What went viral this week: SNL understands the struggle of kids clothes + Ashley Graham’s refreshing honesty

This viral video proves SNL understands the struggle of dressing kids

Fact: Putting your kids in cute outfits is wonderful…in theory. Oh sure, you love looking at them
in sweet new outfits. And the pictures those outfits produce? They’re total winners.

But let’s not kid ourselves: Getting kids dressed—particularly during the winter, and more
specifically, the holiday season —is…well…an interesting process, to say the least.

A

Saturday Night Live

skit just poked fun at this and it is hilarious and so relatable. “For your little ones, Macy’s has
the festive fashion that’ll have them saying…..’It’s too hooooooooot!’ ‘It itches’!,'” the ad
proclaims. If you’re a parent who has ever tried to put your child in a sweater (or scarf or coat
of bunting), you know exactly where this is going.

The fictional ad goes on to poke fun at how tough it is to get a sweater over a child’s head, how
kids always (like

always

) lose their mittens and how uncomfortable those shiny dress shoes for little girls can be.

If you haven’t quite made it to the point where your children can verbally complain about how
uncomfortable their outfits are, you’ll probably understand this: There’s a clip featuring an
adorable onesie with buttons running down the front…which prove so cumbersome, parents may even
leave their babies in stinky diapers just to avoid having to navigate the button situation.
😂

Viral video proves every kids is running their own race 😂

focus on a different child every time you watch 😂😂 https://t.co/gGpowtXKGP

— ραριℓℓση (@ttprettyinpink)

1576278761.0

There’s nothing cuter than watching children try their hardest to learn a new skill. Sometimes they
discover a true talent, more often they…well, don’t. Either way, it’s a pretty adorable sight to
behold.

Case in point: This video, which is making the rounds on Twitter. The clip shows a group of
children running an obstacle course on a track—at first glance, you may not quite grasp why
exactly the video is gaining so much attention. Sure, it’s cute, but is it really all that
entertaining? And then you read the caption, which instructs you to focus on one child each time
you watch the video and you realize…yes. Yes, it is that entertaining.

Focusing on one kid at a time allows you to really see every adorable stumble, missed direction and
hilarious attempt. It’s SO cute, and it’s such a sweet reminder that children simply have their own
way of doing things, and that we can all stand to learn about being carefree and
individually-minded from them.

Not surprisingly, Twitter users are loving this. “The kid on the left that jumped up instead of
over and just stood there after,” one user replied. “Never has there been a purer example of how
people deal with obstacles in their own individual way,” another added.

Ashley Graham revealed her pregnancy weight gain and mamas are applauding her for it

Ashley Graham is one of those expectant mamas who really keeps it real, from

sharing close-up shots of her stretch marks

to admitting she’s had

both good and bad days

during her pregnancy. Now, the mama-to-be is sharing the amount of weight she’s gained while
pregnant and moms are loving her honesty.

“Throughout my pregnancy so far I’ve gained 50lbs,” she writes in an Instagram post that features
the model practicing yoga.. “And the best part is, I don’t care! I have never felt better, and I am
so thankful that my body and son have allowed me to be as mobile and flexible as I have been.”

Fellow mamas are here for Ashley’s weight gain admission. “I gained 50 too. Our bodies surrender to
them. It’s the most rewarding gift,” one comments.

Another adds: “So happy that you’ve figured out what works best to make you feel best. Love that
you don’t care about your weight gain!! It’s refreshing. Really all about what’s best for you
& your boy!! I can’t wait to see all his cuteness!!”

Feeling your body change so rapidly during pregnancy can be tough, but we love that Ashley is able
to keep things in perspective. She’s healthy, so is her baby, and she’s able to keep it
real—gaining 50 pounds while growing a baby is a very common occurrence, and we’d bet so many
other pregnant women feel less alone after seeing Ashley’s post.

This hospital is dressing up babies as Baby Yoda 😍

Pittsburgh’s UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital

is known for

dressing the newborns in adorable themed outfits

, and this Christmas they are doing a very topical theme. Fans of the Disney+ show

The Mandalorian

will recognize those ears: These babies are dressed up as The Child, also known as Baby Yoda.

“It’s a holiday tradition here at Magee, dressing up our babies in the nursery in festive attire.
This year, these babies are out of this galaxy cute!” the hospital noted in its Facebook post.

We love these festive Star Wars hats!

This viral illustration is a must-see for all new moms

So often we are told that new parenthood will be this amazing, wonderful experience and that we
should love every minute of it. But it’s not always that. Moments are, but motherhood in general is
a complex experience and loss is part of that experience. Society doesn’t talk about how when you
gain a baby and a new identity you lose things, too.

That’s why we love this viral post from

The Postpartum Stress Center

.

The caption reads, in part: “We wait; we hold our breath, we wade through the mess, accept that
losses are part of this experience and proceed mindfully through this eventful life transition.
Then, when we aren’t looking, some of the losses on our list return to us, sometimes the way we
remember them, sometimes as part of our new normal. Either way, the payoff is usually worth the
wait.”

It’s okay to speak up about feelings of loss and admit that the trade-offs are real. Some
trade-offs hurt more than others. And

if you’re hurting right now, mama, please know that there is help.

Viral post reminds parents to be compassionate with kids during Christmas meltdowns

Esther Sowerby has spent decades working with kids as a teacher and day care operator and this year
she took to Facebook to share some of her wisdom with parents. She wrote a beautiful Facebook post
describing the challenges of the holiday season from a child’s point of view, and it is helping
parents practice empathy and kindness when dealing with holiday meltdowns.

“I’ve been following Suzanne Zeedyk, who is a professor at the University of Dundee, Scotland, who
is really helping us in the U.K. see that all behavior is communication,”

she told

Good Morning America

.

“Rather than talk about misbehavior, which makes us want to use punishment, she says we should be
talking about distressed behavior. That language shift makes us ask why children are upset and what
they need.”

As adults it can be hard to see things from the point of view of our children, but

Ester’s post

is helping parents make that shift:

“Be kind to me this Christmas… from a little person’s point of view:

– You’ve probably let me eat more sugar than usual – I’m bound to have higher highs and lower lows.

– In the holidays I’m out of routine – I can cope better with transitions when I know exactly
what’s coming next so please explain our plans for the day clearly to me.

– The anticipation of Christmas can be pretty overwhelming and exhausting. Help me to rest by
keeping to my normal bedtimes.

– Travelling at Christmas is stressful for all of us. When possible, be flexible about when we
travel and check the traffic before we leave.

– I have no idea about the value of money – if there’s no way I can have that giant lego set for
Christmas, then please tell me well before Christmas morning. I’ll have time to get over my
disappointment and I’ll learn to trust your honesty.

– Grown-ups find preparing for Christmas stressful. I know you want it to be perfect for me so I’ll
have memories I can cherish forever. But I see you getting stressed, sometimes even before you do.
I pick up on it and reflect it like a mirror. Please slow down, notice me, talk to me, play with
me. That’s what I’ll remember.

– When I lose it, and I probably will at some point, please don’t make me ashamed of my feelings by
shouting at me. I never set out to deliberately disappoint you and I didn’t try to ruin your
Christmas. I’m really not that calculated. I’m just a little person whose brain deals with stress
in different ways to yours. Please try to understand me, from my point of view.

And when all else fails, wrap your arms around me and hold me so I feel the strength of your love.

Esther 26.11.19 x”

In a follow up to her now viral post Ester writes: “My post on seeing Christmas through children’s
eyes has had a crazy amount of responses! Mostly positive, but some people have felt sad and even
guilty that it’s not possible to parent like that all the time. Thing is no one can!”

If you’ve had a bad moment with your child, don’t beat yourself up, mama.

Being compassionate with yourself will help you be compassionate with your child.

This viral Old Navy ad features a real family with two fathers

Sometimes ads feature families that aren’t really families, but rather a group of models that just
met that day. But an Old Navy ad that is going viral this week features a very real family and some
very real representation.

Dustin Patrick Smith and Burton B. Buffaloe are two dads raising their two adorable kids together,
and their Old Navy ad is going viral because

Smith explained his feelings in an Instagram post:

“The definitions of a family today and a family in the past are far from similar. Oftentimes people
will say a family includes a mother, father, and children all living under one roof. Our family
consists of two fathers, a son and a daughter. Exposure to families that may not be like your own,
in particular, encourages tolerance and acceptance because the fact is, everyone’s family is
unique. As we prep for the holidays we are celebrating uniqueness and individuality. As our kids
get older they are very vocal about what they want to wear and I love that. Them finding their own
self expression is exciting to watch, so mixing up our

@oldnavy

jingle jammies is welcomed in this household.”

7-year-old boy living in shelter writes viral letter to Santa

When a 7-year-old Texas boy living in a domestic violence shelter wrote a letter to Santa his mom
was touched and so were the staff at the shelter, SafeHaven of Tarrant County.

According to CNN,

SafeHaven staff posted

letter

on Facebook this week, (after changing the boy’s name for his safety).

The letter reads:

Dear Santa,

We had to leave our house. Dad was mad. We had to do all the chores. Dad got everything he wanted.
Mom said it was time to leave and she would take us to a safer place where we don’t have to be
scared.

I’m still nervous. I don’t want to talk to the other kids. Are you going to come this Christmas? We
don’t have any of our stuff here. Can you bring some chapter books, a dictionary, and a compass and
a watch? I also want a very very very good dad. Can you do that too?

Love, Blake

Since the post went viral many people reached out asking how they could help Blake and his family,
and the good news is that many donations have come in to help him and the other kids living at the
shelter.

The now-viral post reminds us that this is the reality for many families this holiday season, and
that domestic violence can impact lives no matter the season.

If you are experiencing domestic violence and need help now you can call

The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)

.

Mom goes viral for using cardboard cut-outs of herself to keep toddler happy

Fuki Sato lives in Japan with her 1-year-old son but this week she became world-famous for a hot
second thanks to her husband’s genius idea.

Their son freaks out when he can’t see mama, so she replaced herself with a cardboard cut-out so
that she could have a few minutes to herself.

As first reported by

Romper.




Sato’s husband came up with the idea and

posted a video of the results on Twitter.

In the video, Sato replaces herself with the cardboard version while her son is playing. For 20
minutes he plays happily, glancing over every so often to make sure mama is still there.

It’s probably not a strategy that would work long term, but it sure is funny.