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German toddler schools his dad on driving—and the rest of us on the origins of English

A hilarious viral video demonstrates why English is considered a Germanic language.

Photo by Helena Jankovičová Kováčová/Pexels

Out of the mouths of babes…

Tiny humans talking is cute in any language, but sometimes a video comes along that take adorable to a whole new level. Remember the little girl who was passionate about pencil justice? Or the Italian preschooler who did a full Italian rant about a miniskirt? Kids say the darnedest things, and when the darned things they say are caught on video, virality almost inevitable.

Now there's the German toddler who sternly gives his father a road rules lesson, literally side-seat driving and chastising him for accelerating too fast. His "Oh, mein Gott!" has people rolling, as does his ingrained respect for the rules of proper driving.

Watch:

Not only is the video a hilarious viral moment on its own merit, but it's also a pretty solid demonstration of how the English language originated.

English is considered a Germanic language, which is sometimes confusing because most of the words we use don't actually come from German. Some people mistakenly think English is a romance language like Spanish or French, but it's not. More than half of our vocabulary comes from French and Latin, though, hence a lot of the confusion.

Around a quarter of our vocabulary comes from German, but where our Germanic roots really come through is in our grammar and syntax. The order in which we say words is the same, such as putting adjectives in front of nouns (which is the opposite of romance languages). And our grammatical structure is very similar, with only a handful of somewhat minor differences.

As we see in the video, the German sentences are almost understandable without even having the translations on the screen. In the beginning, it almost sounds exactly like he's saying "Wait! Stop! Halt!" just with a German accent, even though he's actually speaking German. "Papa, da ist rot!" is so close to "Papa, that is red!" And "Oh, mein Gott!" is very clearly, "Oh, my God!" which is part of why English-speakers are finding the video so entertaining and also educational.

Check out these comments:

"We need an entire channel with this kid teaching us to speak German."

"Need my GPS to go 'aaaah! Mein gott, das ist zu viel' when I go over the speed limit."

"I just learned so much German.. this baby is more effective than Duolingo lol."

"MY German instructor. I'd so learn how to speak German from this baby 😭💕 I just learned like 5 words already!"

"How is it I can't understand toddlers that speak English but I can understand a German toddler without even knowing the language 😂"

"Americans are so much more used to hearing Spanish and French that we forget that our own language has nothing to do with them, and is actually much more closely related to what this little boy is saying. That's why it sounds so familiar to American ear ! :-)"

People also joked about his adult-like adherence to rules and regulations, as the German culture is known for such things.

"He's between 3 and 75 years old."

"This ain't kids first life on earth."

"Did he learn that somewhere or is that factory settings?"

"Lil bro has a decent credit score already and he isn't even fully out of the diaper stage of his life😂"

"That’s not a kid, that’s a full grown driving instructor 🤣🤣"

Thanks to the wee German lad for the fabulous driving and language lesson.

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Mom sets up 'Montessori-inspired' home to increase independence and boost confidence toddler

You can also do this by using aids like stools and kid safe utensils.

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Mom creates 'Montessori-inspired' home to increase toddler independence

Having children can present challenges that you may not always think about until it presents itself. Parents spend time preparing for a baby by baby proofing the house to make sure there's nothing dangerous that a newly exploring baby could get into. But when they become toddlers the focus shifts slightly to making the home more accessible to their little curious minds.

One mom decided that she would create a "Montessori-inspired" living space for her home to cater to her daughter's development. Roxan posted a video on social media showing how her home is set up with smaller versions of things in order to make sure her toddler can reach them. Cereal dispensers are on a small shelf that comes to the toddler's hip. There's tiny sink and soap dispenser so she can wash her hands and brush her teeth. Even the coat rack is down on the little girl's level.

The caption on the video reads in part, "Setting up a Montessori-inspired spaces at home helps your child learn and do things independently. Creating a special spot in a closet or drawer with reachable items allows them to practice everyday tasks by themselves. These prepared spaces not only promote independence but also boost confidence, making your child feel valued and included. Everything at Kalia’s height and everything in its own place ensures easy access to all her needs.Encouraging age-appropriate tasks fosters important life skills. Children thrive when they can do things on their own."

Parents in the comments were impressed with Roxan's system but expressed how expensive it looks to be. The mom pointed out that these are things you can do without going out and buying expensive play kitchens to convert.

"No need for extra furniture. Get creative with what you have, like using stools to reach the bathroom sink or placing utensils and snacks in lower cabinets. Simple adjustments can go a long way in making your home more accessible for your child," Roxan explains to another mom.

But for those who think this is extremely expensive to do, while the mom doesn't point it out, she has most of the items linked in her bio and people may be surprised at how affordable most of the things are. If you're curious at how a Montessori-inspired house could work, check out the video below.

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Toddler’s reaction to finding out her mom was adopted is a love letter to families everywhere

'I’ll be your mommy.'

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Toddler's sweet reaction to finding out her mom was adopted.

Adoption can be a tricky topic, especially if you're the one having to break the news to someone else. It's a process that can bring families together but sometimes there's not a sweet story to tell about the adoptee's birth parents. The most people can do is work with the situation they were given and strive to make the best out of it. When one mom, Emily on TikTok, explained to her daughter that "Mimi" was her adoptive mom, the toddler's reaction was so pure it will melt your heart.

In the short video you can see the mom pause when her daughter inquires, "Why is Mimi your mom?" It was as if Emily was quickly deciding if she would give a generic answer or tell her daughter the truth. She landed on telling the truth. She looks down at her daughter and says, "I was adopted actually." You can hear the girl process what her mother was saying and with a tiny voice she asks why, before Emily tells her, matter of factly, "Because my mom didn't want me." The response from her daughter is so sweet that Emily captioned the video with "My heart will never be the same. She's healed so much of my inner child for me🥹"

In 2019, more than 64,000 children were adopted in America. Emily sharing that she was adopted with her daughter and then with millions of TikTok users is a way to start a conversation about what adoption means and how different it can look for different people. The interaction is so sweet, it's unclear how anyone would be able to keep a dry eye. Watch it below.

@emilyfauver

My heart will never be the same. She’s healed so much of my inner child for me🥹

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Brave mom fights off tiger to rescue her child with only her bare hands

Imagine taking your kid to the bathroom and having to fight off a hungry tiger.

Photo by Jessica Weiller on Unsplash

Toddler escapes the deathly grip of a tiger, thanks to his fast-acting mom.

Imagine taking your kid to the bathroom and having to fight off a hungry tiger. It sounds like a scene from a B-list movie, but this exact scenario actually happened to a mother and her 15-month-old toddler in India. The tiger is believed to have escaped from the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, near where the incident happened, according to BestLife. Archana Choudhary, 25, was letting her toddler relieve himself outdoors when the escaped tiger picked up her child and attempted to walk off.

The fact that this mom didn't immediately pass out from shock is amazing. But luckily for this toddler, his mother's first instinct was to conjure up superhuman reflexes and strength to save her baby from the tiger's grip. Choudhary's husband, Bhola, told The Sun, "Rajveer was sitting and Archana was standing nearby. Suddenly, a tiger emerged, picked Rajveer and started walking away. Archana ran after the tiger for about 5 metres, hitting the tiger with her hands to save her son. The tiger left the child and attacked Archana.”

Can you imagine finding out in the craziest way possible that your wife is no one to mess with? I mean, how could you possibly top that act of love? I'd imagine common disagreements would turn into Choudhary saying, "I fought a tiger, the least you could do is wash the dishes." There's no arguing with that. In all seriousness, the baby was saved thanks to his mother's bravery, but neither escaped without injury.

According to CBS, Choudhary suffered a punctured lung and wounds to her abdomen while the 15-month-old has deep gashes on his head. After attacking the mother and child, the tiger returned to the forest escaping the villagers. The Times of India reported that both mother and baby are in stable condition and a search operation is underway to locate the tiger to force it back toward the reserve.

There are estimated to be around 4,500 tigers in the wild, and India is home to around two-thirds of them. It would seem a tiger encounter in India would only be a matter of time if you live near a reserve. Though tiger attacks are still rare, India had 108 tiger-related deaths between 2019 and 2021. These beautiful but dangerous animals remain on the endangered list as reserves continue to try to boost the tiger population, which is likely why the tiger that attacked Choudhary is not being euthanized.

Thankfully, Choudhary and her child are expected to make a full recovery. Parents often complain about potty training but the task should never be this exciting. This story will likely be told throughout villages for generations. It's not every day that someone goes toe to toe with an adult tiger barehanded and lives to tell the story. Wishing mom and baby a speedy recovery.








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