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These clothes are comfy and stylish and can make life much easier for kids with autism.

"Revolutionary? No, just 'mom sense.'"

Like every parent, Lauren Thierry wants her son to be independent.

That includes the ability for him to dress himself without getting frustrated.

"A lot of people with autism have issues with fine and gross motor skills," Lauren, whose son, Liam, has autism, explained to ABC News.

"I know it sounds like such a non-issue. And yet, if your kid can't get dressed, they can't get out of the house. You start to realize mom is not going to live forever."

Lauren and her son, Liam. Photo courtesy of Lauren Thierry.

That's why she created a clothing line designed specifically for kids with cognitive impairments and physical disabilities.

It's called Independence Day Clothing. And it's awesome.

Photo courtesy of Lauren Thierry.

They may just look like a stylish group of kids. But their clothes are unique in subtle and important ways.

Because of those issues Lauren mentioned above, some common features on clothing — thingslike buttons, zippers, tags, and lace — can make it difficult for children with autism to get dressed by themselves. So, you won't find any buttons, zippers, tags, or lace on Independence Day clothes.

Lookin' fly, guys! Photo courtesy of Lauren Thierry.

Essentially, there's "no way to wear it wrong," Lauren says.

The clothing line is filled with items made with super-sensory-smooth (aka very comfy) fabric and without a clear front or back so that kids can put them on whichever way they please.

Many items are also equipped with GPS devices.

Having a child wander off unsupervised can be a nightmare for any parent, but it can be especially troublesome if that child has autism. Independence Day Clothing includes tracking technology in several of its items, putting moms and dads at ease.

"Anytime I want to know where my child is, I whip out my iPhone — there's an app right there," Thierry told HuffPost Live in March 2015. "Four seconds later, I know exactly where [my son] is."

These clothes aren't just easy and stylish, they keep kids safer too. Photo courtesy of Lauren Thierry.

Lauren also has other cool items in the works, like sweaters, unisex shorts, and socks with no heel or toe seam.

Seriously, we want to see these designs rocking a red carpet soon. Photo courtesy of Lauren Thierry.

These clothes may be innovative. But to Lauren, her work comes down to simply wanting what's best for her kid.

While some may consider Independence Day Clothing "revolutionary" — as one media outlet proclaimed — she told Upworthy she sees it otherwise:

"What I did was not revolutionary. It was simply something that had to be done. Like the moms in the 1960s who safety pinned mittens to their kids coats before there were mitten clips. The moms did it because those 'kittens' might lose their 'mittens.' Revolutionary? No, just 'mom sense.'"

Pop Culture

Folks are admitting that Boomers weren’t totally wrong. Here are 19 things they got right.

OK, Boomer, you're right about this one.

via Patrick Lannigan/Flickr

The gaze of the approving Boomer.

Over the past few years, Baby Boomers (1946 to 1964) have been getting a lot of grief from the generations that came after them, Gen X (1965 to 1980), Millenials (1981 to 1996), and now, Gen Z (1997 to 2012). Their grievances include environmental destruction, wealth hoarding, political polarization, and being judgemental when they don’t understand how hard it is for younger people to make it in America these days.

Every Baby Boomer is different, so it's wrong to paint them all with a broad brush. But it’s undeniable that each generation shares common values, and some are bound to come into conflict.

However, life in 2023 isn’t without its annoyances. Many that came about after the technological revolution put a phone in everyone’s hands and brought a whole new host of problems. Add the younger generations' hands-on approach to child rearing and penchant for outrage, and a lot of moden life has become insufferanble.

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baby boomers
Health

'Burnout coach' shares how embracing boredom can help you recover from work stress

Repetition and consistency can create a mini miracle.

via Gabriela Flax/TikTok and Mizuno K/Pexels

Boredom, the cure for burnout.

If your job makes you feel burned out, you’re not alone. A recent poll of 10,243 workers in 6 countries found that 40% of respondents were burned out. The World Health Organization defines burnout as an “increased mental distance from one’s job,” feelings of depression and negativity.

The people most likely to be experiencing burnout are those ages 18 to 29, and women reported higher levels of burnout (46%) than men (37%).

Gabriela Flax, a self-described burnout coach, says the best prescription for people who feel like they’ve sacrificed their mental health for their job is a hefty dose of boredom. Flax was once a product manager who had to find a better work balance after suffering migraines, panic attacks and constant exhaustion from work.

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burnout
Pop Culture

Weird viral photo of Adele's face exemplifies the phenomenon called the Thatcher effect

The 42-year-old optical illusion is still astounding people.

upload.wikimedia.org /Credit: Condé Nast (through Vogue Taiwan)

Prepare to get Thatcherized.

It seems that Adele is going viral once again.

Perhaps you’ve seen the image in question previously (it seems to make the rounds every couple of years). But in case you missed it—it’s Adele’s face. Normal, just upside down.

Only it’s not normal. In fact, when you turn Adele’s face right side up, what you notice is that her eyes and mouth were actually right-side up THE ENTIRE TIME, even though the entire head was upside down. So when you turn the head right side up, the eyes and mouth are now UPSIDE-DOWN—and you can’t unsee it. Do you feel like you're Alice in Wonderland yet?

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psychology
Humor

Guy lists his most ‘boomer complaints’ as a millennial and he’s not wrong

"Concerts need to be at a reasonable hour like 5pm."

Kevin Fredricks|TikTok

People list their most 'boomer complaints' and its pure gold

Listen, everyone complains. Sure, we like to pretend it's just boomers that reach a certain age and start daydreaming about telling kids to get off their lawns. But the truth of the matter is, maybe some of the seemingly nonsensical complaints are valid because it appears that convenience has become inconvenient in the most obnoxious way possible.

Kevin Fredricks, a comedian and TikTok creator uploaded a video answering a tweet that asked, "what is the most boomer complaint you have." Fredricks must've been waiting for someone to ask this question because he had an entire list of complaints but honestly, if you're over 30 you'll probably be nodding along.

He comes in strong with a particular disdain for QR code menus. Save the trees and all that jazz but there's something about holding a menu in your hand that helps you choose the same thing you always order so much better. Flipping the menu over is key in making food choices while dining out. Seriously, not everything has to be digital.

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boomer behavior
Joy

Man has the kindest reaction to an elderly neighbor complaining about his Christmas lights

It became a beautiful display of compassion.

@misterdenali69/TikTok

Kindness is magic.

Christmas is often a time when we try to dig a little deeper to be kind, generous, compassionate, grateful…all the things that make humanity worthwhile.

But having that holiday spirit isn’t always easy when in the middle of conflict. Let’s face it—when someone isn’t kind to us, the hardest thing to do is come back with the best version of ourselves. A special time of the year isn’t going to change that.

And yet, it’s much easier to retain this wisdom when we see it in action elsewhere. Which is why a certain video is making the rounds on TikTok and inspiring others to, as the saying goes, be the change they want to see in the world.

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best of humanity
Pop Culture

Little boy steals the show at his sister's end-of-year dance school concert

This kid was born to dance.

@kleinkwagga1/TikTok

Klein Kwagga understood the assignment at his sister's concert.

Some kids are too shy to ever want to get on a stage, some will spend most of a performance staring awkwardly at their shoes, and some kids love the opportunity to show off what they've practiced in front of an audience.

And then there are the kids were simply born for the spotlight. You know them when you see them.

When Dirkco Jansen van Nieuwenhuizen hopped on stage with all of the other brothers and sisters of the dance students at René’s Art of Dance in South Africa, no one expected a viral sensation. According to Capetown Etc, it was the school's year-end concert, and siblings were invited to come up and dance to Bernice West’s Lyfie—a popular song in Afrikaans. And Dirkco, who goes by Klein Kwagga, took the assignment and ran with it.

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dance
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