To dads and coaches everywhere: This is how you tell your kid you love them.
The heartwarming interaction was caught on live TV.
Little League coach Joel Jensen set an example that players, parents, kids, and adults alike should be proud to follow during one of his son's baseball games.
On Aug. 22, 2016, Isaiah "Bugsy" Jensen took the mound for Bend North, a Little League World Series baseball team from Oregon, as they took on a team from Emilia, Italy.
Isaiah pitched four and one-third innings of near-perfect baseball in front of a crowd of 7,000 fans and a TV audience.
It was the game of Isaiah's life, and he was playing like it.
Photo by AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar.
In the fifth inning, Isaiah began to struggle.
His pitches began to miss the mark; his speed began to trail off. It looked like his day, as good as it had been, was coming to an end.
After walking a batter in the top of the fifth inning, it looked like coaches were ready to pull Isaiah. GIF from ABC News/YouTube.
His dad called for a timeout, emerged from the dugout, and made his way to the mound. It was there that he did something completely unexpected: He told his son that he loved him.
It's not your ordinary pep talk. It's much better. GIF from ABC News/YouTube.
"You're doing awesome out there," Joel told Isaiah. "One more hitter. ... Hey, cheer up, have some fun, and come right after him."
Fresh off the pep talk of a lifetime, Isaiah struck out the next batter before being replaced by one of his teammates.
He struck out his final batter. GIF from ABC News/YouTube.
Sports parents sometimes get a bad rap. The internet is filled with horror stories of dad-slash-coaches who haven't exactly lived up to the expectations of either title. With dads like that in the world of youth sports, being the coach's kid can be rough. After all, no one wants to let down their coach, let alone their dad.
It's heartwarming to see such a positive example of sportsmanship on such a large scale.
Growing up, my dad volunteered to coach my baseball and soccer teams. The love and support he showed me during those years helped shape me into the person I am today. Whether I won or lost, I knew he was always there for me. The interaction between Joel and Isaiah is something I — and lots of people — can relate to on such a personal level. This is what the world needs: love, encouragement, and support.
Parenting: You're doing it right.
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."