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People are mortified to find out how many moms daydream about being hospitalized

Yes, it's a real thing.

woman lying in a hospital bed looking out the window
Canva, @emilykmay/X

Lying in bed and looking out the window with no one asking for anything? Yes, please.

It's hard to explain the relentless intensity of having young children if you haven't done it. It's wonderful, beautiful, magical and all of that—it truly is—but it's a lot. Like, a lot. It's a bit like running an ultramarathon through the most beautiful landscape you can imagine. There's no question that it's amazing, but it's really, really hard. And sometimes there are storms or big hills or obstacles or twisted ankles or some other thing that makes it even more challenging for a while.

Unfortunately, a lot of moms feel like they're running that marathon alone. Some actually are. Some have partners who don't pull their weight. But even with an equal partner, the early years tend to be mom-heavy, and it takes a toll. In fact, that toll is so great that it's not unusual for moms to fantasize about being hospitalized—not with anything serious, just something that requires a short stay—simply to get a genuine break.

In a thread on X (formerly Twitter), a mom named Emily shared this truth: "[I don't know] if the lack of community care in our culture is more evident than when moms casually say they daydream about being hospitalized for something only moderately serious so that they are forced to not have any responsibilities for like 3 days."

In a follow-up tweet, she added, "And other moms are like 'yeah totally' while childfree Gen Z girls’ mouths hang open in horror."

Other moms corroborated, not only with the fantasy but the reality of getting a hospital break:

"And can confirm: I have the fondest memories of my appendicitis that almost burst 3 weeks after my third was born bc I emergency had to go get it taken out and I mean I let my neighbor take my toddlers and I let my husband give the baby formula, and I slept until I was actually rested. Under the knife, but still. It was really nice," wrote one mom.

"I got mastitis when my first was 4 months old. I had to have surgery, but my hospital room had a nice view, my mom came to see me, the baby was with me but other people mostly took care of her, bliss," shared another.

Some people tried to blame lackadaisical husbands and fathers for moms feeling overwhelmed, but as Emily pointed out, it's not always enough to have a supportive spouse. That's why she pointed to "lack of community care" in her original post.

They say it takes a village to raise a child, but it also takes a village to raise a mother. Without the proverbial village, we end up bearing too much of the weight of childrearing ourselves. We're not just running the ultramarathon—we're also carrying the water, bandaging the blisters, moving fallen trees out of the way, washing the sweat out of our clothes—and we're doing it all without any rest.

Why don't moms just take a vacation instead of daydreaming about hospitalization? It's not that simple. Many people don't have the means for a getaway, but even if they do, there's a certain level of "mom guilt" that comes with purposefully leaving your young children. Vacations usually require planning and decision-making as well, and decision fatigue is one of the most exhausting parts of parenting.

Strange as it may seem, the reason hospitalization is attractive is that it's forced—if you're in the hospital, you have to be there, so there's no guilt about choosing to leave. It involves no decision-making—someone else is calling the all shots. You literally have no responsibilities in the hospital except resting—no one needs anything from you. And unlike when you're on vacation, most people who are caring for your kids when you're in the hospital aren't going to constantly contact you to ask you questions. They'll leave you to let you rest.

Paula Fitzgibbons shares that had three kids under the age of 3 in 11 months (two by adoption and one by birth). Her husband, despite being very involved and supportive, had a 1.5 hour commute for work, so the lion's share of childcare—"delightful utter chaos" as she refers to it—fell on her shoulders. At one point, she ended up in the ER with atrial fibrillation, and due to family medical history was kept in the hospital for a few days for tests and monitoring.

"When people came to visit me or called to see how I was, I responded that I was enjoying my time at 'the spa,' and though I missed my family, I was soaking it all in," she tells Upworthy. "My husband understood. Other mothers understood. The medical staff did not know what to make of my cheerful demeanor, but there I was, lying in bed reading and sleeping for four straight days with zero guilt. What a gift for a new mom."

When you have young children, your concept of what's relaxing shifts. I recall almost falling asleep during one of my first dental cleanings after having kids. That chair was so comfy and no one needed anything from me—I didn't even care what they were doing to my teeth. It felt like heaven to lie down and rest without any demands being made of me other than "Open a little wider, please."

Obviously, being hospitalized isn't ideal for a whole host of reasons, but the desire is real. There aren't a lot of simple solutions to the issue of moms needing a real break—not just an hour or two, but a few days—but maybe if society were structured in such a way that we had smaller, more frequent respites and spread the work of parenting across the community, we wouldn't feel as much of a desire to be hospitalized simply to be able to be able to rejuvenate.


This article originally appeared two years ago.

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Gen Z is the first generation less cognitively capable than their parents but Denmark has a solution

"Since the late 1800s, every generation has outperformed their parents."

Gen Z; Millennials; technology; cell phones; social media; teens and technology; teens social media
Photo credit: Canva

Gen Z is the first generation less cognitively capable than their parents. Denmark has the solution.

Nearly every parent hopes their child will be better off than they are: smarter, more secure, and more well-adjusted. Many parents see this as a stamp of successful parenting, but something has changed for children growing up today. While younger generations are known for their empathy, their cognitive capabilities seem to be lagging behind those of previous generations for the first time in history.

Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath, a teacher turned cognitive neuroscientist who focuses on human learning, appeared before Congress to discuss concerns about cognitive development in children. In his address to the members of Congress, he says, "A sad fact that our generation has to face is this: our kids are less cognitively capable than we were at their age. Since we've been standardizing and measuring cognitive development since the late 1800s, every generation has outperformed their parents, and that's exactly what we want. We want sharper kids."

kids, intelligence, sharp kids, generations, education, cognitive abilities Student smiling in a classroom, working on a laptop.Photo credit: Canva

Horvath explains that the reason this happens is that each generation has gone to school longer than the previous generation. Gen Z is no exception to the longer duration of time spent in school, but they're the first ones who aren't meeting this normal increase in cognitive development. According to the cognitive neuroscientist, the decline is due to the introduction of screens in the classroom, which started around 2010.

"Across 80 countries, as Jean was just saying, if you look at the data, once countries adopt digital technology widely in schools, performance goes down significantly. To the point where kids who use computers about five hours per day in school for learning purposes will score over two-thirds of a standard deviation less than kids who rarely or never touch tech at school," Horvath reveals.

In most cases, the decline in performance doesn't result in better strategies. The neuroscientist shares that the standardized testing has been adjusted to accommodate lower expectations and shorter attention spans. This is an approach that educators, scientists, and researchers went to Capitol Hill to express wasn't working. But not every country is taking the approach of lowering standards to meet lowered cognitive ability. Denmark went in the opposite direction when it realized their students were slipping behind.

France24 recently interviewed educators in Denmark following their seemingly novel approach to students struggling with cognitive development. Since the beginning of the 2025/2026 school year, Denmark has not only been having students turn in their cellphones, but they've also taken tablets, laptops, and computers out of the classroom. No more digital learning for the majority of the school day. Danes went old school by bringing back physical textbooks, workbooks, and writing assignments. The results have been undeniable. Even the students can't seem to deny the success of the countrywide shift in educational approach.

"I think the biggest issue has been that, because we kind of got rid of the books and started using screens instead, that we've noticed that a lot of the kids have trouble concentrating, so it's pretty easy to swipe with three fingers over to a different screen and have a video game going, for example, in class," Copenhagen English teacher, Islam Dijab tells France24.

Now, instead of computers being part of every lesson, Denmark uses computers very sparingly and with strict supervision. One student says that it has been nice not having screen time at school because she loves to read and write. But it wasn't just the lack of attention span children were developing, they were also developing low self-esteem and poor mental health due to the amount of time spent on devices.

kids, intelligence, sharp kids, generations, education, cognitive abilities Students focused and ready to learn in the classroom.Photo credit: Canva

The data showing the negative impact of screens on teens' brains has prompted a nationwide change in Denmark that extends outside of the classroom. Afterschool activities are eliminating or extremely limiting electronic use. There is also a national No Phone Day that encourages everyone to put away their devices for the day, and Imran Rashid, a physician and digital health expert, is petitioning parliament to ban social media use for children under the age of 15. The no phone movement in Denmark is a nationwide effort that hopes to right the ship before another generation feels the effects.

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People share the 'brokest' things they did to save money and their stories are a generational time capsule

You can't even attempt some of these anymore.

broke, no money, save money, broke money saving methods, methods to save money
Photo credit: Canva

People who are broke share the great lengths they've gone to save money.

When times are financially tough, creative frugality often becomes a necessity. Being broke can foster ingenious new ways to get by and reveal just how tenacious people can be.

Rather than folding when there was zilch left in their bank accounts, people facing financial hardship got tough. They mastered the art of stretching money and resources to make it to the next paycheck.

On Reddit, people who have struggled financially shared the "brokest" things they've done to save money. From scraping together cheap meals to learning new skills, these are 18 ways people went to extreme (and genius) measures to get by.

broke, broke finances, broke no money, empty wallet, broke money saving Broke woman with her empty wallet.Photo credit: Canva

"In my early 20s whenever my deodorant ran low, I would rub the little bits left on my armpits with my fingers. 😩 That gave me a good 1-2 weeks extra with that same deodorant. Babyyyyy I made it work!!" - Hefty-Expert-750

"Battery ran too low on my piece of junk car. Couldn't afford tow truck. I carried the battery a mile to my apartment, recharged it for several hours, then carried it back to the parking lot where I'd left the car. It worked, I got the car home again." - Miskatonic_Graduate

"I didn't know absolutely anything about HVAC. Called two different companies both wanted me to change the whole outside unit for 4k+ cuz the motor was fried. Went on eBay, looked at some numbers on the old motor that seemed like serial numbers. Found it on eBay, opened the outside unit, took out the whole fan with the motor on it and banged it with a hammer to detach the fan, connected the wires color matching them to the old ones cuz it seemed reasonable, put it back on and the thing has been running for 10 more years since that. 30 year old unit it's insane." - Independent-Show1133

"I lived a couple of blocks down from a big funeral home in college. Like they hosted multiple funerals a day. Well, I ended losing my full time job at Winn Dixie and couldn't find a new one right away. So I would look up the obits, learn small things about the deceased and then go to the funeral so I could attend the repass and eat. There was 1 man who didn't have his obit written and I attended. There was not a single soul there. I stayed the entire 3 hours and went to the burial. The funeral director came up to me as I was leaving the burial and said 'I guess you don't just come for the food, huh?'. I was so embarrassed. But I told the man the truth and apologized. He offered me a receptionist job, which i took...and I still got the leftovers. Win win if you ask me." - Franklyn_Gage

"I ate pancakes for about 2 weeks for every meal until I got paid again." - san323

pancake, pancakes, eating pancakes, cheap pancakes, budget pancakes Man eating a plate of pancakes.Photo credit: Canva

"Back in the day when Pizza Hut & Domino's accepted checks, we knew about how long it would take them to deposit & hit my acct. I'd write a check to pay for pizza delivered & we ate that until end of week when paycheck hit." - Remote-Impact3040

"When there were big meetings at work they would always put the leftover catered sandwiches in the fridge. I'd purposely stay late cause I didn't want to ask in front of everyone. I'd take them home for lunch or dinner for the week." - So-Durty

"When I was a broke flight attendant, I would actually ask the maids for extra toiletries rather than swipe them. They hooked me up, sometimes bringing me a Ziploc bag full of various stuff. I also loaded up on dry cereals if they had a breakfast buffet that crew had access to, as well as other non perishable food. I wasn't proud, but my roommate had moved out with no notice and I was left scrambling financially. It was brutal, but I made it." - bestcrispair

"Made bread soup for dinner. Stale bread, water, and a bay leaf. The next day I found a can of tomatoes. I was rich! Had bread soup with tomatoes!" - sheatim

"Summer of college, I was working at a warehouse that made salads for the community. I lived off ONLY the free salads for lunch and dinner during an entire summer in order to save any penny I could. I'm talking lettuce/spring mix (no dressing) and the occasional taco salad. By the end of the of it I weighed 115-120 lbs as a 19 year old dude. Skin and bones I tell you. Skin and bones 🥲. (Saved 10 grand in 3 months after paying coworkers for gas and earning $13ish an hour! Paid for my next full year of college after scholarships and such.)" - Old-Independent4351

"Washed my clothes and my kids clothes by hand in the bathtub and hung them all over the apartment to dry." - 30222504cf

washing clothes, hand wash clothes, wash clothes by hand, hand wash laundry, washing laundry by hand Washing clothes by handPhoto credit: Canva

"Paid for .32 cents worth of gas." - UrCreepyUncle

"I'd cut the lid off shampoo bottles or lotion or toothpaste to scrape out every last morsel of product." - frosted-mule

"Walk into hotels that offer free breakfast. The staff on shift don't know every guest and likely don't care. I just walk in with the confidence of a hotel guest." - alyssainwonderIand

"In college, I drove a manual ford fiesta. Battery was shot. So in the mornings, I'd have my girlfriend sit in the drivers seat and pop the clutch after I pushed it up to speed. I'd park on the second floor of the parking garage, and I'd push the car out and down the ramp to pop the clutch. Made it a good week or two like that." - chrisb-chicken

"Gleaning... I know of a peach tree and apple tree near the parking lots of local businesses that I've picked fruit off of." - mlo9109

"I wore one contact for a while and would switch it between my eyes so they wouldn't get too strained." - hww94

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Helicopters dump 6,000 logs into rivers in the Pacific Northwest, fixing a decades-old mistake

Forty years ago, restoration workers thought logs were the problem. They were wrong.

river restoration, washington, river fish, restoration, Yakama Nation, indigenous land, indigenoues tribes, salmon, trout, pacific northwest
Photo credit: Canva

Restoration workers now see how "critical" wood is to the natural habitat.

For decades, river restoration in the Northwestern United States followed a simple rule: if you saw logs in the water, take them out. Clean streams were seen as healthy streams, fast-moving water was seen as optimal, and wood was treated like a "barrier" to natural processes, particularly those of the local fish.

Now, helicopters are flying thousands of tree trunks back into rivers to undo that thinking.

In central Washington, one of the largest river restoration efforts ever attempted in the region is underway. More than 6,000 logs are being placed along roughly 38 kilometers, or 24 miles, of rivers and streams across the Yakama Reservation and surrounding ceded lands.

Nearly 40 years ago, Scott Nicolai was doing the opposite kind of work, all in the name of restoration.

"(Back then) the fish heads — what I call the fisheries folks — we stood on the banks, and we looked at the stream," Nicolai, a Yakama Nation habitat biologist, told Oregon Public Broadcasting. "If we saw a big log jam, we thought, 'Oh, that's a barrier to fish. We want the stream to flow.'"

river restoration, washington, river fish, restoration, Yakama Nation, indigenous land, indigenoues tribes, salmon, trout, pacific northwest Fish find shelter for spawning in the nooks and crannies of wood. Photo credit: Canva

At the time, logs were removed in an effort to simplify the habitat. However, it soon became clear that wood provided vital "complexity," creating sheltered pockets for salmon and bull trout to spawn and supporting algae that feed aquatic insects. Logs also slow water, spread it across floodplains, and allow it to soak into the groundwater. That water is then slowly released back into streams, helping keep them flowing and cooler during hot, dry periods.

The consequences of removing this "critical part of the system" (in addition to overgrazing, railroad construction, and splash dam logging) were made all too clear over the years as the rivers dried up and wildlife populations declined.

"We're trying to learn from our mistakes and find a better way to manage," said Phil Rigdon, director of the Yakama Nation Department of Natural Resources.

That's why Nicolai is now helping lead a project for the Yakama Nation aimed at rebuilding river complexity by returning logs to their rightful place. Many of these streams are now unreachable by road, which is why helicopters are used. Logs are flown from staging areas and carefully placed at precise drop locations marked with pink and blue flagging tape.

river restoration, washington, river fish, restoration, Yakama Nation, indigenous land, indigenoues tribes, salmon, trout, pacific northwest Many of these streams are now unreachable by road, which is why helicopters are used.Photo credit: Canva

The wood comes from forest-thinning projects led by The Nature Conservancy and includes species such as Douglas fir, grand fir, and cedar. Although some of the timber could have been sold, it is instead being used as river infrastructure.

For tribal leaders, the work carries even deeper meaning. During the helicopter flights, they gathered along the Little Naches River for a ceremony and prayer.

river restoration, washington, river fish, restoration, Yakama Nation, indigenous land, indigenoues tribes, salmon, trout, pacific northwest Tribal leaders gathered by the Little Naches River for a ceremony and prayer.Photo credit: Canva

"It was very simple: to bring what was rightfully part of this land back to us," said former tribal chairman Jerry Meninick.

The aftermath of the original restoration project illustrates how human concepts, such as the belief in the superiority of "cleanliness," can be limited and sometimes cause more harm than good. The miracle of nature, however, is that when left to her own devices, she can heal herself.

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TV news anchor shares his three expert strategies for sounding more confident when speaking to others

No “sort of” or “maybe” allowed.

public speaking tips, news anchor, communication tips, public speaking, talking
Photo credit: Canva

Learn how to speak with authority and clarity.

You may be preparing for a wedding speech, a work presentation, or another event where you’ll be speaking publicly. No matter how prepared you are, you're nervous and wondering if you could sound as confident, authoritative, and clear as a news anchor on TV. Well, one newsman shared his tips on how he sounded confident live and on camera even when he had to report under stressful conditions.

News anchor Dan Schrack of 12WHAM News in Western New York shared on TikTok why and how people in the news sound confident even when they’re not, and especially when they have to speak without a script. Schrack went on to share three tips that helped him “eliminate uncertainty” in his voice and fully keep a group’s attention.

@danschracktv

Ever wonder how news anchors sound so calm and confident - even when chaos is unfolding live? Here’s the secret: it’s not about being fearless. It’s about sounding certain, even when you’re not. 🗣️ Cut the hedging. Drop your voice. Slow down. That’s how you sound like you belong in control. #PublicSpeakingTips #CommunicationSkills #SpeakWithConfidence #VoiceTraining #NewsAnchor

1. Remove hedging language

Schrack recommends removing hedging terms like “maybe,” “probably,” “sort of,” etc. from your vocabulary. This is because such terms automatically make you sound uncertain and can remove authority from your sentence before you’ve finished saying it. Other speech coaches agree with this, adding that qualifiers water down your message and act as needless filler, too.

2. End sentences with certainty/a period

Making declarative statements and ensuring that they verbally end with a period helps you establish your credibility. Schrack points out that speaking with an uplift in pitch and tone could make whatever you say sound like a question or unsure, so it’s best to be mindful about how you speak along with the content. While you should speak declaratively and without hedging, it’s important to note that you are clear when you are stating an opinion, a theory, or a fact so your declaration remains true.

@leogonzall

duet this 😂 who’s on the other line?

3. Slow down and don’t be afraid to pause

Speaking quickly isn’t really speaking efficiently. Talking too fast can indicate to people that you’re nervous or anxious. Along with that, speeding through your speech can make it harder for people to understand and keep track of what you’re saying.

Conversely, speaking at a slower pace indicates that you’re in control. Adding pauses between your sentences also allows whoever is listening to fully digest your words and gives them more weight, encouraging them to listen closely to you.

Schrack says that these three tips will help you sound confident even when you’re not.

@tamaranews

The art of talking like a #newsanchor #tvnews #newsanchor #voiceeffects #voice #behindthescenes #bts #tvreporter #foryou

Fellow news anchors and communication specialists weigh in

Many of Schrack’s peers, along with other communication experts that reached out to Upworthy, agree with his advice, but have other tips and insight to offer.

“One thing I would add is that it’s helpful to understand the story you’re telling through your public speaking and adapt your tone accordingly,” advised Vishakha Mathur, communications specialist and Vice President of SKDK. “You want to make sure that your tone during a serious story conveys the gravitas of the issue, while during a funny story it conveys the lightheartedness of the moment.”

"People resonate with people,” said Ryan Bass, Media Director at Otter PR and sports broadcaster for the Tampa Bay Rays. “Over-the-top declarative statements or hyperbolic tone are not the best way to actually reach people."

@pierredalati

Stop talking like this, here’s how to sound more confident and clear #confidence #communication #selfgrowth #fyp

“The pause, the inflection in tone, and the force behind the words should all be intentional,” said Mathur. “Used well, these elements help convey emphasis, signal confidence, and guide the audience toward what matters most in what you’re saying.”

"Authenticity is everything," added Bass. "That’s the biggest way to create valuable connection and to get people to pay attention."

"The very phrase 'public speaking' should remind anyone who is communicating that it is not solely about them. It's about their audience,” said Christina Butler, a former Emmy-winning local news anchor turned professional communication trainer. “Keeping the focus on that audience and what their needs are is one of the most fool-proof ways to become a strong public speaker. Your points will become more concise, your body language more authentic, and perhaps best of all: your nerves will disappear when you quit focusing on yourself and how you look and sound."

All of these things could help you sound more confident, cool, and convicting whether it’s performing on a stage, at a projection screen at work, or during the nightly news.

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Four high-school boys fall victim to infectious laughter in addictively wholesome 'spit take challenge'

More of this, please.

teenagers, tiktok, funny videos, viral videos, tiktok trend, household items
Photo credit: Canva, Vecteezy Images (left, cropped) / Andsx from andsxx (top right) / wistudio from WiStudio Elements (bottom right)

High-schoolers are trying to crack each other up with random household items.

No matter your age, it’s always easy to look at younger generations and think, "Kids these days with their technology." But one new teenage TikTok trend is so analog and evergreen, it feels like it could have existed in the 1900s. It’s pretty simple: Kids are bringing random household items to school, gathering with their friends, plopping their selections down onto a table, and hoping the surprises will make each other laugh to the point of a classic spit-take.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly who started this wholesome game, but it’s quickly become popular enough to spawn an entire social media account rounding up the most popular clips. Several of the best belong to TikToker eliblair._, who posted their first such video on January 9. It shows five kids sitting in a circle, each taking turns in a sort of show-and-tell style. The first one ends with the biggest group laugh: a stuffed Super Mario toy.

@eliblair._

#fypシ #viral #school #funny

That clip earned over one million views, and (as of this writing) they’ve posted nine more videos, showing the friends cracking each other up with everything from jumper cables to robot vacuums to a large Boston Terrier mask. Some of the biggest laughs happen when two people bring in the same item, including clothes irons and packages of hot dogs. It's hard to describe exactly why this is funny, but...it just is.

Will this trend eventually extend beyond schools into our offices, break rooms, and living rooms? It seems entirely possible, given how universal the whole thing is. At any rate, lots of people on TikTok are delighted by these displays of good, clean, (if slightly bizarre) fun. It seems to have triggered a certain nostalgia for many viewers, who made comparisons to the former MTV game show Silent Library (2009-2011), in which contestants tried to stay quiet in strange situations. Here are some of the top reactions to eliblair._’s videos:

@eliblair._

#fypシ #viral #funny #school #trending

"We gotta bring back silent library"

"If you think about it [you’re] really just playing show n tell"

"2026 and we’ve finally brought back silent library. the world may be healing"

"humans are so easily entertained it's amazing"

"The children yearn for Silent Library"

"Everything is so much funnier at school 😩"

"'hey mom can i bring the roomba to school?'"

"Fellas please don’t stop doing this. It’s so simple yet it’s freaking hilarious. I’m 53 and I laughed my a-- off every time I watch this. This is so me when I was in high school. I love every second of it please keep doing it."

"Roomba trying to find its home dock all day"

"48.2 million views proving THIS is what tiktok was made for."

"this IS EXACTLY what it's like to hang out with your bros lmfaooooo"

"71 year old grandma here and I love these. Always a good laugh."

Speaking of absurd but joyful TikTok trends, please turn your attention to the German craze of "pudding mit Gabel," in which teens meet up in parks, bring along a cup of pudding and a fork, and eat together. That’s pretty much it! And it’s gone viral beyond Germany, even extending into other countries: One meet-up even took place in New York City’s Central Park.

kids, teens, wholesome, fun, youth Teenagers hanging out at a park. Photo credit: Canva, Africa Images (both images, cropped)

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