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“A balm for the soul”
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gen alpha

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Mom in tears after another parent calls about daughter's lunch

People say having children is like having your heart walk around outside of your body. You send them off to school, practices or playdates and hope that the world treats them kindly because when they hurt, you hurt. Inevitably there will be times when your child's feelings are hurt so you do your best to prepare for that day.

But what prepares you for when the child you love so much winds up accidentally healing your inner child. A mom on TikTok, who goes by Soogia posted a video explaining a phone call she received from a parent in her daughter's classroom. The mom called to inform Soogia that their kids had been sharing lunch with each other.

Soogia wasn't prepared for what came next. The classmate's mother informed her that her son loves the food Soogia's daughter brings to school and wanted to learn how to cook it too.

That may seem like a small thing to some, but the small gesture healed a little bit of Soogia's inner child. Growing up as a Korean kid in California, Soogia's experience was a bit different than what her children are now experiencing.

"I guess I just never thought that my kids would be the generation of kids that could go to school and not only just proudly eat, but share their food with other kids that were just so open and accepting to it," Soogia says through tears. "Knowing that they don't sit there eating their food, feeling ashamed and wishing that their fried rice was a bagel instead or something like that. And I know, it sounds so small and it sounds so stupid, but knowing their experience at school is so different from mine in such a positive way is just so hopeful."

Soogia's tearful video pulled on the heartstrings of her viewers who shared their thoughts in the comments.

"Soogia! It will never be small. Your culture is beautiful & the littles are seeing that every day. You've even taught me so much. I'm grateful for you," one person says.

"Beautiful! I can see your inner child healing in so many ways," another writes.

"Welp. Now I'm sobbing at the airport. This is beautiful," someone reveals.

"These Gen Alpha babies really are a different, kinder generation. I love them so much," one commenter gushes.

You can hear the entire story below. You may want to grab a tissue.

@soogia1

These kids, man. They’re really something else. #culturalappreciation #breakingbread #sharing #

This article originally appeared 1 year ago.

@officialnutterbutter/TikTok

What did we just watch??

Nutter Butter, as any cookie aficionado knows, is sweet, salty and a little bit nuts. Apparently, it’s TikTok account is much the same.

While brands adopting an edgier persona on social media to attract a younger, hipper audience isn’t unheard of—just take it from Wendy’s or Duolingo— Nutter Butter’s marketing tactics are so unhinged that it has folks wondering “is Nutter Butter okay?”

This was the question posed by Cassie Fitzwater, who posted a now-viral video talking about how the page was freaking her out.


“If you guys have not seen Nutter Butter’s official account on here, I need you to stop what you’re doing and go look at it, because I had to, and I think you should, too,” she said in the clip. “I’m concerned. Nutter Butter, are you guys okay? Are you doing alright?”

The content is…surreal, to say the least. Every video feels like something out of a bad fever dream. Distorted voices, creepy retro commercial footage, dystopian imagery, jumps scares, unsettling cries for help…

Here’s a small sampling. Watch at your own peril.



@officialnutterbutter tales of nutter butter in suits of new. sumwher in the distance, a laugh. the sky!
♬ original sound - nutter butter

Yup. Straight up nightmare fuel. Sort of makes that one Quiznos commercial (you know the one) seem tame by comparison.

Understandably, people and companies alike who have bravely wandered onto the Nutter Butter accounts have some pretty strong feelings.

“This crosses a boundary I didn’t know I had,” commented one viewer.

“I heard there was ✨unhinged chaos✨ from my favorite snack’s TikTok. I was not disappointed 🤣🤣,” wrote another.

“I love nutter butter! (please release my family),”someone quipped.

Meanwhile 5 Hour Energy’s page wrote, “Even I don;t know what to do with this energy.”

“im logging off,” Wheat Thins commented.

What’s more, the page also appears to be some kind of recurring narrative taking palace, centered perhaps around a mysterious Nutter Butter-headed doll named Aidan, along with a black cloud named Nadia, and a masked clown with a top hat known simply as the Nutter Butter Man, who (much like his Skibidi Toilet predecessor) does not seem to be a benevolent character, by any means.

In a lengthy post shared to the r/GameTheorists subreddit, one person theorized that "Aidan’s tragic past involves his son being murdered by an intruder in their home," adding that "Nadia [is] likely Aidan’s wife. Hints of a wedding and the similarity of her name to 'Aidan' suggest she plays a significant role in the story."

The Nutter Butter Clown, who originates from old commercials where he gave sweets to children, promoting the idea of accepting candy from strangers” the added. “Now, he symbolizes chaos and menace in the TikTok content.” Wow. Meta.

To that, at least, there are some answers. According to AdWeek, digital advertising student and Nutter Butter "superfan" Aidan Moloney left comments containing only his name on Nutter Butter's TikTok posts for a year straight, which eventually became so popular they were incorporated into the brand’s market strategy. Who knows–maybe he’s even the mastermind behind all of this.

Whoever that mastermind was, it seems like they did it with Gen Alpha's signature band of perplexing, complex and mildly disturbing meme culture in mind. And to great success, given that many haven’t even thought about these cookies in decades.

“Last time I had a Nutter Butter was after standardized testing in middle school. I’m in my 30s, I bought one today at a gas station because I remember their TikTok. So it's working.”

And that, ladies and gentleman, is what good marketing is all about.

Health

People admit the one thing that Boomers really got right and some folks are uncomfortable

"You have to force yourself to do things that are difficult and uncomfortable."

A Baby Boomer has some thoughts on emotional resilience.

An overarching Baby Boomer stereotype is that they have a problem with the younger generations, especially Millennials because they were coddled growing up and lack the determination to do hard things.

Many believe that when helicopter parents shelter kids from discomfort, they never develop the emotional resilience that it takes to succeed on their own.

Some may even attribute this to the increase in mental illness.


A writer on X, who goes by Katie, recently admitted that Boomers who believe facing discomfort has a significant benefit may be right. Her post has been seen over 4 million times.

“My boomer-est opinion is that you have to force yourself to do things that are difficult and uncomfortable and you have to do it often, while you’re young and your brain is still flexible." Yes, even if you are (functionally) mentally ill,” Katie wrote. “Buying groceries can be uncomfortable. going to school/work can be uncomfortable. Socializing can be uncomfortable. The more you do it, the less uncomfortable it will be. If you can do these things (I know that there is a % of the population that isn’t), you have to do them often.”

“I’ve never come back to a piece of life advice more than this one,” she continued before quoting Virgil Thompson. “Try a thing you haven't done three times. Once, to get over the fear of doing it. Twice, to learn how to do it. And a third time to figure out whether you like it or not.”

Many people agreed with Katie’s Boomer-adjacent thoughts on building emotional resilience.

Some folks are on the fence.

Others disagreed with Katie’s point, saying that the idea that we can all “pull ourselves up by our bootstraps” is ableist and erases the struggles that people with anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses have.

So, what does the research say?

Dr. Simon Sherry, a professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Dalhousie University, says that coddling has caused real problems for the younger generations. "There is nothing wrong with wanting to keep kids safe, but we must recognize there are unintended consequences in our current approach of excessive caution and vigilance. Instead, we must teach our youth to face anxiety, take risks, and overcome fears,” Dr. Sherry told CTV News. "We need to get control of this societal problem before it causes further damage for future generations.”

When it comes to confronting uncomfortable situations, Dr. Launa Marques, Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and Former President of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, says avoiding discomfort can make anxiety even worse.

“Psychological avoidance isn’t about the actions we take or don’t take, but the intentions behind them,” she told The Washington Post. “If our actions aim to squash discomfort hastily, then we’re probably avoiding. For each of my clients, avoidance became a crutch, initially tempering their anxiety but progressively amplifying it. Psychological avoidance, rather than alleviating anxiety disorders, can exacerbate them.

Obviously, everyone’s situation is different and people who are experiencing mental health issues should consult their therapists to determine the best course of action to overcome their challenges.


This article originally appeared on 4.5.24

Gen Alpha vs Millennial slang amusing rapid fire round

Slang is different depending on which generation you grew up in, of course there will always be some crossover but mostly it's not the same. Gen Z had a different slang than Millennials, just as Millennials had different popular terms than Gen X. The list goes on and on.

Nobody says groovy unironically anymore and haven't for quite some time but generally the new term on the block was pretty easy to decipher. That doesn't always seem to be the case when it comes to the slang Gen Alpha uses. That's the generation currently still being born with the oldest of the cohort just barely middle school age. Their phrases are so unique that even the generation right above them is having a hard time understanding what they're talking about.

Angie Bacuyani and her Gen Alpha son decided to give the internet a crash course in the new slang words by playing a word association lighting round. The mom would say a Millennial slang word and her son would immediately say a Gen Alpha word that means the same thing.


It was a fun interaction if you aren't from Ohio. If you are from Ohio, surely Gen Alpha means no harm by saying it's the alternative word for crazy. Saying something is "lame" would now be known as "selling" while the word "cool" has been replaced with "sigma." Thanks to their video parents will finally know that "skibidi" just means "bad" and isn't some sort of disease or something to be concerned about, although "Skibidi Toilet" the character responsible for the gibberish word is a little weird.

Aside from the word skibidi, Gen Alpha and Gen Z seem to be the main source being credited for today's slang, most of the words are derived from AAVE or African American Vernacular English, formally known as Ebonics. Many of the popular terms used today can be traced back to things people have said for years, but thanks to social media, they've made their way into the mainstream lexicon on younger adults and children. A few commenters pointed out this historical information while others felt amusingly confused.

"I’m gen Z and I feel like I’m getting left behind," one person cries.

"My teen says “fax / no printer” for facts / true / truth," another mom shares so parents can add it to their mental rolodex of terms to keep up with.

"I thought I was caught up until my daughter and her friend started walking about saying 'that’s giving,'" someone says.

An Ohio resident had a question to ask Gen Alpha, "as an Ohioan I’m offended because how are we the word for crazy…what happened to Florida?!"


"I don’t understand why everyone acts like children are “coming up with” new slang (or style for that matter) almost everything we say that’s considered trendy throughout recent history originates from the black community but we’re always acting like Kyle in 3rd period is making all this shit up on the fly," a commenter shares for additional context.

It's important to give credit to the originators of trends and terms but most children are simply repeating what they hear. Since the terms are so wide spread, this fun video serves as a quick dictionary for confused parents trying to sort out what their children are saying, no cap.