unexpectedly negative responses in my kids, shining a spotlight on generational differences I didn't even know existed.

I probably watched "Dead Poets Society" a dozen or more times as a teen and young adult, always finding it aesthetically beautiful, tragically sad, and profoundly inspiring. That film was one of the reasons I decided to become an English teacher, inspired as I was by Robin Williams' portrayal of the passionately unconventional English teacher, John Keating.

— (@)

The way Mr. Keating shared his love of beauty and poetry with a class of high school boys at a stuffy prep school, encouraging them to "seize the day" and "suck all the marrow out of life," hit me right in my idealistic youthful heart. And when those boys stood up on their desks for him at the end of the film, defying the headmaster who held their futures in his hands? What a moving moment of triumph and support.

My Gen Z kids, however, saw the ending differently. They did love the feel of the film, which I expected with its warm, cozy, comforting vibe (at least up until the last 20 minutes or so). They loved Mr. Keating, because how can you not? But when the movie ended, I was taken aback hearing "That was terrible!" and "Why would you traumatize me like that?" before they also admitted, "But it was so gooood!"

- YouTube youtu.be

The traumatize part I actually get—I'd forgotten just how incredibly heavy the film gets all of a sudden. (A caveat I feel the need to add here: Gen Z uses the word "traumatize" not in a clinical sense but as an exaggerative term for being hit unexpectedly by something sad or disturbing. They know they weren't literally traumatized by the movie.)

But in discussing it further, I discovered three main generational differences that impacted my kids' "Dead Poets Society" viewing experience and what they took away from it.

1) Gen Z sees inspiring change through a systemic lens, not an individual one

The first thing my 20-year-old said when the credits rolled was, "What? That's terrible! Nothing changed! He got fired and the school is still run by a bunch of stodgy old white men forcing everyone to conform!" My immediate response was, "Yeah, but he changed those boys' individual lives, didn't he? He helped broaden their minds and see the world differently."

o captain my captain, dead poets society Individual impact isn't as inspiring to Gen Z as it was to Gen X. Giphy

I realized that Gen X youth valued individuals going against the old, outdated system and doing their own thing, whereas Gen Z values the dismantling of the system itself. For Gen X, Mr. Keating and the boys taking a stand was inspiring, but the fact that it didn't actually change anything outside of their own individual experiences stuck like a needle in my Gen Z kids' craw.

2) Gen Z isn't accustomed to being blindsided by tragic storylines with no warning

To be fair, I did tell them there was "a sad part" before the movie started. But I'd forgotten how deeply devastating the last part of the movie was, so my daughter's "Why would you do that to me?!" was somewhat warranted. "I thought maybe a dog would die or something!" she said. No one really expected one of the main characters to die by suicide and the beloved teacher protagonist to be blamed for his death, but I'd somehow minimized the tragedy of it all in my memory so my "sad part" warning was a little insufficient.

— (@)

But also to be fair, Gen X youth never got any such warnings—we were just blindsided by tragic plot twists all the time. As kids, we cheered on Atreyu trying to save his horse from the swamp in "The Neverending Story" only to watch him drown. Adults showed us "Watership Down" thinking it would be a cute little animated film about bunnies. We were slapped in the face by the tragic child death in "My Girl," which was marketed as a sweet coming of age movie.

Gen Z was raised in the era of trigger warnings and trauma-informed practices, while Gen X kids watched a teacher die on live TV in our classrooms with zero follow-up on how we were processing it. Those differences became apparent real quick at the end of this movie.

The Never Ending Story Atreyu GIFfrom The Never Ending Story GIFs

3) Gen Z fixates on boundary-crossing behavior that Gen X either overlooked or saw as more nuanced

The other reaction I wasn't expecting was the utter disdain my girls showed for Knox Overstreet, the sweet-but-over-eager character who fell for the football player's cheerleader girlfriend. His boundary-crossing attempts to woo her were always cringe, but for Gen X, cringe behavior in the name of love was generally either overlooked, tolerated, or sometimes even celebrated. (Standing on a girl's lawn in the middle of the night holding a full-volume stereo over your head was peak romance for Gen X, remember.) For Gen Z, the only thing worse than cringe is predatory behavior, which Knox's obsessiveness and pushiness could arguably be seen as. My own young Gen X lens saw Knox and said, "That's a bit much, dude. Take it down a notch or three." My Gen Z daughters' lens said, "That guy's a total creepo. She needs to run far the other way."

run, red flag behavior Gen Z is much more black and white about behaviors than previous generations. Giphy Red Flag Run GIF by BuzzFeed

On one hand, I was proud of them for recognizing red flag behaviors and calling them out. On the other hand, I saw how little room there is for nuance in their perceptions, which was…interesting.

To be clear, I don't think my Gen Z kids' reactions to "Dead Poets Society" are wrong; they're just different than mine were at their age. We're usually on the same page when it comes to these kinds of analyses, so seeing them have a drastically different reaction to something I loved at their age was really something. Now I'm wondering what other favorite movies from my youth I should show them to see if they view those differently as well—hopefully without "traumatizing" them too much with the experience.

This article originally appeared in January.

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Frenchman reveals words Americans get totally wrong, even when we say them 'the French way'

Wait, "genre" is really pronounced like that?!?

Photo credit: Canva

English has a ton of French influence, but we still can't say many French words correctly.

Americans use French words all the time, even if we don't think we do. In fact, nearly 30 percent of the English language has its origins in French, and the close relationship the United States has had with France since the Revolutionary War has given us many of the words we use in everyday speech.

But that doesn't mean we have a solid handle on the French language or many of the words we use from it. French is famously challenging pronunciation-wise, with its many silent letters and funky glottal trills, so some Americanized pronunciation of foreign words is to be expected. But apparently, even when we try to pronounce French words "the French way," we frequently miss the mark.

monty python i'm french "I'm French!" Giphy

An eye-opening video of a native French speaker and an American going over French word pronunciations drives this fact home, starting with the beloved French dessert, crème bruleé. If you're an American, you likely read that aloud as "krem broo LAY." But according to our French friend in the video, it's actually pronounced "krem BROO lee."

For instance, charcuterie boards have been all the rage the past few years, with countless social media influencers showing off their "shar-CUTE-ery" skills. However, according to our French friend, it's pronounced "shock YOU tree." Americans are notorious for mispronouncing hors d'oeuvres, but even when we think we're saying it correctly—"or dervs"—we're not. It's actually "or derv-ruh" with a little tongue trill on the "r."

@thefrenchranch
You’ve been saying these “French” words all wrong! 🇫🇷🇺🇸 Americans love using French words… but do we actually say them right? 😬👀 Watch us pronounce everyday “French” words—who says it better? 💬✨ #FrenchVsUSA #PronunciationChallenge #FrenchAccent #fabienandkeisha #thefrenchranch #americanaccent #frenchaccent #fyp #foryourpage

But no word is more wrong-without-knowing-it than genre. We say "john-ruh" or "zhahn-ruh," thinking we're saying it like the French do, but that's not it. It's simply "zhahn" with the "n" sitting in your nasal passage in the back of your throat. No "ruh" or "uh" or "ah" or anything of the sort at the end of it.

The comments, of course, were gold. In fact some French people said they have to change their pronunciation of their own words in order for Americans or other English speakers to understand them.

"Haha so cute. I used to live in the UK and once a lady at a bakery corrected me when I said 'crêpe'. I said 'look lady, I'm French so don't even start.' 🤣"

"Every time i hear American people say crêpe i get cramps in my brain and i'm only German, I wonder how the French feel."

crepes, french food How do you say 'crepe"? Giphy GIF by Food52

"I'm Swiss but fluent in English. I always pronounce all the words stolen from French or German the correct way just so Americans can call me out on it 🤣🤣🤣"

"If you don't sound like your hacking something up then it's not true French."

Some Americans defended our pronunciations, pointing out that we simply don't have the accent to say these words correctly and that they are "correct" in English. Fair enough on some of them, but we can't really say that for all of them when we're pronouncing silent letters in genre and hors d'oeuvres. But also to be fair, we'd sound ridiculous (not to mention painfully pretentious) to one another if we were to suddenly insert the 100% accurate French pronunciation of these words into our sentences.

It's all in good fun, as language differences are part of what make living in our diverse world so interesting. Frustrating sometimes, of course, but certainly interesting and an endless source of self-deprecating humor. Lest anyone mistake this as American bashing, the pair behind The French Ranch TikTok channel have all kinds of videos that showcase the other side of the coin as well. For instance, have you ever heard a French person say "Red Hot Chili Peppers"?

@thefrenchranch
He said “Blink cent quatre-vingt-deux” and I lost it. 😂🇫🇷🇺🇸 Les Français — c’est bien prononcé ou pas ? Americans — which one made you spit out your coffee? ☕️💀 #thefrenchranch #frenchaccent #fabienandkeisha #blink182 #funnycouple #franglais #franceusa #fyp #couplegoals #frenchtok #french #france #texas #foryourpage

In reality, it's really difficult to perfectly imitate an accent of a language you didn't grow up speaking, so we might as well laugh at ourselves fumbling over one another's words in the name of international diplomacy and goodwill.

You can find more French-English fun on The French Ranch on TikTok.

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Pediatrician reveals truth behind viral 'lime method' of helping babies learn to walk

Here's why it actually works.

Photo credit: Canva

Pediatrician Olivia Reyes explains why using limes can help babies learn to walk.

If you’re a parent looking for hacks to help your toddler learn to walk, you've likely come across the advice to give them a couple of limes. Other moms and dads seem to swear by this viral trend, especially as an alternative to any fancy, expensive gadgets.

But how exactly does this trick work? In a now-viral video, developmental physical therapist Olivia Reyes, aka “The baby PT” on TikTok, explains.

Stitched to a video of a baby boy holding two of the aforementioned fruits while effortlessly striding across the room, Reyes says, “This lime trick works and has really nothing to do with the limes and more so, everything to do with his ability to stand.”

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“In order to walk, we have to be able to stand by ourselves, independently like he is doing here, for at least 10 seconds,” she continued. And in this instance, the lime not only offers just enough "counterbalance" to help make that happen, they also give little ones something easy to focus on. It also helps that mom is nearby to help boost confidence.

The adage of “you’ve gotta crawl before you walk” should really be “you’ve gotta stand before you walk,” it seems, which is why in an interview with TODAY, Reyes also touted the benefit of doing standing exercises.

@thebabypt #duet with @wendysanchoa #lemonmyth The lime myth makes a lot of sense when your baby can stand already! Love to see it! #MomsofTikTok ♬ original sound - Dr. Olivia Reyes PT, DPT

“Because standing is the first time babies balance their entire body weight in a vertical position — before then, they crawl and roll ... horizontally, which distributes their weight over the body.”

That said, Ryese encourages parents not to panic if the baby only gets a few steps in before reverting back to crawling. “That’s a developmentally appropriate stage,” she told TODAY.

All in all, limes just happen to be the perfect size for baby hands to grab hold of and keep their hands busy, and have an eye-catching color, but certainly other items could do the trick. Case and point below:

And this brings up another good point. While learning to walk-independently, babies will be tempted to reach out to their parents for support. And in turn, parents will want to help their little one along. This can be very enjoyable, but according to some pediatricians, not the best way to actually teach walking.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

As for standing exercises, Reyes has some very simple examples in this video, involving furniture and toys.

@thebabypt How to help your baby walk? Make sure they can stand for at least 10 seconds! Heres some standing tips to get your baby confident with standing and walking! #momsoftiktok #firsttimemom #newmomsoftiktok ♬ Love You So - The King Khan & BBQ Show

No matter what strategy you go with, teaching a baby to walk requires creating a safe environment, providing just the right amount of support, and encouraging exploration. This way babies can gain more confidence—arguably an ingredient far more important to their development than lemons.

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