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Dad breaks down in joyous tears after finding out daughter won four awards at school

"I've never been an academic student. I've never reached those highs before."

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Dad breaks down in tears after daughter won four school awards

Kids are constantly surprising us. It's one of the perks of being a parent, watching your child learn new things as they grow all while making us proud. This can be especially true for parents who may not have had the best childhood or may not have been the best student. One dad attended his daughter's awards ceremony at her elementary school and left in tears after being overwhelmed with pride.

In a video uploaded to social media, Ralmon McAfee is seen with tears streaming down his face and we soon find out why. It's not just because his daughter was the recipient of four awards but because he didn't expect a child he created to be smart enough to receive academic awards.

Photo credit: Canva

While parents often do their best to raise their children with more resources and opportunity than they had, it can be hard to overcome the negative thoughts left over from childhood. Clearly this emotional dad was still holding on to the belief that he wasn't intelligent as a child and therefore unintentionally expected his child to experience what he had in his childhood educational settings. This makes the emotional response all the more intense for the man.

The video was originally uploaded at the end of the school year to TikTok but has recently been reshared on Reddit where it has gone viral again.

@mr.review832 PROUD FATHER NEVER HAVE I EVER RECEIVED ANY OF THOSE AWARDS .....BUT FOR MY SEED MY FLESH BLOOD TO DO IT !!!!!...I COULDNT BE ANYMORE HAPPIER!!!! #fypシ #GRADUATION ♬ original sound - RAMBO

"Call me soft. Call me what y'all want. But I never expected my child to receive four awards. And I've never, and I've never been a academic student. I've never reached those heights before. Call me weak, call me lame but I'm crying because I never thought that could come from me and I'm proud of my daughter," the dad says.

Photo credit: Canva

He wasn't the only one exuding excitement. People who viewed the video were happy the dad got to experience seeing his daughter succeed in a way he didn't achieve as a child and didn't know that his children could. As the video was ending the proud father told viewers he was headed back to work to continue to provide for his daughter. Viewers hope he told everyone at work all about his daughter's awards so he had others to share in his joy.

One person says, "I hope he told everyone at work, gotta share the excitement he has for his girl!" before another responds, "You kidding?! He's probably told all his colleagues, his boss, AND EVERY client or customer he's served that day! And rightly so. Every parent is or should be proud of their kids' achievements, no matter how small or big. I was and still am when my kids achieve things. And mine are in their 20's and 30's."

Photo credit: Canva

The video made another dad cry right along with him, "I’m a 6’4 275 lb semi jacked dad bod dude that cries during Disney movies. This dude is the FURTHEST from lame and weak of “soft” (imagine thinking kindness towards others is a bad thing).A real man isn’t afraid to show their emotions, communicates, and has empathy and love for others and their accomplishments. He has it in spades. F-ck anyone else who says otherwise. I’m so happy for him and his daughter. F-ck now I’m tearing up lol."

"This is the opposite of weak in my books. This is a father who is so secure in his masculinity that he is not ashamed of crying over his daughter’s achievements. This is strength I’m so happy for this guy and his little star," another writes.

Photo credit: Canva

"'I never thought that could come from me.' Man that's so deep and heartbreaking. He thought that his makeup, his DNA, was 'bad' and wouldn't allow for someone to be academically inclined. He's having a revelation about humanity and it's beautiful. I hope he knows now that he always had, and likely still has, the potential to be whatever kind of person he wants," someone says.

Another tears up at the dad's thought about himself saying, "The thought that in his mind she accomplished something that he feels or was made to feel like he couldn’t. Now he knows that he does have it in him. Also that he’s nurturing something beautiful in his daughter.As a minority we buy into these narratives that tear us down. I’m so happy to see in this day not only that he got to experience that with his child but that he is able to show emotion for it. Some much going on in this video


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Joy

5 things that will make you smile this week

If you're looking for a little sunshine, we've got you covered.

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Things to make you smile.

Are you looking for something to make you smile? Well, you've come to the right place. Starting off on a positive note can set the tone for the rest of the week. For those who enjoy our weekly 10 things that made you smile this week article, here's an extra dose coming at the start of each week. Now you can find some bright spots to look forward with each passing day!

Mondays can be a drag for a lot of us. Unless you're starting your week on vacation, of course. For the rest of us, we're just trying to get through the work week while keeping our sanity intact. If you're looking for a little sunshine, we've got you covered. Read on…

National Relaxation Day.

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1. Throw on your most comfortable pajama pants and call your boss.

August 15 is National Relaxation Day. Yes, you heard me right. It's a day dedicated to relaxing and as it's a national day, it should be paid time off right? Well, I'm not sure if that's how it works but it should. In the event that you don't have any PTO days saved and are terrible at faking a cough, you can set your day up to be as relaxing as possible for when you get home from work. Grab some ready-made margaritas from your local grocery store on your way home and do your best to become a human burrito for the rest of the day.

2. Beauty, brains and an uncontrollable tendency to turn green.

"She-Hulk: Attorney at Law" premiers on Disney+ August 18. I love everything Marvel so sign me up. This trailer is amazing. Who wouldn't want a hulk for their attorney? Mark Ruffalo is still The Hulk so no need to get all huffy about the studio changing things. The series looks pretty entertaining, especially if you're a Marvel fan.

Harry Styles

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3. Music brings people together.

How many of us remember screaming at the top of our lungs at our favorite artist's concerts as teens? Heck, some of us still do this as adults. Well, you're in luck if you're a Harry Styles fan. Styles is touring from August 15 through November 15. Now, he may not be everyone's cup of tea but I'm sure there are teen and young adult girls and nonbinary people who would be thrilled to get their hands on some tickets. That's if the shows aren't already sold out.

Photo by Marty O’Neill on Unsplash
4. Roses are red, violets are smelly and no matter what you try, they won't taste like jelly.

I'm sure someone appreciated the bad poetry, and August 18 is the day you should read some of yours out loud. You may be wondering why someone would read bad poetry out loud. It's because it's National Bad Poetry Day! Look, I'm sure someone sits around trying to think of the most ridiculous things to celebrate and through a petition or I don't know, putting it on a super-official-looking website, it becomes a thing. Let's not ask questions. It's the little things in life that bring us joy. Now gather some friends, grab some wine and have a bad poetry reading event in your living room. Some towns even have events just for bad poetry, so see if your town has one. Someone's bound to make you laugh hard enough to pee a little.

5. This one's for the thriller movie fans.

Many people enjoy being scared. They go to haunted houses, prepare for Halloween like it's a year-round event and, of course, watch horror movies. Within the horror genre there are thrillers to really mess with your head to keep you on edge long after the movie has ended, such as "Orphan." The movie is still on enough people's minds after the original was released 13 years ago, so the creepy child looking murderer is returning on August 19. This movie will keep you in suspense and make you walk around filled with anxiety long after. If that's your thing, you'll appreciate the late sequel.

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Innovation

She just landed her dream home and it all started with trading a single bobby pin

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Demi Skipper's 'Trade Me Project' on Instagram.

It’s amazing what you can do with perseverance, optimism and a single bobby pin.

The Today Show recently highlighted the incredible success of 30-year-old Demi Skipper’s “Trade Me Project,” where Skipper documented her 28 trades that landed her the keys to her very own dream home.

And it all started with (you guessed it) a bobby pin. The real crazy part: It happened in the span of just a year and a half.

You might be thinking, “wait, I’ve heard this story before, haven’t I?”

Indeed, Skipper's idea was inspired by Kyle MacDonald, whose initial red paperclip trade landed him a house within a year, back in 2005. He even has a TED Talk about it:

What if you could trade a paperclip for a house? | Kyle MacDonald | TEDxViennawww.youtube.com

I’m fairly certain, though I have no hard evidence to prove it, this is the concept behind a hilarious scene from "The Office," where Dwight Schrute tries to educate us all about “The Art of the Swap.”

Spoiler alert: The swap doesn’t go quite as well for Dwight as it does Skipper and MacDonald.

Dwight's 'Art of the Swap' - 'The Office'www.youtube.com

Since Skipper recorded her bartering journey on Instagram and TikTok, the story of a bobby pin magically transforming into a home—and more importantly, what that represents—has gone mainstream yet again.

The bobby pin led to earrings …

Across social media, Skipper would note which items got swapped, along with their retail value. In this case, something worth a penny got traded for something with a thousand times more monetary value.

… which were traded for glassware …

As we will see, big changes happen as a result of small moments.

… then a vacuum …

Personally I might have just stopped the trading journey here.

… then a snowboard …

Here’s where things really started to rev up.

… eventually she traded for a car …

… and an even better car …

No offense to the Dodge Caravan.

… fast forward to a controversial Chipotle Celebrity Gift Card …

Yeah, some people were not jazzed about this one, and called it her worst trade. To be fair, free Chipotle every day for a year, plus a catered meal for 50, that racks up.

“You’ll be lucky to get $500 for it,” one user wrote.

As it turns out, luck was indeed on Skipper’s side.

… which got traded for this …

Skipper made one Chipotle fan an offer they couldn’t refuse. In exchange, Skipper received an off-the-grid trailer worth about $40,000.

There was one caveat: The trailer would require a drive from Skipper’s home in San Francisco over the border with Canada to pick it up. But I mean, once you’ve made it this far, what’s a few thousand miles?

… and finally, a new home.

@trademeproject

The Final Trade 🥺🏠 #trademeproject #letsgetthishouse

♬ Inspiring and spectacular emotional epics(869013) - Minette

And then came the final chapter when a house flipper in Tennessee, who had been following Skipper’s bobby pin saga, reached out showing interest in a trade. One solar-powered trailer for one house.

And it happened on the day after Thanksgiving, no less.

Running up to her new home, a teary Skipper is seen in the TikTok video saying, “This just shows you: it’s possible!”

According to Today, Skipper reports that people have been “overwhelmingly positive” in their response, saying that “people really have doubted me, and I certainly did at times during the journey too. But I learned a lot about myself in the process, and I was really amazed by my ability to stick with it.”

Now what?

Well, first there’s the big move from California to Tennessee. Then, renovation. Followed by … doing it all over again. Skipper revealed her plans to “donate the next house … to a person who needs it, no mortgage, no rental” and that would be the start of a brand new trade journey.

“There’s been a couple of people who have done this once, but no one’s crazy enough to do it twice,” said Skipper.

After hearing this story, I can't help but think of what other amazing things might occur as a result of really working toward something every day.

Or, when viewed from a lens of something other than success, I think about how our world might be changed with the simple commitment of one kind act each and every day.

There are people, like Skipper, who are leading by example. And it certainly makes that first step seem much more doable, whether that’s a bobby pin, a good deed or even a kind word.

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Wellness

10 things that brought a smile to our faces this week

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Time to celebrate as we head into the holiday weekend! To kick things off, here are ten of the best things we found this week. Kick back, relax, and enjoy these hits of happiness.

1. Watch blind paralympic champion runner David Brown tear up the track in the 100m.

Brown sprints tethered to his guide, Jerome Avery. The rubber finger bands allow Avery to run in exact unison with Brown, guided by his movements. As his guide, Avery calls out potential obstacles and keeps Brown informed of how far he has left to go. The goal is to run as one person. Incredible to watch.

2. Soldier Ethan Houston surprising his mom at the grocery store after being deployed in Germany for two years.

The scream says it all. Probably scared some of the customers at first, but we all get it. It's the ongoing sacrifices of military families and the joy of reunion all wrapped up in 30 seconds.

3. This delightful reminder that little kids are hilarious and deep and have a totally different concept of time than adults do.

Teacher George Pointon shares his year one (kindergarten in the U.S.) students' responses to the question, "If you could travel time, where would you go?" Absolutely delightful answers and analyses. Read the story here.

Photo by Eddie Kopp on Unsplash, George Pointon/Twitter


4. 70-year-old becomes Yankees' bat girl 60 years after being rejected for being a girl

Lifelong New York Yankees fan Gwen Goldman wrote to the general manager of the team when she was 10 years old, expressing her dream of being the team's bat girl. The manager told her she would be "out of place in the dugout." But times change, thankfully, and Goldman got to fulfill that dream this week. Read the full story here.

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5. A woman lost her dog two years ago. When she went to a shelter to adopt a new puppy, there he was.

Aisha Nieves's beloved dog Kovu had been missing for two years, and she assumed he was gone forever. But when she went to an animal shelter looking for a new pup to adopt, she noticed a dog that looked like Kovu. Then she saw the scar over his eye and knew it was him. "He was screaming, trying to get away from the guy holding him and run to me," she told The Morning Call. Then, he just jumped on me, and we started kissing and hugging." Gulp.

6. The best beauty hack and most adorable positive affirmation influencer you'll ever see.

"I wook so cute" should be everyone's mantra when they look in the mirror. And look how responsive she is to her mommy's comments. Maybe we should all get ourselves "sticked up," as she seems to be onto something here.

7. Speaking of adorable, this puppy being overtaken by sleep despite trying his best to fight it is just too much.

Are we all feeling this at the end of a long week? Soooo tired, but refuse to sleep because we don't want to miss anything. (Definitely need to have the sound up for this one. We feel you, dawg.)

8. This story of a BLM flag being torn starts on a down note, but ends with a beautifully uplifting message.

The Millers weren't terribly surprised to find their Black Lives Matter flag vandalized, but an anonymous neighbor who bought them two replacement flags left a note that restored their faith. "I saw it as a chance to remind you, remind myself, remind vandals and kind people alike that you can't tear away someone's humanity, you can't tear away their pride, you can't tear up love and compassion and good hearts the way you can tear up the fabric." Read the full story here.

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9. A homeless artist was discovered, and Oprah surprised him by buying one of his paintings for $5000.

Richard Hutchins has a heck of a life story, from having his art studio burn down to spending time in jail (where he made paintings on the backs of envelopes, using Skittles for paint) to living on the streets of Los Angeles. With the help of Charlie Rocket, he's been rocketed into artistic fame and success. This video of Oprah surprising him is just pure delight.

10. This incredible reminder of the power of art to shift our perspectives and help us see the world in a whole new way.

Human beings are simply amazing, and few things make that as apparent as art. The things we can conjure up in our imaginations and share with the world never cease to amaze.

Regardless of what's happening in the world, there are always stories big and small that can bring a smile to our faces and a moment of peace to our hearts. You just have to know where to look for them—and hopefully, we're making that search a little easier.

And just for funsies, here's a bonus boost of adorableness:

Why is that puppy the cutest thing ever? Why?

Enjoy the long weekend if you get one, and keep seeking joy, everyone!

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