+
Sign up for
The Upworthiest
Our top stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox.
upworthy
Parenting

A soon-to-be dad asked for the best parts of having kids. Parents delivered with heartwarming joy.

He was tired of only hearing about how his life would soon be over and how he'd never sleep again.

Dad holding laughing baby
Photo by Lawrence Crayton on Unsplash

Baby giggles are one of the best things about parenthood.

The dizzying preparation stage of soon-to-be-parenthood can be a little daunting. Everyone and their grandma—literally—bombards you with congratulations, advice and doomsday-like predictions about how your life is about to change.

People try to prepare you for parenthood by sharing horror stories or warning you about how hard it's going to be with the best of intentions. Parenting can be tough, and going into it with overly rose-colored glasses can lead to some painful reality checks. But too many jokes about never sleeping again or anecdotes about toddler tantrums can also dampen what should be a joyful time of anticipation and excitement and make parenting sound like a total drag, which it's not.

That's why soon-to-be-dad Harris Fanaroff took to Twitter to ask parents what they really love about raising kids.

"I’m tired of hearing the…'You’ll never sleep again' 'Your travel life is over' 'Say goodbye to your weekends,'" Fanaroff wrote. "My first baby is joining us in the next 3 weeks and I’m excited, nervous, anxious, and grateful. I’d love to hear your favorite parts of having a newborn/baby/kids."

Fanaroff tells Upworthy he thought he might get a couple of responses to his request. He never expected he would get a deluge of parents delivering the goods in the most heartwarming way.

"Babies are magic," shared Mary Katharine Ham. "Just had my 4th, and it will never cease to amaze me how much you can love hanging out w a person you just laid eyes on and who also cannot talk. Nothing better than a baby snoozing on your chest. You have many moments of wonder & sleepy smiles ahead of you!"

"Waking them up in the morning," wrote Teddy Mitrosilis. "Our 6 month old has the biggest smile every morning when we get her up, as if she’s genuinely astonished she gets another day. Enjoy every time you get to do that!"

"Our baby girl hit 11 months today," wrote Vincenzo Landino. "It's amazing. Seeing her face in awe every time she experiences something new. Seeing how she picks up on little quirks from me and my wife already. It's all so awesome. Just enjoy the ride. Do what works for you."

"Babies unlock a whole new and different part of life filled with those things, sure, but also of love, joy, happiness, meaning, and purpose," wrote Jason Schulweis. "You get a brand new perspective on life, and your heart grows. It’s the best thing in the world."

"You will be more proud than you have ever been, and your heart will be heavy with burden (because of the crazy world) but full of hope because your child will know your love. don't let anyone tell you otherwise," shared Kahlil Ashanti. "I have three boys and they are my joy."

Robbie Britt sang the praises of "the hand hold."

"It’ll start with them grabbing a finger, and then one day you’ll be walking and you feel them reach up and grab your hand," he wrote. "That’s when the heart melts!"

Jason Cohen agreed with the other answers and added, "Bottom line is the good stuff outweighs the negatives 100:1. Holding that little life, watching them figure out the entire world, the giggles and little hands on your face, seeing you in them, for good or Ill they’ll have to figure out themselves."

So many parents chimed in with the things that make parenthood magical, wonder-filled and joyful.

"I've read probably about 200 of them to my wife," Fanaroff says. "I've also had 100+ people message me directly to tell me how much they and their partner have enjoyed reading them and it's been so refreshing for them to see."

After receiving over 3,000 positive comments about having kids, Fanaroff says he's most looking forward to watching his wife become a mom, hearing their baby's first laugh and seeing their baby's first smile. "And one that I never thought of until all these comments but apparently that new baby smell!" he adds.

Can confirm. Babies smell like heaven.

Fanaroff says the response to his tweet has been "amazing," and it's true. Not only is it an uplifting, positive boost for folks who are looking forward to welcoming a child to their family, but it's also a good reminder for all parents of the beauty and joy that make the hard parts 100% worthwhile.

From Your Site Articles
uplifting
Planet

The Carbon Savings Account™ is the key to a greener and wealthier future

True

Implementing simple energy- and water-efficiency upgrades in US households would save nearly $200B per year in residential utility bills.

Unfortunately, these upgrades are often unaffordable or inaccessible for the average US home.

Growing up in West Virginia, my community was largely part of the 1/3 of Americans who can’t afford their energy bills, let alone the efficient home tech upgrades that would make these bills affordable.

This is why Kaitlin Highstreet and I founded Scope Zero, where we created the Carbon Savings Account™, or CSA. The CSA is similar to a health savings account, where employers and employees both contribute funds to the account. With the CSA, the employees use the money for home technology and personal transportation upgrades that reduce their utility bills, fuel spend, and carbon footprint.

CSA-eligible upgrades include everything from Energy Star refrigerators, low-flow showerheads, smart thermostats, and LEDs, to home solar and EVs.

Keep ReadingShow less
environment
Health

Doctor explains how to do a simple physical test that can predict your longevity

People who fail are more likely to die in six years.

via Pexels

A woman sitting cross-legged on a yoga mat

Everyone wants to know how long they will live and there are many indicators that can show whether someone is thriving or on the decline. But people have yet to develop a magic formula to determine exactly how long someone should expect to live.

However, a doctor recently featured on the "Today" show says a straightforward test can reveal the likelihood that someone aged 51 to 80 will die in the near future.

NBC News medical contributor Dr. Natalie Azar was on the "Today" show on March 8 and demonstrated how to perform the simple “sit to stand test” (aka sit-rising test or SRT) that can help determine the longevity of someone between 51 to 80.

Keep ReadingShow less
longevity
Education

Gardner shares her easy, 3-part planting formula to keep your plants healthy and pest-free

"Not one time has it been explained this simply."

via MomJeansandGardenThings/TikTok

Ashley Nicole simply explains companion planting.

Gardening influencer Ashley Nicole (@momjeansandgardenthings) has an easy tip for everyone having a hard time with their plants dying and getting destroyed by pests. It’s a time-honored technique called “companion planting,” where your main crop is surrounded by plants that repel bad insects and attract the good ones.

Nicole founded the blog Mom Jeans and Garden Things, where she shares “tips, tricks, and ideas on ways to grow your own herbal beauty routine.”

“If you’re a beginner gardener and you’re confused about companion planting, this simple formula is going to make everything make sense,” Nicole says in the clip. “There are three main components to companion planting. There’s the main crop … the flower, and the herb.”

Keep ReadingShow less
gardening
Joy

A Canadian shelter sells older cats like used cars, and it's pretty effective ... and hilarious.

Can I interest you in a pre-owned cat?

Image pulled from YouTube video.

Cats for sale.


These mustached Canadians decided to treat older shelter cats like used cars.

Why?

Keep ReadingShow less
Pop Culture

A popular optical illusion with a mindbending twist proves we can't trust our senses

Mind. Blown.

Curiosity Show/YouTube

The Ames window trick.

Optical illusions are universally beloved for how they trick our brains and blow our minds. There's a reason we enjoy magic shows and Escher paintings and are mesmerized by fake oases in the desert. We love seeing things that bend our perceptions of reality, and the science behind the magic always proves fascinating as well.

Keep ReadingShow less
science
Joy

Woman shares her pre-pandemic tattoo as worst case of 'bad timing' in the history of body art

Unbelievable. 😂

via wakaflockafloccar / TikTok

It's amazing to consider just how quickly the world has changed over the past 11 months. If you were to have told someone in February 2020 that the entire country would be on some form of lockdown, nearly everyone would be wearing a mask, and half a million people were going to die due to a virus, no one would have believed you.

Yet, here we are.

PPE masks were the last thing on Leah Holland of Georgetown, Kentucky's mind on March 4, 2020, when she got a tattoo inspired by the words of a close friend.

Keep ReadingShow less
covid-19
Joy

This blooper from 'The Carol Burnett Show' is still one of the funniest outtakes in TV history

Vicki Lawrence dropped a perfectly timed a-bomb.

The Carol Burnett Show Official/YouTube

"The Carol Burnett Show" had one of the funniest outtakes in TV history.

"The Carol Burnett Show" ran from 1967 to 1978 and has been touted as one of the best television series of all time. The cast and guest stars of the show included comedic greats such as Tim Conway, Betty White, Steve Martin, Vicki Lawrence, Dick Van Dyke, Lyle Waggoner, Harvey Korman and others who went on to have long, successful comedy careers.

One firm rule Carol Burnett had on her show was that the actors stay in character. She felt it was especially important not to break character during the "Family" scenes, in which the characters Ed and Eunice Higgins (a married couple) and Mama (Eunice's mother) would play host to various colorful characters in their home.

"I never wanted to stop and do a retake, because I like our show to be ‘live,’" she wrote in her memoir, as reported by Showbiz Cheat Sheet. "So when the ‘Family’ sketches came along, I was adamant that we never break up in those scenes, because Eunice, Ed, and Mama were, in an odd way, sacred to me. They were real people in real situations, some of which were as sad and pitiful as they were funny, and I didn’t want any of us to break the fourth wall and be out of character.”

It was a noble goal, and one that went right out the window—with Burnett leading the way—in a "Family" sketch during the show's final season that ended with the entire cast rolling with laughter.

Keep ReadingShow less
carol burnett show
Trending Stories