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Working mom's viral letter highlights how hard—and controversial—work-life balance can be

Working mom's viral letter highlights how hard—and controversial—work-life balance can be
Hashtag MomFail by Jamie Johnson/Facebook

They say motherhood is a full time job, and as a mom of three, I can attest to that. Especially when kids are little, being a mom is a non-stop marathon of nurturing, feeding, cleaning, organizing, transporting, comforting, counseling, and educating on constantly changing terrain.

Throw in a full-time career on top of that, and WHOA NELLY. The words "tired" and "busy" take on entirely new meanings. People who love their kids and love their work—or who don't love their work but need it financially—often struggle, feeling like their attention and energy are constantly being pulled in two directions.

But that tension between work and family life doesn't make someone a bad employee or a bad parent. It just means there has to be some flexibility and grace on both sides of the equation.

That's what blogger Jamie Johnson was getting at with a letter about what life looks like for her as a working mom. Originally posted on her blog with the title "Mom Guilt: From One Full-Time Working Mom to Another," the letter was picked up by Love What Matters, where it has gone viral.

RELATED: This stay-at-home mom's post about 'not working' has been shared over 400,000 times.

Johnson started by explaining that she's aware of how being a mom of small children can impact her job at the office:

"Please stop judging me for leaving the office at exactly 5 p.m., but my kids are waiting to be picked up from the sitter.

I know I'm missing this meeting, but my kid's preschool graduation is more important.

I know I was late today, but I can't drop the baby off at daycare until 7:45 a.m.

I know I seem distracted, because I am distracted. I have a sick toddler and I am waiting to find out when I can get him into the pediatrician.

I don't want to look exhausted when I show up to the office, but I have been awake since 4:30 a.m. with an inconsolable kid.

I know my eyes look glazed over, but I spent the last 12 hours trying to soothe a baby to sleep.

I didn't mean for my email to seem snippy, but I have a 5-year old who cried this morning because he didn't want to go to school, and I am worried about him.

Yes, I just banged my head against my desk. I received a text message that my kid has pink eye and I have to leave to get him even though this report is almost due.

I know my eyes are very swollen right now. I spent last night crying because I am exhausted, never get to be alone and haven't taken a hot shower in five years.

Sorry that I was short with you, but I spent the last hour arguing with a toddler over the necessity of wearing pants to the babysitter.

I know I am supposed to leave my personal life at the door when I come to the office, but when you are a mom to two small kids, that is hard to do."

Then Johnson thanked the people who have given her grace during the five years she has been a working mom:

"So thank you to everyone who has given me grace over the last five years.

I could probably stand to give myself a little.

Being a full-time working mom with young kids is not easy.

Thank you to every boss who has let me leave for doctor's appointments, unexpected sicknesses, preschool graduations and school lunches.

Thank you to all the people who turned their heads when I was pregnant and had to run out of a meeting to go puke.

Thank you to everyone who has let me know they also had a hard time juggling their work/life/kid balance.

Thank you to the people who ignored my swollen eyes, exhausted face, and the spit-up on my blouse.

Thank you to all the other moms who slay it each and every day and motivate me to keep going.

Thank you to the people who encourage me to keep going even though I can feel defeated at times.

Thank you to all the co-workers who have picked up slack for me because I had to make a quick exit to solve a kid emergency."

Finally, she gave a shout out to the other working moms of the world who are going through the same challenges and who do their best to make it all work:

I know I am not the only working mom in the world, but I am a working mom and I totally understand what you are going through.

I understand you feel like you need to overcompensate because you get to work just on time and leave the minute the clock strikes 5.

I understand when you eat your lunch at your desk because you have to leave early to get a kid from the sitter to the doctor then back to the sitter and then get yourself back to the office in time for your 2 p.m. meeting.

I understand sometimes you show up to work looking like you were attacked by a flock of geese because the kids couldn't find their shoes, you gave someone the wrong color bowl and then forgot to take Sleepy Bear to the babysitter.

I understand you are tired. Exhausted, probably.

But I also understand you are capable and worthy of so much more than you realize sometimes.

You don't have to choose between two worlds that you love. You can have them both. You can have a family and a career. It's not easy, but it is possible.

Yes, the worlds might collide sometimes and make life much more complicated, but it's worth it.

So don't stop. Don't give up. You've got this.

And P.S. – Not everyone is going to understand. And that's OK."

That P.S. at the end is no joke.

Johnson says she's been overwhelmed by the responses she's gotten to her post. "I absolutely adore and love all the support this post is getting," she told Upworthy. "I am floored to be honest. Thanks to all the working moms and dads that have shared their stories with me. It also brought me to realize that I am so lucky to have a flexible employer. And I am extremely thankful for that."

However, she's also received no shortage of negative messages, which is unfortunate but not surprising. Some people genuinely don't understand, either because they have no idea how much having kids impacts your life or because they think her description of her reality makes her sound "entitled."

"Just because I'm a working mom and I leave the office once a month to eat lunch with my kid at school, does not mean I am a bad employee or a slacker," says Johnson. "I work my booty off and work from home, pull late nights, etc. to make sure I am caught up on all work. My boss, who is the CEO of the company, would not be so flexible with me if I wasn't a dependable employee."

Johnson added that people should realize when they leave comments that they do get seen by real people. "I am no way entitled and don't think I am better than anyone else," she says. "Everyone has commitments. I know by putting my life out on the internet for others to see means I am opening it up for commentary, but maybe think twice before tearing someone down without knowing them personally."

RELATED: A dad's viral shower door photo comes with a sweet recognition of his wife's work

I've been a mom for 19 years, and I've seen how nasty the discussions about working mothers can be. Some people don't believe moms should work outside the home, period. Some think that moms with jobs outside the house have it easier than stay-at-home moms, and vice versa. Some believe that working moms shouldn't be given any special treatment because they chose to have kids and we all have to live with the consequences of our choices.

What we could all use is a little more of the grace Johnson wrote about in her post. It's not about giving moms special treatment; it's about employers and coworkers recognizing that working parents thrive when they have flexibility in how, when, and where they get their work done. It's not about "excuses," but about the very real struggle of trying to be there for your family and be there for your job at the same time. It's not about "entitlement," but rather understanding that giving working parents flexibility actually makes them better employees.

Here's to the working moms out there striving to do their best on the homefront and the jobfront, and to the employers doing what they can to make that feat easier to accomplish.

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Ontario teen says he'll live in 'modular home' invention for a year to prove it can end homelessness

He's already invented a wooden car.

ideas, homelessness, prodigy, social work, solutions
Photo credit: @ribalzebian on Instagram

Ribal Zebian is going to test a house he designed by living in it for a year.

Ribal Zebian, a student from the city of London in Ontario, Canada, already made headlines last year when he built an electric car out of wood and earned a $120,000 scholarship from it. Now, he's in the news again for something a little different. Concerned with homelessness in his hometown, Zebian got to work creating a different kind of affordable housing made from fiberglass material. In fact, he’s so confident in his idea that the 18-year-old plans on living in it for a year to test it out himself.

Currently an engineering student at Western University, Zebian was concerned by both the rising population of the unhoused in his community and the rising cost of housing overall. With that in mind, he conjured up a blueprint for a modular home that would help address both problems.

Zebian’s version of a modular home would be made of fiberglass panels and thermoplastic polyethylene terephthalate (PET) foam. He chose those materials because he believes they can make a sturdy dwelling in a short amount of time—specifically in just a single day.

“With fiberglass you can make extravagant molds, and you can replicate those,” Zebian told CTV News. “It can be duplicated. And for our roofing system, we’re not using the traditional truss method. We’re using actually an insulated core PET foam that supports the structure and structural integrity of the roof.”

Zebian also believes these homes don’t have to be purely utilitarian—they can also offer attractive design and customizable features to make them personal and appealing.

“Essentially, what I’m trying to do is bring a home to the public that could be built in one day, is affordable, and still carries some architecturally striking features,” he said to the London Free Press. “We don’t want to be bringing a house to Canadians that is just boxy and that not much thought was put into it.”

Beginning in May 2026, Zebian is putting his modular home prototype to the test by living inside of a unit for a full year with the hope of working out any and all kinks before approaching manufacturers.

“We want to see if we can make it through all four seasons- summer, winter, spring, and fall,” said Zebian. “But that’s not the only thing. When you live in something that long and use it, you can notice every single mistake and error, and you can optimize for the best experience.”

While Zebian knows that his modular homes aren't a long-term solution to either the homeless or housing crisis, he believes they could provide an inexpensive option to help people get the shelter they need until certain policies are reformed so the unhoused can find affordable permanent dwellings.

@hard.knock.gospel

What to buy for the homeless at the grocery store. 🛒 Most people get it wrong. After being there myself, these are the survival items that actually matter 💯 The 2nd to last one is about more than survival—it’s about DIGNITY. We are all one circumstance away from the same shoes 🙏 SAVE this for your next grocery run. 📌 IG@hardknockgospel Substack@ Outsiders_Anonymous #homelessness #helpingothers #kindness #payitforward #learnontiktok

Zebian’s proposal and experiment definitely inspires others to try to help, too. If you wish to lend a hand to the unhoused community in your area in the United States, but don’t know where to look, you can find a homeless shelter or charity near you through here. Whether it’s through volunteering or through a donation, you can help make a difference.

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Unearthed 1994 MTV interview captures the delight of people buying CDs at Tower Records

"Man, I miss the excitement of buying a CD in a store and jamming out to it song by song on the drive home."

mtv, cds, tower records, '90s nostalgia, '90s music
Photo credit: screenshot from MTV News video on Reddit

This nostalgic MTV News interview has '90s kids reflecting on the CD era.

For those of us who grew up impatiently waiting for new-music Tuesdays and saving spare cash to spend on CDs at the local Sam Goody, nothing will ever beat the thrill of that tactile connection—even tearing the awkward sticky labels off jewel cases was part of the ritual. Few videos crystallize that feeling better than a 1994 clip from MTV News, which interviewed a group of mostly young customers outside Tower Records in New York City.

The footage seems to resonate especially with Gen X and Millennial listeners, who bask in the nostalgia of a bygone CD era. Part of what makes the video so compelling is its raw, on-the-street filming style, with an interviewer casually approaching people as they walk around outside Tower Records, often emerging with a fresh stack of compact discs in hand. It also, almost by accident, offers a fascinating snapshot of the fashion and subcultures of mid-'90s music fandom.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

'90s CD-store nostalgia

For example, in an eight-minute version uploaded to Reddit, the clip opens with a long-haired, bearded punk fan decked out in a leather jacket—looking very cool and very 1994, like they could have easily worked as a Pearl Jam roadie. But when the reporter presents a list of upcoming releases, the subject appears happily disinterested. "I bought Enjoy! by Descendents," they say, referencing the 1986 punk-metal album.

A trio of young teenagers express their love of rap and alternative, referencing Gravediggaz, The Black Crowes, and R.E.M. The new-release list really drives home the peak Gen X/early Millennial vibe: there are plenty of references to Nirvana's influential live LP MTV Unplugged in New York and the Pulp Fiction soundtrack. At one point, a young kid runs by and mugs for the camera, yelling out, "Wu-Tang!"

The most 1994 moment, though, might be a trio of teenagers talking about Dave Matthews Band. Pointing to a friend's CD, one of them remarks, "I was gonna get this one also because I don't have it. I just have it on tape." (No one in the clip appears to walk out of Tower Records with a cassette. The cultural tide had turned.)

- YouTube www.youtube.com

The beautiful ritual of CD consumption

In recent years, Redditors have shared their reactions to the interviews, reflecting on the glow of their collective youth. Here are some of the best comments:

"Man, I miss the excitement of buying a CD in a store and jamming out to it song by song on the drive home. The system is so much more convenient of course now, but CD shopping and flicking through the discs in the store was so much fun"

"I loved going to places like Virgin Megastore, Tower, etc but I do not miss $18.99 CD’s."

"I lived at this Tower Records. It was in the Village on Broadway and it was like 3-4 stories and had selections of every sort of music you could imagine."

"Wow! This takes me back - these girls are my cohorts - I was born in ‘81 & they are likely around the same age I was in ‘94. The clothing & how they are speaking is just uncanny for my 8th grade memory bank. Agreed that it’s a bit surprising they aren’t so into Tom Petty - I recall 'Last Dance with Mary Jane' was a HUGE hit in ’94!"

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"Love this blast from the past! I remember how excited I was whenever I had saved enough money to buy a cd. I remember carefully choosing which CD I would buy because I was a kid with little funds. Then the excitement of opening up the cd and getting to see the booklet and artwork for the first time. Then the experience of the first listen. Even more exciting if there were hidden tracks or cool interludes."

"My little brother once waited in line at Tower Records for hours to get a autographed copy of the Deion Sanders album Prime Time. How 90s is that?"

"Physical media and the whole concept of ownership and holding it in your hands was so damn unique and exciting. I miss it dearly."

"Retro renaissance"

Indeed. For some of us, owning a physical object elevates the listening experience. (That's before you even factor in fidelity.) Of course, many of the most popular '90s CD hot spots have slowly faded from view. Rolling Stone noted in 2024 that, at the time of writing, only one Sam Goody location remained—in Medford, Oregon.

But it's not all bad news for CD fans: recent sales reports suggest the medium is experiencing a soft comeback. Heather Andrews, an "electricals buyer" for UK department store John Lewis, told The Guardian in December 2025 that the company's CD-player sales had surged 74 percent over the previous year, reflecting what she described as a "retro renaissance."

- YouTube www.youtube.com

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Another school district just shifted to a 4-day week and parents are making themselves heard

America already has fewer school days than most other countries.

kids, school, school days, school week, schedule, 4 day week
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Many school districts are moving to a 4-day week, but there are pros and cons to the approach.

American kids have fewer school days than most other major countries as it is, which poses a big challenge for families with two working parents. In a system designed for the "classic" stay-at-home mom model, it's difficult for many modern families to cover childcare and fulfill their work obligations during the many, many holidays and extra days off American children receive in school.

Some school districts, in fact, are ready to take things one step further with even fewer instructional days: for better or for worse.

Whitney Independent School District in Texas recently made news when it decided to enact a four-day week heading into the 2025 school year. That makes it one of dozens of school districts in Texas to make the change and over 900 nationally.

The thought of having the kids home from school EVERY Friday or Monday makes many parents break out in stress hives, but this four-day school week movement isn't designed to give parents a headache. It's meant to lure teachers back to work.

Yes, teachers are leaving the profession in droves and young graduates don't seem eager to replace them. Why? For starters, the pay is bad—but that's just the beginning. Teachers are burnt out, undermined and criticized relentlessly, held hostage by standardized testing, and more. It can be a grueling, demoralizing, and thankless job. The love and passion they have for shaping the youth of tomorrow can only take you so far when you feel like you're constantly getting the short end of the stick.

School districts want to pay their teachers more, in theory, but their hands are often tied. So, they're getting creative to recruit the next generation of teachers into their schools—starting with an extra day off for planning, catch-up, or family time every week.

Teachers in four-day districts often love the new schedule. Kids love it (obviously). It's the parents who, as a whole, aren't super thrilled.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

So far, the data shows that the truncated schedule perk is working. In these districts, job applications for teachers are up, retirements are down, and teachers are reporting better mental well-being. That's great news!

But these positive developments may be coming at the price of the working parents in the communities. Most early adopters of the four-day week have been rural communities with a high prevalence of stay-at-home parents. As the idea starts to take hold in other parts of the country, it's getting more pushback. Discussions on Reddit, Facebook, and other social media platforms are overrun with debate on how this is all going to shake up. Some parents, to be fair, like the idea! If they stay-at-home or have a lot of flexibility, they see it as an opportunity for more family time. But many are feeling anxious. Here's what's got those parents worried:

The effect on students' achievement is still unclear.

The execution of the four-day week varies from district to district. Some schools extend the length of each of the four days, making the total instructional time the same. That makes for a really long day, and some teachers say the students are tired and more unruly by the late afternoon. Some districts are just going with less instruction time overall, which has parents concerned that their kids might fall behind.

A study of schools in Iowa that had reduced instructional days found that five-days-a-week students performed better, on average.

Four-day school weeks put parents in a childcare bind.

Having two working parents is becoming more common and necessary with the high cost of living. Of course—"school isn't daycare!" But it is the safe, reliable, and educational place we send our kids while we we work.

Families with money and resources may be able to enroll their kids in more academics, extracurriculars, sports, or childcare, but a lot of normal families won't be able to afford that cost. Some schools running a four-day week offer a paid childcare option for the day off, but that's an added expense and for families with multiple kids in the school system, it's just not possible.

kids, school, school days, school week, schedule, 4 day week In a 4-day model, kids often (but not always) receive less instructional time. Photo by Ivan Aleksic on Unsplash

This will inevitably end with some kids getting way more screentime.

With most parents still working five-day weeks, and the cost of extra activities or childcare too high, a lot of kids are going to end up sitting around on the couch with their iPad on those days off. Adding another several hours of it to a child's week seems less than ideal according to expert recommendations.

Of course there are other options other than paid childcare and iPads. There are play dates, there's getting help from family and friends. All of these options are an enormous amount of work to arrange for parents who are already at capacity.

Working four days is definitely a win for teachers that makes the job more appealing. But it doesn't address the systemic issues that are driving them to quit, retire early, or give up their dreams of teaching all together.

@5th_with_ms.y

Replying to @emory here are my thoughts on my 4day work week as a teacher✨ #foryou #fyp #fypシ #foryoupage #foryoupageofficiall #teachersoftiktokfyp #teachersoftiktok #teachertok #teachersbelike #teachertiktok #tik #tiktok #viralllllll #teachertoks #teaching #teacher #tok #viralvideo #teacherlife #viral #trendy #teacher #teaching #worklifebalance #worklife #publicschool #publiceducation #school #student

A Commissioner of Education from Missouri calls truncated schedules a "band-aid solution with diminishing returns." Having an extra planning day won't stop teachers from getting scapegoated by politicians or held to impossible curriculum standards, it won't keep them from having to buy their own supplies or deal with ever-worsening student behavior.

Some teachers and other experts have suggested having a modified five-day school week, where one of the days gets set aside as a teacher planning day while students are still on-site participating in clubs, music, art—you know, all the stuff that's been getting cut in recent years. Something like that could work in some places.

In any case, the debate over a shortened school week is not going away any time soon. More districts across the country are doing their research in preparation for potentially making the switch.

Many parents don't theoretically mind the idea of their busy kids having an extra day off to unwind, pursue hobbies, see friends, catch up on projects, or spend time as a family. They're also usually in favor of anything that takes pressure off of overworked teachers. But until we adopt a four-day work week as the standard, the four-day school week is always going to feel a little out of place.

This article originally appeared in February. It has been updated.

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Frugal shoppers share the 16 things they never buy anymore since becoming more mindful spenders

They re-evaluated their spending habits.

frugal, frugality, frugal shopping, no buy, frugal lifestyle
Photo credit: Canva

Frugal shoppers share what they no longer buy to save money.

If you're trying to save money, a good place to start is taking note of your shopping habits. Small purchases can add up over time, and people living a frugal lifestyle have their shopping dialed in.

Frugal people have mastered the practice of mindful shopping. They know what is worth spending money on, and what is a waste.

In an online community of frugal people on Reddit, they offered up their shopping advice about what they no longer purchase since becoming more mindful of their spending. From food to subscriptions and clothes, these are 16 things frugal people have stopped buying to save more money.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"Anything from the gas station other than gas." - yourfuneralpyre

"Food delivery. I won't even do pizza delivery anymore because of the delivery fee they tack on that doesn't even go to the driver. H to the no no no." 104488361, Humble-Plankton2217

"Cheap stuff. No buying junk, no cheap clothes, no trinkets. I save for nice things that I know will last and can be repaired. I don't have a lot of 'stuff' but the things I do have have lasted and will last and still look good." - Cats-on-Jupiter

"New clothes. I would say 95% of my wardrobe is secondhand. I enjoy thrifting and finding unique pieces. It’s cheaper and also just more environmentally friendly to buy secondhand!" - patrickbatemankinnie

"Trendy decor. I thrifted most of the furniture and decor in our new house. I've saved thousands of dollars. I have high-quality pieces that will last decades. And nothing 'goes out of style' cuz it's technically all out of style already!" - Technical-Anteater61

"A huge number of disposable products can be avoided by either repurposing existing items or investing slightly more into a washable / reusable version of that thing. I try to apply this mindset to everything possible around the house and at work." - rand-wazoo

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"Hair coloring. I’ve been doing my own balayage for the past year now. It takes a little while since I’m doing it myself, but I work in sections. $100 max to do my hair several times a year versus $250-300 per session if I get it done professionally. I routinely get compliments and shock that I do it myself. YouTube, Instagram and TikTok are full of wonderful resources, though I’ve been doing hair unprofessionally since the early 2000s by asking my stylist and Sally’s employees a ton of questions, reading blogs and also frying friends and my own hair many a time 🤣." - missprincesscarolyn

"I also do all of my own waxing. Wax warmer was only $25 off of Amazon. I use Veet wax strips for my legs just because it’s more convenient, but underarms, face and even Brazilian (not for the faint of heart, but can be done!) I use hard wax. Again, these things add up significantly over time." - missprincesscarolyn

"I don't shop as an activity. I don't 'go shopping'. I only go to buy things I need or have decided I want, and I go with a list." - schokobonbons

"Greeting cards. They’re expensive and it’s just as easy to make one or upcycle one you’ve received. If I’m giving a gift in person I just make a nice tag with a message instead of a card." - June_and_Vernon

"Brand new phones. Even 1 year after release is a good deal. I got my S25 in excellent refurbish condition for half price of new." - SoSavv

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"Movies. In a theater. I just want to state for the record, I was a movieaholic. I went to the movies a lot. Now I haven’t been in 6 years. It’s expensive and I don’t mind waiting. Now I even wait until they are free on some streaming I am already subscribed to and most of them are not very good. What has happened to movies? Anyway, my home setup is awesome now, 65” gaming TV with surround sound and in a basement so no glare, I can pause it whenever I want, only people I know and like are in attendance, food is excellent. And neither the floor or seats are sticky. And don’t get me started on bathrooms. My co-worker told me how much a movie was with his wife with concessions and I nearly fell over." - JulesSherlock

"Kleenex!! - I have cloth handkerchiefs for daily use. My nose is never 'chapped' anymore after a cold." - RuthTheWidow

"I make my own spice mixes and salad dressings. I cook almost exclusively from scratch." - Fit-Winter5363

"Any new furniture is garbage. Its all made from wood pulp smashed together. Thrift an old piece and spend time making it look good and it'll last you a lifetime." - Zacky_Cheladaz

"I don’t have any subscription services that automatically renew. If I sign up for a streaming service like Netflix, I cancel it immediately so that I don’t get billed for the next month. I never want to be paying for a streaming service that I’m not actually using." - MuricanIdle

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Boomers and Gen Xers discuss the awesome absurdity of owning waterbeds back in the day

"I can hear this photo."

waterbed, waterbeds, waterbed mattresses, 1970s waterbed, 1980s waterbed
Image via Reddit/DonkeyTron42

People share their funny memories of what it was like to have a water bed in the 1970s and 1980s.

Waterbeds were all the rage in the 1970s, 1980s and well into the 1990s. The squishy, water-filled mattresses came in all forms: from heated to hardside to super waveless, they became a bedroom phenomenon.

But like all trends, waterbeds have had a downfall in recent years. YouTuber and mattress reviewer Marten from Mattress Clarity explains in a video on why waterbeds fell out of favor after enjoying such popularity.

Marten explains that the first technical waterbed came to be in 1833, but modern waterbeds as we know them came into existence in 1968 thanks to inventor Charles Hall. By 1971, he had a patent for his waterbed design.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"By 1987, waterbeds hit their peak. And they made up almost 22% of the mattress market. That's over one in five mattresses sold," Marten says.

Their rise soon came to a halt as people became frustrated with their faults—mostly leaks, and then cleaning and heating upkeep.

"And the advent of new types of mattresses, namely memory foam, helped to push waterbeds out of the market," Marten adds. "And they took a lot of maintenance."

Waterbeds are still available for purchase today, but Martens explains that many people have opted for other mattresses due to better knowledge of proper spinal and sleep hygiene practices.

On Reddit, however, Boomers and Gen Xers reminisced about what it was like to have a waterbed back in the day. They shared the good, the bad...and the ugly:

"I think about those now and wonder how anyone thought it was a good idea to have a giant water balloon in your house that you aggressively move around on." - HockeyTMGS

"They were sooooooo comfortable! Turn on that heater in the winter, kinda like getting a big warm hug! I loved mine when I was in high school." - Who_Wants_Tacos

"Many homeowners insurance policies had prohibitions against them or at least excluded damage from burst water mattresses. If they sprung a leak, the damage could be extensive. Nothing rots a home like water damage, especially the slow, insidious leaks." - Competitive_Boat106

"Had several back in the day. Regular bladder, baffled, waveless...had 'em all. Once the water hit the right temp, and the heaters (always use two & remove the knobs when the right temp is achieved) are adjusted just right, they're wonderful. I'd go back in a heartbeat! This 'swedish memory foam' Tempurpedic monstrosity sucks big time. So why don't I have one now? Cats...that's all I'm gonna say." - oldandjaded

"When you found that your new romantic interest had one, was a good day indeed." - Abernathy1234

"My dad got my sister and I each one for Christmas of 1985. Had the huge oak headboard area with a mirror and shelves, they were ugly as sin. Then the cat jumped on it. Not an awesome gift for a 14 year old boy and a 16 year old girl. My dad was losing it during that time, clearly." - EpponneeRay

"Had one in my late 20’s the heated bladder was awesome til a snowstorm took the power out. Ever sleep on a very cold water bed? Woke up and could barely move the next day. Went up for sale the same day and never looked back." - bdr22002

"I can hear this photo.... 🫣😒." - NoMichFarmGirl

"We had several when I was growing up. I remember my father refilling them and adding some kind of conditioner to the water. Then he would have me roll back and forth on it to get the air bubbles out before putting the cap back on." - libbieonthelabel

"I used to love how ornate the headboards were with little doors and cubbies and things. Miss that." - bugmom

"Had one-it sucked. Trend that won't be missed." - Existing-Finger9242

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