One Of The Most Brilliant Ways Ever Invented To Discriminate Based On Skin Color? The War On Drugs.
The biggest takeaway? The war on drugs has failed, and worse, it's changed the "justice" system into the most racist thing since apartheid in South Africa. Not kidding. (I'm not going to do the "at 2:00, he blows you away, at 4:44, blah blah blah" thing. You'll seriously just want to watch this all the way through.)
All parents have had similar convos with thier kiddos.
Raising kids is tough, but there's a lot of laughs along the way. Especially when actual conversations start, as kids begin trying to make sense out of the world around them, ask questions, and test mommy and daddy's resolve.
Back in 2018, comedy writer and children's book author James Breakwell, with four daughters who were all under the age of eight at the time, shared their hilarious conversations on X. From these tweets, it looks like comedy runs in the family. Here's a sampling of some Breakwell's funniest kid-inspired tweets.
Me: What did you do at school today?
5-year-old: Learned about dragons.
Me: Your class learned about dragons?
5: I learned about dragons. I don't know what everybody else was doing. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) April 19, 2018
5-year-old: *stares off into space*
Me: What's wrong?
5: What happens if a kangaroo jumps on a trampoline?
Me: *stares off into space, too* — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) December 7, 2017
5-year-old daughter: Why does Mom wear makeup?
Me: To look pretty.
5: But she's already pretty.
Me: Aww.
5: Dad, you should wear makeup. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) June 19, 2015
3-year-old: Do boys like Frozen?
5-year-old: Nobody cares what boys like. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) March 28, 2018
5-year-old: I wish we all had infinity dollars
Me: That’d wreck the economy
5: I just-
Me: Go to your room until you understand inflation — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) September 7, 2015
5-year-old daughter: I think a boy likes me. He drew me a dinosaur.
Me: That could mean anything.
5: The dinosaur had a hat.
Oh shit. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) June 25, 2015
[watching a guy on TV do CPR]
5-year-old daughter: Why is he kissing her?
Me: He's not. He's saving her life.
5: I'd rather die. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) March 23, 2016
Me: Who ate all the cookies?
5-year-old: Ninjas.
Me: I didn’t see them.
5-year-old: No one ever does.
Checkmate. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) June 6, 2015
5 y.o.: Why do people congratulate you when Mom is the one making the baby?
Me: I helped
5: How?
Me:
5:
Me: I read her the instructions — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) November 5, 2015
Me: Who's your favorite in the new Star Wars movie?
5-year-old: Kylo Ren
I'm suddenly very concerned with where our relationship is headed — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) April 9, 2016
5: It's just pretend because you can never eat too many cupcakes. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) April 17, 2018
5-year-old: *eats a cupcake for breakfast*
Me: Cupcakes aren't a breakfast food.
5: I know. They're an all-day food. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) April 10, 2018
Me: It snowed last night.
5-year-old: *flops on the floor* We already did winter. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) April 9, 2018
Me: You're still in your pajamas.
5-year-old: I'll get dressed soon.
Me: It's 4 in the afternoon.
5: Don't rush me. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) April 7, 2018
[spring break]
5-year-old: When do we have to go back to school?
Me: Monday.
5: *slides me a penny* When now? — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) April 4, 2018
Me: Wake up. Time to get dressed.
5-year-old: Not again. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) March 27, 2018
5-year-old: *won't get out of bed*
Me: I don't want to fight you every morning.
5: Then let me win. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) April 4, 2018
Me: Why are you being mean?
5-year-old: I ran out of nice.
It's going to be a long night. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) April 3, 2018
[lightning strike super close to our house]
5-year-old: Missed me. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) April 3, 2018
5-year-old: Can we have pizza?
Me: We just had pizza yesterday.
5: The pizza doesn't know that. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) March 26, 2018
Me: Hurry.
5-year-old: I am.
Me: You're still in bed.
5: I'm sleeping faster. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) March 23, 2018
5-year-old: Leprechauns are fairies.
Me: They are?
5: I thought you went to college. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) March 17, 2018
5-year-old: Do I have to change my name if I get married?
Me: Only if you want to.
5: Call me Shredder. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) March 20, 2018
While Breakwell's 7-year-old wasn't as heavily featured, when she was quoted, the sarcasm was palpable. Which makes sense, considering that kiddos begin understanding this mechanism around that age.
Me: *gets burned by bacon grease* Ow!
7-year-old: Love hurts. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) December 2, 2017
Me: What are you doing?
7-year-old: Counting the presents under the tree.
Me: There aren't any presents under the tree.
7: I know.
Passive aggressive level 9000. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) November 28, 2017
3-year-old: *holds up a baby doll* What's her name?
Me: She doesn't have one. You can name her.
3: *kissing baby* I love you, Stupid Face.
She'll make a great mother. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) November 28, 2017
7-year-old: I'm glad I'm not a boy.
Me: Why?
7: I like being smart. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) December 1, 2017
3-year-old: Mommy married you.
Me: Yeah.
3: Why?
Wife: Nobody knows. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) March 31, 2018
2-year-old: *touches my beard* It's soft like a kitty.
Me: You mean rugged and manly.
2: Purrrr. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) May 3, 2017
4-year-old: What happens when you die?
Me: You go to heaven.
4: No, I mean when you die, do I get your stuff? — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) October 2, 2014
4-year-old: Why do you go to work?
Me: They pay me a salary.
4-year-old:
Me:
4-year-old: I don’t even like celery. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) February 28, 2015
3-year-old daughter: Will I have a baby in my belly someday?
Me: If you want to.
3: No thanks. That's where I put my candy. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) April 5, 2016
7-year-old: Why do we have to dress up?
Me: It's Easter.
7: Jesus just wore robes. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) April 1, 2018
Me: Do you know why they call it Good Friday?
7-year-old: There's no school. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) March 30, 2018
7-year-old: Why does my teacher keep testing what I know?
Me: What should she do?
7: Trust me. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) March 28, 2018
7-year-old: You should let me eat more candy.
Me: Why?
7: Then you won't eat it.
She's my new diet plan. — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) March 26, 2018
Kids really do say the darnedest things, and we love them for it. It one of the many, many ways then bring so much joy to the world. It almost makes up for the headaches and sleepless nights, doesn't it.
Closed adoptions—meaning adoptions with no contact between the biological parents and adoptive families—offer privacy, protection and emotional closure. However, it can understandably still be incredibly difficult for biological mothers to instantly and drastically remove their biological child from their life, even if they know they are doing what's best.
This was the case for Alicia Mae Holloway’s biological mom. In a video shared to her TikTok account, the dancer and television personality shared that her adoptive mother, Evelyn, “saw how hard it was” for her birth mom to give Holloway up for adoption. So Evelyn came up with a kind gesture that Holloway dubbed “the sweetest thing.”
“She was like, ‘okay, I’ll make you a deal. Every six months, I’ll send you a picture of Alicia and a little update in a written card of how she’s doing.’”
Getting those biannual letters out wasn’t as simple as dropping them off in the mail either.
As Holloway explained, she had been conceived during an affair her birth mother—a white woman, married to a white man, with three white children—had with a Black man. Not only could Holloway’s birth mom not afford a fourth kid, she feared what her “racist” family might do upon seeing a biracial baby, and told everyone that it was a stillborn.
All this to say, Holloway’s birth mom didn’t want the letters arriving at her home, potentially risking anyone from her family seeing it. Evelyn would therefore need to send the letters to a friend’s house.
But sure enough, Evelyn kept good on that promise. For 17 years, Holloways' birth mom got to celebrate milestones in her daughter’s life. Meanwhile, Holloway had no idea this exchange was happening.
“I get chills when I think about how she was watching me grow up and I had no idea,” Holloway told Today. “She knew I was a dancer and that I was doing beauty pageants and that I was a good kid.”
Holloway added that just before her 18th birthday, she was made aware of her adoptive mom’s kind gesture. And they even went to meet Holloway’s birth mom, an event Holloway that noted was in many ways more emotional for her two moms than it was for her, recalling that both women “had a long, long, long embrace and were both bawling their eyes out.”
As for Holloway, she told Today that she feels no ill will towards her biological mom. Rather, she sees the decision as “an act of love," that set her up for a truly “amazing life.” At the end of their meeting, after the important questions pertaining to family health history and whatnot, all she had to say was “thank you.”
And from the looks of it, she is as happy as ever living life with her adopted parents, who honestly could pass for her biological parents any day.
It's interesting to think about how none of us know our full life story, how many things both bigs and small remain mysteries. But when we are lucky enough to discover hidden truths, we unlock yet another part of ourselves.
The two witches in "The Wizard of Oz" clearly had a history together.
Have you ever watched a movie or read a book or listened to a piece of music and wondered, "How did they come up with that idea?" The creative process is so enigmatic even artists themselves don't always know where their ideas come from, so It's a treat when we get to hear the genesis of a brilliant idea straight from the horse's mouth. If you've watched "Wicked" and wondered where the idea for the friendship between Elphaba (the Wicked Witch) and Glinda (the Good Witch) came from, the author of the book has shared the precise moment it came to him.
The hit movie "Wicked" is based on the 20-year-old hit stage musical, which is based on the novel "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" written by Gregory Maguire. While the musical is a simplified version of the 1995 book, the basic storyline—the origin story of the two witches from "The Wizard of Oz"—lies at the heart of both. In an interview with BBC, Maguire explained how Elphaba and Glinda's friendship popped into his head.
Maguire was visiting Beatrix Potter's farm in Cumbria, England, and thinking about "The Wizard of Oz," which he had loved as a child and thought could be an interesting basis for a story about evil.
"I thought 'alright, what do we know about 'The Wizard of Oz' from our memories,'" he said. "We have the house falling on the witch. What do we know about that witch? All we know about that witch is that she has feet. So I began to think about Glinda and the Wicked Witch of the West…
In "Wicked," the two Oz witches met as students at Shiz University. Giphy GIF by Wicked
"There is one scene in the 1939 film where Billie Burke [Glinda the Good Witch] comes down looking all pink and fluffy, and Margaret Hamilton [the Wicked Witch of the West] is all crawed and crabbed and she says something like, 'I might have known you'd be behind this, Glinda!' This was my memory, and I thought, now why is she using Glinda's first name? They have known each other. Maybe they've known each other for a long time. Maybe they went to college together. And I fell down onto the ground in the Lake District laughing at the thought that they had gone to college together."
In "Wicked," Glinda and the Wicked Witch, Elphaba, meet as students at Shiz University, a school of wizardry. They get placed as roommates, loathe each other at first, but eventually become best friends. The story grows a lot more complicated from there (and the novel goes darker than the stage play), but it's the character development of the two witches and their relationship with one another that force us to examine our ideas about good and evil.
"I was living in London in the early 1990’s during the start of the Gulf War. I was interested to see how my own blood temperature chilled at reading a headline in the usually cautious British newspaper, the Times of London: 'Sadaam Hussein: The New Hitler?' I caught myself ready to have a fully formed political opinion about the Gulf War and the necessity of action against Sadaam Hussein on the basis of how that headline made me feel. The use of the word Hitler – what a word! What it evokes! When a few months later several young schoolboys kidnapped and killed a toddler, the British press paid much attention to the nature of the crime. I became interested in the nature of evil, and whether one really could be born bad. I considered briefly writing a novel about Hitler but discarded the notion due to my general discomfort with the reality of those times. But when I realized that nobody had ever written about the second most evil character in our collective American subconscious, the Wicked Witch of the West, I thought I had experienced a small moment of inspiration. Everybody in America knows who the Wicked Witch of the West is, but nobody really knows anything about her. There is more to her than meets the eye."
The Wicked Witch of the West has a story of her own. Giphy
Authors and artists—and their ideas—help hold a mirror up to humanity for us to see and reflect on who we are, and "Wicked" is one of those stories that makes us take a hard look at what we're seeing in that mirror. Thanks, Gregory Maguire, for launching us on a collective journey that not only entertains but has the potential to change how we see one another.
The name Tiffany goes way back to Tiphaine Raguenel, who lived in Mont Saint Michel in the 1300s.
Depending on what generation you belong to, when you hear the name Tiffany, you might think of the famous jewelry store, the teen singer from the 80s or the much-less-in-the-spotlight daughter of President Trump. Most likely, you don't think of a woman who lived in the Middle Ages.
In fact, if you were listening to an audiobook set in medieval times and the narrator introduced a character named Tiffany, you'd probably get yanked right out of the story as your brain would say, "Wait, why is there a Tiffany in this story? Isn't that a much more modern name?"
Tiffany was a popular name—and singer—in the 80s. Giphy
It's actually not, which is exactly why The Tiffany Problem is called The Tiffany Problem.
The Tiffany Problem refers to the fact that people in modern times will sometimes see something as anachronistic when it's not. It's something writers, filmmakers and other storytellers have to be aware of, as it can feel like there's a historical problem even if there isn't an actual historical problem.
As Piper shares, fantasy author Jo Walton coined the term "The Tiffany Problem" and explained it:
"Your readers are modern people and know what they know, which is fine except when what they know isn’t actually right. For instance, the name Tiffany sounds extremely modern to us. It feels jarring when we read it as a character name in a historical setting, where we’d be quite happy with names like Anna and Jane. But our instinct is wrong, because Tiffany is a form of Theophania, and it was fairly common in medieval England and France. It went out of fashion later, and it’s because we don’t have seventeenth to nineteenth century examples that it feels modern. But you still can’t use it in a fantasy novel set in the exact time and place when the name would have been historically accurate, because it will jerk the reader out of their reading trance. They know it’s wrong and you can’t tell them that what they know is wrong."
People often don't realize that what they think they know is wrong. Giphy GIF by Schitt's Creek
Piper had also shared that "ha ha," which seems like a casual, modern colloquialism, is actually very old, with the first known use coming from a monk 1,000 years ago. He also mentions "OMG," which was used by a World War I admiral in a letter to Winston Churchill in 1917. And "hubby" as a slang term for husband? That goes way back to the 1680s. Who knew?
It's a bit ironic that writers who strive to ensure their historical fiction works are historically accurate can find themselves stymied by people being just flat-out wrong about what's accurate and what's not. Humans are interesting creatures, aren't we?
For more info about the name Tiffany than you ever thought you wanted to know but will be delighted to learn, CGP Grey created a whole video about the name that has 4.7 million views. Tiffany exploded the 1980s, but CGP Grey goes all the way back to the year 300 to uncover the origins of the name. It's genuinely entertaining. Watch:
If you're still here and want to take an even deeper dive into the history of Tiffany, this other video from CGP Grey is an incredible rabbit hole that will make you appreciate the work historians do and marvel at how much digging Grey actually did to provide the original Tiffany history video. We're talking trips to the deep dark corners of The British Library, the largest library in the world, and hours and hours of paging through books just to find the original source of this one poem that includes the name "Tiffany." It's a journey, but a fascinating one.
Ann was nearly 90 years old when she met her bestie, June, and their friendship blossomed instantly. Ann's son, Alonzo, started dating June's daughter, Lauria, three years ago, and the two moms have been inseparable since then. Now 88 and 92, June and Ann do pretty much everything together. "They've known each other almost as long as [Alonzo and I] have been together," says Lauria, "and they've been causing trouble ever since."
June, Lauria, Alonzo, and Ann enjoying The Happiest Place on Earth.Photo courtesy of Disney
Only good trouble, of course. June tells Upworthy that she and Ann are often told they look alike and they've grown to be more like sisters than just friends. "Our closeness in age allows us to do things together that the younger people wouldn't understand," she says, "like laughing at things we feel are funny or going to dinner, shopping, watching game shows and taking walks together."
And, apparently, hopping out of their wheelchairs to dance to the music in Disneyland's New Orleans Square. June and Ann recently took their first trip to Disneyland and the Disney magic didn't disappoint.
Watch how joyfully these two kicked up their heels with their kids:
June and Ann loved dancing in New Orleans Square.Video courtesy of Disney
"[Experiencing the Disneyland resort] was a wonderful, fun, and exciting experience," Ann tells Upworthy. "It exceeded my expectations and made my first visit to Disneyland a magical experience that I will never forget. I plan on returning for another visit if God is willing."
June says the kindness, patience, and laughter of the cast members stood out to her during their visit. "All the people were so kind to us and I will never forget how warm and happy and inviting they made me feel," she says.
Both of them said their favorite parts were dancing in New Orleans Square and taking a boat ride to see the animals. "We still laugh about all those animals," says June.
Disneyland is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2025, which means the children who first visited the park the year it opened are now well into retirement. But as we can see from June and Ann's joy, you're never too old to enjoy a little sprinkle of Tinkerbell's magic.
June and Ann's experience with employees—known as cast members—isn't unique. Part of what has made Disneyland such a special place for seven decades is the dedication of the people who work there. Cast members strive to ensure that every guest, no matter their age or how many times they've been to Disneyland, experiences the Disney magic and truly feels they've arrived at The Happiest Place on Earth.
In honor of its 70th year, Disneyland shared a video highlighting a handful of long-time cast members who have been welcoming guests for decades, including Disney's longest-serving cast member, Henry Ameen—affectionately known as Hank—who first started working at the park in 1958.
At Disneyland, happiness is generational 🏰✨ Since 1955, more than 300,000 cast members have followed in Walt's footsteps to welcome guests to The Happiest Place on Earth, and we can’t wait for everyone to Celebrate Happy during our 70th anniversary.
Disneyland has earned the loyalty of cast members and guests alike since 1955 by honoring the imaginative child that lives in all of us. June and Ann are a delightful reminder that sharing joy with your favorite people is a big part of what makes Disneyland "The Happiest Place on Earth." Whether you're 9 or 92, friendship combined with a sprinkle of that mysterious Disney magic is the perfect recipe for unforgettable memories.