Emily Shiffer

Parenting is a 24/7 job. However, Kier Gaines, a licensed therapist, husband and father of two little girls, is encouraging parents to take time and space alone to preserve their mental health. In a new video he shared on TikTok titled "Saving Your Partner's Mental Health", Gaines demonstrates the importance of parents creating space at home for not just themselves, but more importantly their partners.

He shows how it can be done by setting boundaries with their children when it comes to being constantly available to them--supporting his wife to take rest rather than busying herself with house work while affirming to his children that giving mommy space is a positive thing.

"Give mommy some space, okay?" he says in the video as he is starting to cook in the kitchen. One of his daughters responds, "Okay. I just wanted to ask her a question."

In an understanding voice, he replies, "I know. Let's give her a little privacy. Let's give her a moment. You know how sometimes you go up in your room and you don't want to be bothered and we give you your space? I think everybody in the house needs that sometimes, what [do] you think?"

Gaines continues filming himself doing some kitchen organizing, pouring cereal boxes into storage containers before moving to the refrigerator to unload some drinks.

"Sydney, you wanna come help me?" he asks his daughter Sydney, before she replies, "No!" He quips, "True!"

man in long sleeve shirt standing beside girl in pink tank top washing hands Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Sydney then adds, "I am very busy right now!" Rather than get upset, Gaines sighs and says, "The fridge needs to be reorganized, but it ain't happening tonight! I'll tell you that."

His wife is heard off-camera chiming in, "I'll do it." But Gaines is having none of it. "Babe, rest your bones," he tells her. She replies, "Yeah, you're right," before Gaines adds in, "You've got enough going on," just..."motioning with his hands for her to step back and take a load off.

"You know I like to be busy," she responds, but Gaines reassures her that all is well as he continues to prepare a meal. "Yeah, you don't have to be busy when you don't have to. Go upstairs, get away from the kids."

The video ends on a funny note: as Gaines tries to open something with a knife, he drops it and it almost stabs his foot.

"Not today, Satan! Not today," he laughs.

Gaines' kind and gentle communication style sent his TikTok followers straight to the comment section to heap praise on him for being an amazing parent and spouse.

"The fact that you said, 'everybody needs space sometimes' instead of throwing mom under the bus with 'mommy needs time away or mommy needs a break' made my heart explode. What an awesome dad 😊," one TikToker wrote. Another added, "Father is fathering, partner is partnering... that's how family life should be ❤️."

Gaines was also commended for his soft tone. "The calm demeanor, the way you give explanations, ask questions, keep it kind. It made me cry. Dads don’t act like this as often as they should." And another declared, "the communication, the tone, and body language showing no anger, this is what every child deserves from their father and mother! i applaud you!❤️"

With nearly 28 million views on his video, Gaines deserves all the kudos.

The holiday season capitalizes on all things light, bright and sparkly--something that Reddit user 1228maj's blind sister has missed out on. So in a touching post shared on the social media platform, she explained how she plans to make this year's holiday extra special and inclusive: enter puffy paint.

"My sister is blind. This year I’m making her Christmas wrap tactile with puffy paint!" she captioned her post. She accompanied it with a photo of wrapped gift in red, white and blue snowman wrapping paper. The photo shows the raised texture outlining the shape and details of the snowman, as well as snowflakes by the thoughtful sibling.

"She’s always a little sad that she can’t see the lights or gift wrap so this [year] I’m making it tactile for her as a surprise! I’m also going to use a velvety bow so that is tactile too," she added, describing her sister as her "best friend for almost 30 years now. She’s the best older sis ever!"

The post garnered resounding praise for the strong sisterly love.

"This is what the holidays are all about, thoughtful gestures filled with love," another Redditor commented. And another added, "This is such a thoughtful idea! You’re bringing the magic of Christmas to her in a way that truly matters. She’s so lucky to have you!"

And a number of blind Redditors also chimed in. "As someone who is blind, that’s amazing!" one wrote. And another commented, "I love this so much. As a fellow human on the blindness spectrum, I touch EVERYTHING! You are an incredible sibling for doing this.

When asked what she got her sister for a gift, 1228maj replied that it's also a well-textured gift. "It’s a slate blue wrap/jacket kind of thing from a Christmas market we go to," she wrote. "It’s woven with silkier threads making a paisley design and a thick golden-yellow wool yarn running through it in places. It’s really cool looking and feeling!"

The description spawned further questions from Redditors about her sister's vision and if she could see colors, "so 1228maj kindly explained her sister's journey into blindness.

"Growing up, she was legally blind but still had minimal vision (no vision in one eye and reduced field and very fuzzy view in the other) so she could see colors, especially if there was high contrast," she explained. "A few years ago though she had an infection in her eye that took the remainder of her vision. She actually still ‘sees’ colors and shapes in her minds eye. She describes it as a built in screen saver haha."

Another user asked if 1228maj had ever considered working with an adaptive clothing company. She shared that she is a music teacher, however she has learned everything from her sister about helping those who are visually impaired. "My sister works for the state to support visually impaired students, so I learned everything I know about adaptations from her!" she added.

The thread soon became a discussion of other thoughtful tactile touches to add to the wrapping, including using pom poms as ornaments on Christmas trees, snowflake 3D stickers, and small pipe cleaners to use for arms on some of the snowmen on the wrapping paper.

The finishing touch for the present? "I’m planning to braille the card I’ll put on before I give it to her :)," she wrote.

John Reichart, 74, is on a mission to bring Christmas cheer and new memories to his wife of 53 years, Joan, following her Alzheimer's diagnosis. Joan was diagnosed four years ago with the disease. The couple got engaged on Christmas Eve, and Joan has been a lover of the Christmas season throughout their marriage.

So Reichert decided to decorate every house in their Indianola, Iowa, neighborhood this year with holiday decorations and lights that he purchased out of his own pocket. His goal: to bring Joan joy and help her make new memories for them to share while she still can.

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Reichart asked each neighbor for permission before he began to decorate. “One neighbor thought I was kidding until I showed up at his lawn putting decorations up,” he told Iowa's Local 5 News.

Reichert has painstakingly decorated each of the 17 homes on his block, complete with illuminated Christmas trees, snowmen, wreaths, snow flakes and more.

A Marine veteran, Reichart has vowed to keep decorating until he physically is unable to do so. Unfortunately, he's not sure how much time that will be. Reichart shared that Joan's condition has continued to worsen, that she is forgetting how to brush her teeth and that she is "to a point of having more bad days than good.”

"I love her with all my heart and soul. As long as she enjoys it, I'll keep doing it as long as I have the strength to do it. I'll do it every Christmas,” he told the news outlet. “Time is limited, time is short and so I want her to remember. This is something that she will remember.”

And his wife is incredibly grateful for his love and care. “He means the world to me. Without him, I don’t know what I’d do,” she told the news outlet.

With the entire East Franklin Avenue neighborhood decorated, Reichart has invited his local community to take a stroll or drive down the street to enjoy the display for themselves, noting that the lights will be lit from 5 to 11 p.m. everyday until the second week of January.

To help recoup the cost of the lights and storage, the Reicharts' neighbor, Frank Ewurs, created a GoFundMe for John and Joan with a fundraising goal of $20,000.

"So many of you have already driven down our bright street and felt the love he has put on display not only for his wife, but also for everyone in the spirit of Christmas," Ewurs wrote on the fundraising page. He added, "Your generosity is helping make this incredible display of love and Christmas spirit possible. Every donation and kind word is a true gift."

The couple is also asking for Christmas cards to be sent to them to help brighten their days this holiday season. They noted that they plan to read them every night before they go to bed, and will send thank-you notes to those who send a card in the new year.

You can send them a card addressed to:

John and Joan Reichart
P.O. Box 133
Indianola, IA 50125