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In Japan, you can rent a grandma for $23 an hour to make a warm meal and offer life advice

This is the 'insta-gram' the world needs right now.

ok obaachan, ok grandma, rent a grandma japan, japan, living in japan ,jobs for elderly women
Photo credit: Canva

This is the brain-child of Client Partners, a women-run company in Japan.

Some days can only be made better with a warm hug and a meal from grandma. In Japan, those creature comforts (and more) are made available for a mere 3,300 yen, or $23 USD an hour.

Here’s how it works: the service, run by a company called Client Partners, is called OK! Obaachan (which translates to OK Grandma). Give them a ring and they’ll send over a woman aged 60 to 94 boasting a range of grandmotherly skills—from housework and childcare, to “personal consultations”…meaning, yes, they can talk you through that brutal breakup.

Honestly, the tasks provided by this roster of 100+ grannies seem rather endless. Just a quick scroll through the website shows that an Obaachan has been hired to help someone come out as gay, attend sports games, think through an apology letter, show up to a wedding, perform ceremonial rituals, and more.

The video below paints a pretty cohesive picture. Paolo, a content creator living in Japan, enjoys a picnic of handmade goodies while his Obaachan shares pictures from her past and compares dating in her time to dating in the modern world. It’s every bit as wholesome as you’d imagine.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

“Well, I didn't plan on crying today but here we are. This video reminded me so much of my time with my Nanna and the great conversations we had and the advice she gave me as a young man. She was my best friend and I miss her so much,” one viewer wrote.

Another added, “It's actually a really good idea tbh. The grandma gets to spend time interacting with others, making her feel less lonely. Seems like a win win to both parties.”

Perhaps it should come as no surprise that this idea stems from a country that already combats loneliness through various “rent-a-person” services, including hired actors who will pretend to be your family.

But even more pertinent, Japan has a deeply ingrained cultural tradition of respecting and valuing the elderly. We see this reflected in practices like a national holiday honoring them (Keirō no Hi), and the fact that many Japanese households remain multi-generational. Older adults are often seen as vessels of wisdom and experience.

В Японии запустили сервис аренды... бабушки — «OK Obaachan».За 3000 йен (1600 ₽) в час милая бабуля научит готовить, присмотрит за детьми, приберёт в доме и даст мудрый совет. А если надо, поможет расстаться с токсичным партнёром.
byu/ElectroAdeptus inKafkaFPS


That said, older women in particular (and even more so, older women who either never married or whose husbands died young) face a sparse job market, and cannot solely rely on pension.

“The merit of age is the ability to remain unfazed by small things,” wrote Client Partners. “Their consideration for those who need it most, and while they may lack the physical strength and agility of their younger counterparts, their housework and child-rearing skills honed over years of being a housewife, their communication skills honed through relationships with neighbors and relatives, their rich life experience having endured the good and the bad, and their friendly, warm presence are all irreplaceable strengths.”

Plus, many Obaachans express gratitude for being able to connect to a sense of purpose through their work. So, in truth, everyone is getting a need met. For these grandma’s, it’s financial opportunities, and for their clients, it’s feeling nurtured, loved, and most importantly, fed.

Another cool thing about Client Partners—it’s run by women, and only employs women. So, beside grandmas for hire, you can also hire interpreters, handywomen, and something called “courage support.” Don’t know what that is…but I want it.

While applications to be OK Obaachan are open, Client Partners does require that candidates be vetted, and have an open enough mind to deal with often frowned upon things in Japan, such as single mothers. According to Client Partners, the “perfect” grandma is “kind, committed, hardworking, and cares about the feelings of others.” Hard to argue with that.

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Heroes

Man finds genius loophole to beat squatters at their own game. Homeowners say he's a hero.

"All I'm doing is becoming a squatter and flipping this process on them."

Canva Photos

Flash Shelton has been nicknamed the "Squatter Hunter" and helps people take their homes back.

Squatters' rights laws are some of the most bizarrely misused legal realities we have, and something no one seems to have a good answer for. Most of us have heard stories of someone moving into a vacant home and just living there, without anyone's permission and without paying rent, and somehow this is a legal question mark until the courts sort it out.

According to The National Desk, squatters' rights are a carryover from British property law and were created to ensure that abandoned property could be used and to protect occupants from being kicked out without proper notice. The argument is that it's better to have someone openly living in a home and taking care of it, properly maintaining it, versus it laying abandoned and rotting away. Families and residents add value to a community, and those residents should have rights — or so the reasoning goes.

It should go without saying that squatter law isn't meant to allow someone to just take over someone else's property, but sometimes that's exactly what happens.

A squatter takeover is exactly what happened to Flash Shelton's mother when she put her house up for rent after her husband passed away.


A woman contacted her with interest in the property, only she wanted to do repairs and look after the home instead of paying rent. Before anyone knew it, she had furniture delivered (which she later said was accidental) and set up camp, despite Shelton's mom not agreeing to the arrangement.

But since the woman had expressed her intention and already moved in, the matter was out of police hands, as Shelton found out when he tried to contact the local sheriff. If that sounds like trespassing to you, well, join the club.

“They said, ‘I’m sorry but we can’t enter the house, and it looks like they’re living there, so you need to go through the courts',” he shared in a YouTube video.


Shelton rightfully didn't want the expense of a court battle, so he took matters into his own hands—not with violence, but with logic. He had his mom lease the home to him, and then told the squatter that she had to move everything out because he was moving things in.


squatters, homeowners, criminals, trespassing, law, property law, viral videos, youtube, squatter hunter How exactly is squatting not trespassing? It's complicated, for some reason. Giphy

“If they can take a house, I can take a house," he said.

He was calm and clear about her having to get everything out within the day or he would have people come and take it, and thankfully, she didn't put up a big fight.

That experience made him realize how squatter law can be abused, but that there's a faster system for removing a squatter than to go through the court system. If a squatter can move in and force a homeowner to take them to court to prove they are living there illegally, then he could simply move in alongside the squatter, putting the squatter in the position of having to take the homeowner to court instead.

"The legal process is so slow, and at some point when they're in there, you're going to feel like they have more rights than you do and that's how you're going to be treated. So even though you it's your house and you're paying the mortgage or whatever, at some point squatters feel like they have more rights than you, so they don't have an incentive to leave until a judge tells them to, until they're actually ordered to, and that could take months."

After successfully removing the squatters in his mother's house, Shelton has been tackling similar squatter situations for other homeowners in California, earning him the nickname "The Squatter Hunter."

"All I'm doing is becoming a squatter and flipping this process on them," Shelton told CBS News. "I figured if they could take a house, I could take a house."

According to CBS, he's successfully removed a dozen squatters in the past year. ""I'm not going in and I'm not hurting anyone," he said. "I'm not kicking them out, I'm not throwing them out." He's literally just moving in himself, setting up cameras, and then creating small annoyances until the squatters get fed up enough to move out; like making uncomfortable alterations to the home or making a ton of noise at inopportune hours.

Shelton parlayed his success into a reality show on A&E called, fittingly, Squatters. It premiered in July of 2025. To put it lightly, it looks intense! Clips posted on Shelton's social media show hostile standoffs with angry squatters and even he and his team causing damage to the home or creating nuisances to help drive the squatters out.

California isn't the only state that has seen issues with squatters. There are squatter stories from all over the U.S. of people moving into a property and refusing to leave without a court order, tying owners up in lengthy, expensive legal battles.

Though squatting is relatively rare overall, some areas of the country have more issues than others. California, Texas, Georgia, and Florida are areas, in particular, that struggle with squatters and abandoned properties.

Shelton even has a Change.org petition to try to get squatter laws changed to "make squatting in residential maintained homes criminal." Making squatting illegal "will shift the burden of proof onto the squatter and make the crime punishable with restitution an option for damages," the the petition states.

Not all homeowners will have access to someone like Shelton and his team to fight back against squatters. But until the laws change, he's doing as much as he can.

Watch Shelton share his personal story:

- YouTube www.youtube.com

This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.


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When a 911 operator got a call for a 'large pizza' he quickly realized a woman was in trouble

What looked like a prank, was really an emergency.

via Inside Edition

A pizza and a police dispatcher.

In 2020, an Oregon, Ohio, police dispatcher and the daughter of a domestic abuse victim were lauded for their response to a violent situation. Dispatcher Tim Teneyck was manning the phone lines when a curious call came in that he first assumed was a prank. "I would like to order a pizza," the 911 caller said, giving a residential address. "You called 911 to order a pizza?" a bemused Teneyck asked. "This is the wrong number to call for a pizza." "No, no, no, no, you're not understanding," the woman insisted.

"I'm getting you now," Teneyck quickly replied. "We'll get 'em going."

"Is the other guy still there?" Teneyck asked

"I need a large pizza," the woman said.

"How about medical, do you need medical?" Teneyck replied. "No," the woman replied.

"With pepperoni," the woman continued. "We'll get 'em going," Teneyck stated before asking if the woman can stay on the phone.

"No," the woman replied before the call ends.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Teneyck realized she needed emergency assistance because of her persistence. "She stuck right to it," he told Inside Edition. "I knew there was something else going on." The dispatcher told police to go to the house with their sirens off saying "there's domestic violence going on." When police arrived, they saw the call was from a young woman whose mother was assaulted by her boyfriend, Simon Lopez.

According to the young woman, Lopez came home drunk saying he was going to "beat her ass" before punching her and throwing her into a wall. "I was thinking to myself, 'I need to call 911, but how do I get him to stay in the house so he will be taken out in handcuffs,' and I just thought, 'Pizza!'" the woman told Inside Edition.

Simon Lopez, 56, was arrested by police and charged with misdemeanor domestic violence. Lopez also had a warrant out for failure to appear. "I thank him from the bottom of my heart," the woman said of Teneyck.


Simon Lopez was arrested and charged with domestic violence.via Inside Edition

The next day, Oregon Police Chief Mike Navarre praised Teneyck as well.

"He utilized his training and his experience to recognize that a woman was in distress," Navarre told NBC News. "We have no way of knowing what would have happened if she didn't get through."

After the incident, the dispatcher and police chief learned that some support groups teach people to report domestic violence surreptitiously to 911 by pretending to order Chinese food or pizza. When the operator says, "You have the wrong number," the person reporting the violence is supposed to say, "No."

- YouTube www.youtube.com

The practice was highlighted in the 2018 Super Bowl commercial ad by No More, an organization that raises awareness about domestic violence. When this dispatcher asks if it's a joke, she says, "No," so he asks if it's an emergency, and she says, "Yes." The ad concludes with a message: "When it's hard to talk, it's up to us to listen."

Navarre is using the call to train other dispatchers on how to realize if someone is in trouble and can't express it in words. "A good dispatcher is going to recognize that this is a person who wants to talk and needs help. That is exactly what happened here," he said. "Some dispatchers might hang up on this person, but it's worth a try to give it your best shot. That's what she did, and it worked out extremely well."

To get support, resources, and hope for anyone affected by domestic violence in the U.S. call 1.800.799-SAFE (7233).

This article originally appeared five years ago.

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Comedian nails the differences in how each generation arrives at someone's home

"Millennials will arrive late, but they will text you to let you know they're on their way, just as they're about to get into the shower."

Samuel Peter/Pexels

Boomers will knock. Loudly. At all hours.

There's no doubt that there are contrasts between the generations, as baby boomers, Gen X, millennials and Gen Z see and experience the world quite differently. While generation gaps have always existed, the tech age has widened those gaps in big ways, which sometimes creates challenges but often results in hilarity.

For instance, watching a Gen Zer try to figure out how to use a rotary phone is pure entertainment. The way emojis are used and interpreted varies vastly by age, making for some chuckle-worthy communication mishaps. Slang terms can be hard to keep up with the older you get, but they can also be manipulated by savvy elders to great comedic effect.

gen z slang, w rizz, generations, generation gap, generational differences Riz W Sign GIF Giphy

And now, comedian Jake Lambert is comparing how the different generations arrive at someone's house in a viral video that's been viewed more than 12 million times.

"You've basically got boomers who will turn up completely unannounced any time from about 7:00 in the morning and they will knock on your door just slightly louder than the police using a battering ram carrying out a house raid," Lambert begins.

"And then you've got Gen X. They would have made the plans well in advance, and they would've also checked in a couple of days before just to make sure the plans are definitely still happening," he goes on. "You see, Gen X is the forgotten generation and they're so scarred by this title they would've assumed that you'd forgotten not only about the plans but about their very existence."

"Millennials will have hoped that the plans would've been canceled. There's no reason that a millennial will ever actually want to come to your house," he continues. "They will arrive late, but they will text you to let you know they're on their way, just as they're about to get into the shower. And a millennial will never knock on your door. You'll just get a text either saying 'here' or 'outside,' and that's your cue to go and let them in."

"Similarly, Gen Z will never actually knock," he concludes. "But the chances are they won't have to, as they would have been documenting the entire journey from their house to yours, maybe even on Facetime using this angle [camera facing directly up at the chin] as they go along for some reason. Either that or they'll just send a picture of your front door or a selfie of them outside it. And again, just like the millennial, that's your cue to go and rescue them from the outside world."

gen z, selfie, generation gap, generational differences, generations Gen Z will send a selfie from outside your house as an indicator that they've arrived. Photo credit: Canva

People feel alternately seen, attacked and validated by Lambert's assessments, with the most common response being "accurate."

"I‘m a millennial, my husband GenX. Scarily accurate! 😂"

"Described this millennial to a T."

"This is surprisingly accurate 😂 I laughed slightly louder than the police using a battering ram…"

"Sooo accurate…guilty of the lateness and ‘here’ text 🙃"

"I must admit I'm a millennial. But knocking on the door feels so aggressive, uknow? 😅😇"

"Millennial texting to say almost there but just started getting dressed to go out. Why do we do this? It's not intentional, at least not for me."

millennial, ok boomer, generation gap, generational differences, generations Giphy

"Honestly your observations are just brilliant! GenX-er here!"

"The Gen Z angle omg. 😂😂"

Naturally there are some people who don't resonate with their generation's description, but there are exceptions to every rule and some people will never fit a stereotype. However, judging by the wave of affirmative responses, Lambert has nailed the generational generalities across the board—and done so in a way that allows us all to laugh at ourselves.

You can follow Jake Lambert on Instagram.

This article originally appeared last year.

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Fatherhood

Dad shares 'complaints' about his toddler's restaurant business and it's too adorable

"It's a very clean establishment, but whewww let me tell you about this owner."

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Ava's Kitchen leaves a bit to be desired in the customer service department.

Toddlers can be a handful, but they're also the absolute best, with their tiny little adorableness, their burgeoning vocabulary, and their slowly evolving understanding of the world. Their imaginations are something else, and spending time in a wee one's world is always an unpredictable treat. Being the parent of a toddler is a unique joy that only lasts for a fleeting season, so you have to take full advantage of it while you can. And one dad has clearly done just that.

Christopher Kyle is father to Ava, who at 18 months old treated her dad to a meal at her sit-down restaurant. Only according to Kyle, the service left much to be desired. In a post on Instagram, Kyle shared a photo of Ava in her play kitchen while he sat waiting for his food in a tiny chair at a tiny table.

The father/customer wrote:

"So I tried to support another Black Owned Business for lunch today. It's called Ava's Kitchen, just opened end of April. It's a very clean establishment, but whewww let me tell you about this owner.

First off, I asked why there are balloons on my chair, and it's not my birthday? She talm'bout, mind yah business; those are Mommy's.

I been waiting on my order to get done for 45 minutes, and I'm the only customer here. She was making good progress at first, then she stopped for 20 minutes to go watch Paw Patrol.

Paw Patrol Dog GIF by Xbox Giphy

Overall the customer service could be better, but the cook is a cutie; so I'll give her another chance. Let's not give up on Black businesses so fast after one mistake. 💕"

People absolutely loved this dad's humor and clearly stellar parenting skills. Anyone who has sat through a tea party—or any activity with the wee ones—knows that for all of its cuteness, toddler play is an exercise in patience and endurance.

Upworthy shared Kyle's story on our Instagram page and our readers did not disappoint.

Some played right along with the game:

"Starting a restaurant is tough.. give her a chance ❤️❤️"

"I mean, she started a restaurant during a global pandemic, give her a break 😂"

"Is she taking reservations?"

Fans of Paw Patrol had some words:

"Paw Patrol is a must watch so 🤷🏾♀️😂"

"I died at Paw Patrol 🤣🤣🤣 that's my show though. I don't have kids I just watch it just because lmao."

"Paw Patrol break is mandatory. Too cute! ♥️"

Others just gushed over the entire scene:

"Love EVERYTHING about this!! The adorable owner, the customer's humor and the incredible love."

"That's the cutest restaurant owner I've ever seen. The dad's face is priceless! 😂👍❤️"

"LoL the story is funny & beautiful!!! This warms my heart!! This babygirl will grow up to have such a healthy look at men (in any capacity) as long as she & her Daddy keep such a beautiful bond!! Happy Father's Day (early) Keep encouraging her to do her thing and her confidence will continue to soar!! I just love this!! 😍😍😍"

Since that post went viral, Ava and her dad have had some other creative adventures, including building things at Home Depot's free kids weekend workshop:

Will Ava be a restaurant owner, a carpenter, or something totally different when she grows up? Who knows, but with her dad's support, no doubt she'll build success wherever she ends up.

This article originally appeared five years ago and has been updated.

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Animals & Wildlife

Man builds small pond in the Brazilian forest and the life it attracts is incredible

The ensuing party at the waterhole is like something out of a cartoon.

Canva Photos
Man builds small puddle in forest. It attracts an astounding scene.

Animals, much like people, need the basics of survival in order to thrive: food, water, shelter from harsh elements, and some form of companionship. It's not uncommon to see wild animals and not think much about us having similar basic needs, but I also haven't met a person yet who doesn't internally squeal with delight at the sight of two otters holding hands while floating down a river.

Point being, animals and humans have similar needs and sometimes wants, though it's unclear if the animals this forest explorer encounters need access to water or if they simply want a swimming hole where they can pal around with their neighbors.

Brazil; forest camera, wild life, interesting wild life, man builds puddle, puddle in forest, animals, rainforest, conservation, cute Do animals need companionship more than we think? Giphy

In an adorable video uploaded to social media, a man exploring a forest in Brazil decides to dig a small hole in the ground and fill it with water.

Doesn't sound that adorable, does it? Well, this wasn't just a hole that would eventually disappear when the water absorbed into the ground. It was made to last, making it a new, semi-permanent pond in the jungle.

The unnamed man fits the hole with what looks like a black plastic tarp that goes in the bottom of a pond, holding it in place with large stones. He then sets up a camera on a nearby stake he places in the ground to film what happens after he leaves. The results make it difficult to contain a smile.

It seems almost immediately after the sun rises there's a menagerie of different animals coming to check out the new watering hole.

First, two green birds that look like either parakeets or Brazilian parrots arrive. Then, another larger bird comes by. In the time-lapsed video, birds dominated the manmade puddle of fresh water. They drank, played, flapped around in the water, just having the best bird time before a new animal shows up. This time it's a pair of adorable baby jaguarundi who are quickly joined by two more slightly larger cubs, all drinking from the hole.

At one point, a giant lizard decided that the new watering hole made a good pool so he laid his entire body in it. It's not clear if any of the animals wanted a drink while the lizard was having a rest, but the next shot is of a large bird looking directly at the camera as if it were tattling.

Watch the magical timelapse video here:


The man, who prepared a small puddle in the forest in Brazil, wondered and recorded the creatures that would benefit from this water
byu/0len inMadeMeSmile


Commenters loved the fun video of animals checking out the little makeshift pond in the middle of the forest.

"The biodiversity is truly staggering. The baby mountain lions were the cutest. Also the disrespect of the monitor lizard just lying in it was hilarious," one person says.

"All of those animals having a drink, a bath, some fun... except that one bird, face in the camera, going 'It's a trap!'" someone jokes.

"I don't get anything anywhere near as cool as these beasts, but setting up a big bird bath + another one at ground level right near my study window was the best investment I've ever made in my yard. Daily I get at least 20 different birds of 4-5 different species drop by for a drink/bath along with a few lizards, and at night there's everything from possums to koalas having a sip," another says.'Someone else comments on the beauty of it all, saying, "It’s kind of incredible just how many diverse critters live out in the forests of Brazil."

Some commenters brought up the obvious question: Is it OK for the man to have interfered in the natural habitat like this? What happens if and when the pond dries up?


Brazil; forest camera, wild life, interesting wild life, man builds puddle, puddle in forest, animals, rainforest, conservation, cute Humans have destroyed enough rainforest that a little man-made pond isn't going to hurt anything. Photo by Paulius Dragunas on Unsplash

The Wildlife Conservation Network writes that conservationists may intervene in nature when the threat faced by animals is not natural, or is man-made. They write that it's wrong to scare off gazelles before a hungry lion comes along to eat them, as that has a direct impact on the natural food chain. But you could argue that with immense man-made destruction and deforestation of habitats in Brazil, a small puddle that brings fresh water and a sense of community to the animals is fair play, and won't ultimately have a big impact on the ecosystem.

The way the animals responded to the pond makes it seem like they've been waiting around their whole lives for someone to build one. No squabbling or one species trying to stake claim—they all took turns enjoying a drink or playing. It's quite sweet how seemingly cooperative they all were. They'll get good use from that small watering hole for a while thanks to a curious human with a camera.

This article originally appeared in April. It has been updated.

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