This empty nesters' hilarious viral photo shoot has parents everywhere in stitches.
Many parents lament when their last child leaves the nest.
As graduation photos flood our social media accounts, so do words of sadness and parental longing. Kids growing up evokes a huge range of emotions in parents, and it's natural to feel wistful and nostalgic as we watch our children emerge into adulthood.
I mean, who doesn't see their sweet baby in the face of their grown child? Who doesn't get a lump in their throat as their offspring walk across a stage in a cap and gown? What parents don't think about how they'll miss the pitter patter of little feet and the delightful chaos of a houseful of loinfruit?
Who looks around their empty nest without a sense of loss?
As this hilarious viral photo shoot shows, not all empty nesters have a hard time moving on.
When my kids were little, I remember feeling like it would be so hard to let them go when the time came for them to move on to their own lives. And when my oldest turned 18, I did get hit by "Where did the time go?" and "OMG, MY BABYYYYY."
But that phase passed quickly, soon replaced by "Hallelujah, we raised an adult!" and "OMG, I CAN SMELL SWEET FREEDOM COMING."
So yeah. I can totally see why this photo shoot by Haley Marie Photography is resonating with parents everywhere.
"Most parents are a little sad when they hit the "empty nest" phase of life," the post reads. "HOWEVER, my parents seem thrilled 🤣🤣 also... how cute are they??!! 👫🏠"
The photos show a couple who are clearly thrilled to be empty nesters and not afraid to celebrate that fact.
They took a photo with their dogs and a sign that read "OUR FAVORITE KIDS."
That was followed up by side-by-side photos—one of the couple looking sad while holding a sign with a broken heart that read, "So sad...." and one of them laughing and holding a sign that said, "hahahaha JUST KIDDING."
Playing on the classic expectant parents theme, the dad holds a "0" balloon while the mom holds an "Expecting 0 kids June 2019" sign.
Are these two adorable or what?
Parenting requires a sense of humor, and clearly these two have it in spades.
People are loving this photo shoot because it's funny, but also relatable. There's a reason the post has been shared 160,000 times in two days.
We all love our kids, but full-time parenting is a marathon and it's natural to celebrate when you reach the finish line.
We dedicate decades to raising our children, and most of the time we're happy to do so. It's hard, but there's also a profound joy that comes with the hustle and bustle of family life when kids are young.
But it's a season, and you bet your britches we'll be tossing confetti when our kids start building their own nests and my husband and I start the next stage of our life.
Congrats to the happy couple! And thanks to Haley Marie Photography for giving us all a good laugh.
Beaver in water. Photo by 
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Not just coworkers—family, friends, strangers, kids…
Imagine having to go so badly but being out of euros. 
Anything hobbit-esque can't be wrong. 
But what if you need pain meds AND mascara?!
Imagine how this would affect childcare.
Honestly…where's the lie?
A brown buddha statue sits near a green mountain. Photo by 
Urgent dash to the bathroom! 🚪🏃♂️
Ladybug unexpectedly found during colonoscopyPhoto credit: 
Close-up of bottom of ladybug found in colonPhoto credit: 
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."