upworthy

motherhood

Kindergartener calls school impersonating dad to pull a Ferris Bueller.

Kindergarten is hard. Nowadays there's a lot less playing and many school districts have cut out naps and half-day programs in exchange for more seated, curriculum-heavy work. Sometimes the shift in workload can feel like a little too much, especially for a kindergartener named Lyric. The little girl decided to take a day to herself to reflect on the hard work she's doing in kindergarten. The only problem is she didn't her parents.

Instead, Lyric decided to call her elementary school the evening prior to her self-scheduled mini vacation and impersonate her father. She left a very clever voicemail in the attendance office informing them that she would not be attending school the following day. To disguise her voice, she spoke as deeply as possible and hoped that would do the trick. The only problem with her genius plan was that she's not in charge of taking herself to school.

gif, school, skipping school, day off, kidsEpisode 7 No School GIF by South ParkGiphy

Skipping school, or in this case, attempting to skip school is nothing new. Students have been skipping out on classes since the first school house was built because, even before iPads, playing with a ball in a cup was more exciting than classwork for most students. The 1986 movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off is all about a kid who decided to skip school, though Ferris was a wee bit older than a kindergartener.

Lyric's mom had no idea her daughter attempted to get out of going to school until she was called into the office about the voicemail. Surprisingly, though, Lyric's school wasn't upset with her. The elementary school officials found the voicemail amusing and wanted to share the unbelievable impersonation with her mom.

gif, skip school, day off, Ferris bueller, fiilm Ferris Buellers Day Off Film GIFGiphy

"I don't know what I did to deserve a daughter like mine but let me tell y'all what just happened," Tyonda, the girl's mother, starts to explain in her video uploaded to TikTok. "I go to drop her off at school, the ladies in the front office are like, 'yeah, we we received a message last night,." Tyonda already suspected the message was from her daughter. "I'm never amazed. It's like the element of surprise with her. So, they play the message back. My daughter tried to act like her daddy and call herself out of school. What in the Ferris Bueller is going on here? Baby, you're in kindergarten."

You can listen to Lyric's attempt at her dad's voice here:

Apparently, the girl's impersonation of her father's voice is much deeper voice than his actual voice, which is pretty impressive for a six-year-old girl. People found Lyric's antics highly amusing, with some issuing warnings for the girl's teenage years, "Buckle up honey, the next 13-14 years bout to be wild."

"I’m expecting a teenager a KINDERGARTENER???!!!" one person writes.

"We need to hear daddy’s voice before we can say if it was or wasn’t him," another jokes.

gif, hide, imposter, joke, prank, funnySunglasses Hiding GIF by Soul TrainGiphy

"The thing is ..... this was practiced and planned. she had the number, the voice and a mission," someone shares.

"But wait yall have to drop her off at school where was she gonna go if that worked?" another commenter asks.

Lyric was unconvinced that she did not sound exactly like her dad. In a follow up video the little girl insists that she sounds like her father and reveals she was able to get the number to the school from Apple Maps on her iPad. It also seems that Lyric has zero regrets and plans to continue her shenanigans well into high school.

@keepingupwityonda

Replying to @itsshamitch💋

complanie/TikTok

TikToker @complanie tells her Korean mom she was laid off, is met with love and encouragement.

Getting laid off is scary and emotional for many reasons. The news of getting laid off usually comes as a shock, and plants seeds of uncertainty and fear.

For TikToker Lanie (@complanie), one of the hardest parts of her recent lay off was delivering the news to her Korean mother. Although Lanie anticipated the call not going well, she was surprised and comforted when she was met with kind and encouraging words from her mom.

"i was SUPER nervous to call my mom/family bc i felt like a disappointment and failure for my lay offs but it went way better than i couldve imagined! sorry for all the snot and ugly crying hehe," she captioned the video.

@complanie

i was SUPER nervous to call my mom/family bc i felt like a disappointment and failure for my lay offs but it went way better than i couldve imagined! sorry for all the snot and ugly crying hehe #laidoff #layoffs #fyp #korean #koreanmom

Lanie begins the video by sharing that she needs to tell her mom that she got laid off, and that "this is not going to be an easy call." She decides to FaceTime her mom, and the two catch up with a few pleasantries in Korean. Although she tries to hold it together, when her mom asks her if there is a specific reason she called, Lanie begins to get emotional. "What's wrong? Why are you crying? Is there a problem? What's going on? Tell mom," her mom says in a concerned tone.

Lanie nods her head and gives herself a moment to find her words. "I really didn't want to tell you this, but today I got laid off from my job," Lanie tells her mom. "I know you're always worrying about how I'm doing and making rent, and I don't want to burden you with more worries. I wasn't going to tell you at first."

Her mom comforts Lanie as she speaks. "No it's okay. You can't not tell me this!" she says, and Lanie replies, "Exactly! You're my mom so I did want to tell you."

@complanie

Replying to @K E L L Y dropping some lore on my umma! @Tomato Japanese Grocery please go support her store 💖🥹 #fyp #korean #japanese #mom #umma

Their conversation continues, and Lanie's mom gives her the most encouraging speech. "Don't cry, you got this! You're going to find another job, don't worry. It's okay, don't cry," she says before asking if she's handled logistics like filing for unemployment. "Mom and dad have never been worried about your future. We know it will all work out for you."

Lanie responds emotionally, "Thank you, I'm so thankful that you said that." And her mom adds, "You're going to find something even better, don't worry."

@complanie

EVERYTHING WILL BE GWENCHANA #fyp #gwenchana #korean

Lanie agrees, saying, "I've been working hard, but I'm going to work even harder now. And I'm going to find my place in this world." Her mom adds, "Everyone deals with something like this at least once in their lives, but it'll make you even stronger. So, don't feel too discouraged. This is an opportunity for better possibilities to come your way. Tell mom if there's anything you need, okay?"

Her mom encourages her to take care of herself. "Catch up on all the sleep you've been missing. I bet the flowers in front of the library have bloomed. Go visit the garden!"

Lanie writes in the video's caption, "Me sobbing bc the kind support is overwhelming to me," as she apologizes to her mom for still feeling like a failure. But her mom isn't having it. "Fighting! I love you and cheer up."

The heartwarming exchange between Lanie and her mom resonated deeply with viewers.

"Sobbing, I was also laid off and your moms words are so encouraging and she is totally right ❤️let’s find something better 🤝✨," one wrote.

Another commented, "The way I teared up with you🥺🥺 she’s right— in this economy, I know SO many people who have been laid off. It’s not a reflection of you, it’s a reflection of our current society! You’ve got this❤️."

And another viewer added, "is she available for other facetimes? Asking for me…"

Family

Mom's tearful post about leaving twins after maternity leave has people debating U.S. policy

Many working moms share this woman's feelings about going back to work.

With no guaranteed paid leave, moms in the U.S. take far less maternity leave than nearly every other country.

The United States has long been viewed as exceptional in many ways, some very positive and some not so much. One not-so-great thing that sets it apart from nearly every other country on Earth is its paid parental leave policies—or rather, its total lack of them.

The U.S. is one of just seven countries—and the only wealthy nation in the world—that offers no guaranteed paid parental leave by law. It's up to companies to provide leave to employees as a "perk," but it's in no way required. The average American mother takes 10 weeks off after having a baby, but that's combining both paid and unpaid leave and only those who are able to take it. Compare that with the global average of just under 19 weeks of paid leave—longer if you include protected unpaid leave—and it's clear the U.S. is indeed exceptional on this front.

A mom who took three months off after her twins were born shared a tearful video explaining how she felt on her last day of maternity leave, and it's resonating with many American moms.

"So, today is my last day of maternity leave and I go back to work tomorrow. I just feel like I haven't had enough time with them," Marissa Jeanne shared on her TikTok page. "I know I got longer than a lot of women get with three months, but it just doesn't…I just don't feel ready."

Marissa shared with Good Morning America that she'd had a high-risk pregnancy and the twins were born 5 1/2 weeks early, spending several weeks in the NICU before they were able to come home. The three month countdown began as soon as they were born, so she said she felt like she got robbed of some of her postpartum time. "And that does not get accounted into your maternity leave," she said.

She described the "abrupt change" of being with her babies all the time and then suddenly only having a few hours a day with them, worrying that they're going to forget her.

babies, twins, maternity leave, paid leave, US, parenting It's hard to go back to work full-time with babies.Photo credit: Canva

"I also love my career," she added. "I am proud of what I do, but there's always that mom guilt of you're not giving enough time to your kids."

Unfortunately, Marissa received some judgmental comments from people telling her she should just make it work to stay home, but that wasn't an option for her family financially, especially since she holds the health insurance (another American exceptionalism). She's not in an unusual situation; a large percentage of Americans live in two-income households, and rising living expenses have made it more difficult not to.

Many moms empathized with her feelings. People from outside the U.S. offered not only sympathy but bafflement over the fact that longer leave is not the norm like it is in every other wealthy nation.

"How is this normal or allowed in America in 2025 when we get a year in Europe many countries more than the one year in the UK?"

"In Canada the mothers get either 12 or 18 months paid maternity leave."

"3 months is not long enough! Moms deserve more!"

"I had to go back to work after 7 weeks. It shattered my heart. I couldn’t afford to take 12 weeks off. 😔"

"Maternity leave in the United States has to change. And then to jump back into the flow of work, with the emotional imbalance. I’m not even the mother and this is heartbreaking."

"This is real 💔 Moms and babies deserve so much better."

"U.S. needs to step up their maternity standards. It’s crazy that we are so behind every other developed country."


One of the arguments people make against longer parental leave is that it puts a burden on companies, but that begs the question of how all the other countries with businesses make it work. Interestingly enough, this is an issue that doesn't seem to fall neatly among partisan lines. People on both sides of the aisle argue for federally mandated maternity leave, but it hasn't happened yet. Until it does, families will continue to feel the pressure to go back to work quickly after welcoming their babies and struggle with the reality that it's simply not enough time.

Watch Marissa's full video:

@marissa_jeanne

Last day of maternity leave and I am a mess. There’s nothing that prepares you for this day in your postpartum journey. #maternityleave #maternityleaveover #postpartumjourney #pospartum #3monthspostpartum #backtowork #workingmom #workingmoms #workingmomstruggles #twinmom

Millennials question how they're 'the new parents.'

Millennials have always seemed to be the generation reminding folks that they are in fact adults. For more than a decade older generations continued to discuss Millennials as if they were still the youth of the day trying to figure out this thing called life. But the group of adults have children that range from infants to young adults along with mortgages and excessive student loans to prove their adulthood status.

Except lately, as Millennials reflect on raising children, they're now wondering who the heck left them in charge. Maybe the boomers and Gen X were right and Millennials really are just perpetual adolescents after all. Recently, Peter Le uploaded a video of how he soothes his crying baby with a not so classic lullaby. Maybe you've heard of it? If you guessed anything other than T-Pain's early 2000s mega hit "I'm 'n Luv (wit a Stripper)" then you'd be wrong.

As soon as the dad started belting out the lyrics (amazingly), the fussy baby immediately started to settle as if he just sang her a perfectly normal lullaby. The video had Millennials questioning who let them be parents because they don't see themselves as adults when it comes to their child-rearing choices. This doesn't mean that this forever young generation are bad parents—it simply means that they do things a little differently while not taking themselves too seriously.

waving, parents, millennials, millennial parents, parentsHc2020Clients-Brendon-Teams GIF by FlyWheel PartnersGiphy

Millennials range from ages 29 to 44, with many of them having come of age during peak club culture. With that in mind, so many of the bangers of the 2000s are locked in as core memories and make up the soundtrack of their lives. Sisqó's "Thong Song" along with Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz's "Get Low" were all in regular rotation at high school dances or at the club in college. Just like their parents before them, reminiscing on the music of yesteryear is part of the gig, except Millennials were probably being soothed to sleep by Prince's "Raspberry Beret," not "My Neck, My Back" by Khia.

But that difference is the reason some Millennials are questioning why a hospital allowed them to walk out with a tiny human. Le's video has nearly 3 million views with thousands of commenters weighing in on his choice of soothing music for his daughter.

"Years from now she’s going to hear this song and not understand why she’s so suddenly relaxed," one person jokes.

"Millennial parents are the most unserious people 🤣🤣 it’s me too," another says.

Someone else laughs, "I’m still shocked someone trusted us with kids when millennials are in fact stunted children with PTSD and incurable nostalgia 😅."

parents, parenting, kids, millennials, generations, babiesfathers day dad GIFGiphy

"This soothed me and was low key nostalgic! Somebody pick me up and let’s go to the club 😂," another person chimes in.

There's nothing like the possibility of your kid reminiscing about their childhood with their own children, telling them all about how their grandfather used to sing about being in love with a stripper. One has to wonder if their children will think nothing of it due to their own unique lullabies or if they'll be questioning if grandpa needed adult supervision. Either way, other Millennial parents agree with his methods.

babies, parents, parenting, millennials, millennial parentsGIF by SupercompressorGiphy

"One day she will be in the club wondering why her favorite lullaby is playing…😭," one says.

Someone else writes, "😭😭 aye! Millennials are really the funniest bunch of parents. Love us! 🫶🏾😂," while an expectant mom takes notes saying, "Having my first next month and I DO NOT KNOW A SINGLE LULABBY[sic] 😭 Kendrick Lamar is going to be working overtime in my house 😂😂😂."