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Every character in Winnie the Pooh has a mental health issue and it's great for kids to see

The wholesome Hundred Acre Wood crew offer a beautiful example of supporting friends with mental illness.

winnie the pooh illustration

Ernest Howard Shepard (Public Domain)

Winnie the Pooh and his pals exemplify support without stigma.

Winnie the Pooh was a staple in our home when my kids were little. The calm wholesomeness of the Hundred Acre Wood offered a soothing contrast to the internet age's wave of overstimulating and/or obnoxious children's entertainment, and all three of my offspring ate it up. In fact, my youngest, now 14, will still turn on Winnie the Pooh videos when he's feeling nostalgic for his childhood.

The characters created by A.A. Milne in 1926 have been beloved for generations. One obvious reason is the way Milne tapped into the curiosity and wonder of a child's imagination by making a boy's stuffed animals come to life. A less obvious reason—but one that has become clearer as mental health awareness and education has spread—is that the characters seem to represent an array of mental health disorders. Not only that, but they also serve as a beautiful example of how friends love and support one another through mental illness struggles without stigma or judgment.

The idea that the residents of the Hundred Acre Wood represent distinct mental health conditions isn't new. In fact, a paper published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal in 2000 titled "Pathology in the Hundred Acre Wood: a neurodevelopmental perspective on A.A. Milne" explained how the world of Winnie the Pooh and his friends was "innocent" on the surface, but upon further examination, the paper's authors found "a forest where neurodevelopmental and psychosocial problems go unrecognized and untreated."

The paper assigns mental health disorders to each character based on criteria from the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders." According to the authors, Pooh struggles with ADHD inattentive type and OCD and is also a binge eater, Piglet has generalized anxiety disorder, Eeyore suffers from a depressive illness called dysthymic disorder, Owl has a reading disorder, Rabbit has narcissistic personality disorder (most other analyses peg him with OCD and assign narcissism to Owl—both seem to make sense), Tigger has ADHD hyperactivity-impulsivity type, Kanga is an overprotective single mother and little Roo is apparently impacted by both his mom's overprotectiveness and his "undesirable peer group."

I'm not a psychologist, so I can't really speak to the accuracy of these diagnoses. What I can speak to is how many friends and loved ones I can pair up almost exactly with the pathologies of these characters, and my guess is most other people can as well.

We all have a Piglet in our lives whose first reaction to anything new is fear and worry. We all have an Eeyore we have to check in on once in a while because we know when we don't hear from them they've probably slipped down the depression hole. We know people who are loveable but flighty like Pooh, people who vibrate with energy and drive us bonkers by leaping before looking like Tigger, people who exert enormous amounts of energy getting everything just so like Rabbit, and so on. We can see the psychological challenges of our loved ones, and maybe even ourselves, in these characters.

And the beauty is that, if we're lucky, we got to see them early, as kids. The Hundred Acre Wood crew might offer a simplistic version of the mental health disorders they seem to represent, but that's a pretty good first introduction for children. Especially when they're also seeing how this band of friends and neighbors treat one another with kindness and care, thoughtfulness and forgiveness. They will learn the deeper complexities of various mental illnesses and treatments as they evolve later on in life, but a child seeing these characters who struggle in different ways being there for one another is a wonderful lesson in itself.

In the Hundred Acre Wood, everyone has different mental health challenges, but no one is ostracized for them. There's no stigma and no judgment. Sure, sometimes people get annoyed and patience gets lost and feelings get hurt, but that's just life for all of us. The important thing is, in the end, Pooh and his friends show up for one another in big and small ways through it all. They share their harvests, they help one another find things that get lost, they build homes for one another when one gets blown down, they encourage one another to be brave, strong, calm, or happy when someone can be, and they offer company, comfort and acceptance when they can't.

A.A. Milne likely had no intention of purposefully representing specific mental health diagnoses, most of which weren't even in our vocabulary in 1926. But he sure seemed to deeply understand the human condition and managed to create a world where diverse people with different needs and challenges can coexist and thrive together. The fact that kids get to see this in their formative years, to see how it might be possible, is truly a gift.

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Cycle for Survival

Cycle for Survival

How can riding a bike help beat cancer? Just ask Reid Moritz, 10-year-old survivor and leader of his own “wolfpack”

Every year, Reid and his pack participate in Cycle for Survival to help raise money for the rare cancer research that’s helped him and so many others. You can too.

all photos courtesy of Reid Moritz

Together, let’s help fuel the next big breakthrough in cancer research

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There are many things that ten-year-old Reid Wolf Moritz loves. His family, making watches (yes, really), basketball, cars (especially Ferraris), collecting super, ultra-rare Pokémon cards…and putting the pedal to the medal at Cycle for Survival.

Cycle for Survival is the official rare cancer fundraising program of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). One hundred percent of every dollar raised at Cycle for Survival events supports rare cancer research and lifesaving clinical trials at MSK.

At only two years old, Reid was diagnosed with pilocytic astrocytoma, a rare type of brain tumor.

Pediatric cancer research is severely underfunded. When standard treatments don't work, families rely on breakthrough clinical trials to give their children a real shot at long-term survival.

When Reid’s chemotherapy and brain surgery didn’t work, he was able to participate in one of MSK’s clinical trials, where he’s received some incredible results. “Memorial Sloan Kettering has done so much for me. It's just so nice how they did all this for me. They're just the best hospital ever,” Reid recalls.

And that’s why every year, you’ll find Reid with his team, aptly named Reid's Wolfpack, riding at Cycle for Survival. It’s just Reid’s way of paying it forward so that even more kids can have similar opportunities.

“I love sharing my story to inspire other kids to PERSEVERE, STAY STRONG and NEVER GIVE UP while also raising money for my amazing doctors and researchers to help other kids like me.”

Reid remembers the joy felt bouncing on his father’s shoulder and hearing the crowd cheer during his first Cycle for Survival ride. As he can attest, each fundraising event feels more like a party, with plenty of dancing, singing and celebrating.

Hoping to spread more of that positivity, Reid and his family started the Cycle for Survival team, Reid’s Wolfpack, which has raised close to $750,000 over the past eight years. All that money goes directly to Reid’s Neuro-Oncology team at Memorial Sloan Kettering.

In addition to cheering on participants and raising good vibes at Cycle for Survival events, Reid even designs some pretty epic looking merch—like basketball shorts, jerseys, and hoodies—to help raise money.

If you’re looking to help kids just like Reid, and have a ton of fun doing it, you’re in luck. Cycle for Survival events are held at Equinox locations nationwide, and welcome experienced riders and complete newbies alike. You can even join Reid and his Wolfpack in select cities!

And if cycling in any form isn’t your thing, a little donation really does go a long way.

Together, let’s help fuel the next big breakthrough in cancer research. Find out more information by checking out cycleforsurvival.org or filling out this interest form.

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best of humanity

A student accidentally created a rechargeable battery that could last 400 years

"This thing has been cycling 10,000 cycles and it’s still going."

Steve Zylius/University of California, Irvine.

There's an old saying that luck happens when preparation meets opportunity.

There's no better example of that than a 2016 discovery at the University of California, Irvine, by doctoral student Mya Le Thai. After playing around in the lab, she made a discovery that could lead to a rechargeable battery that could last up to 400 years. That means longer-lasting laptops and smartphones and fewer lithium ion batteries piling up in landfills.

A team of researchers at UCI had been experimenting with nanowires for potential use in batteries, but found that over time the thin, fragile wires would break down and crack after too many charging cycles. A charge cycle is when a battery goes from completely full to completely empty and back to full again.

But one day, on a whim, Thai coated a set of gold nanowires in manganese dioxide and a Plexiglas-like electrolyte gel.

"She started to cycle these gel capacitors, and that's when we got the surprise," said Reginald Penner, chair of the university's chemistry department. "She said, 'this thing has been cycling 10,000 cycles and it's still going.' She came back a few days later and said 'it's been cycling for 30,000 cycles.' That kept going on for a month."

This discovery is mind-blowing because the average laptop battery lasts 300 to 500 charge cycles. The nanobattery developed at UCI made it though 200,000 cycles in three months. That would extend the life of the average laptop battery by about 400 years. The rest of the device would have probably gone kaput decades before the battery, but the implications for a battery that that lasts hundreds of years are pretty startling.

Batteries being recycled at WRWA, London. Nov ‘21Photo by John Cameron on Unsplash

"The big picture is that there may be a very simple way to stabilize nanowires of the type that we studied," Penner said. "If this turns out to be generally true, it would be a great advance for the community." Not bad for just fooling around in the laboratory.

This article originally appeared two years ago.

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Michelle Yeoh discusses overcoming the 'huge sadness' felt by not being able to have kids

A refreshing and poignant perspective on a topic not many talk about—but so many can relate to.

European Union, 2024/Wikipedia, Photo credit: Canva

"You come to a point where you have to stop blaming you."

Anyone that’s tried and failed to become pregnant could tell you that there’s a definitive mourning period that comes with an infertility journey—one that can and often involves guilt at not being able to conceive. Even if a woman logically understands that this was purely something out of her control (cue feelings of powerlessness), the pressures of societal and familial expectations alone are enough for her to start blaming herself.

But, as with all forms of grief, time offers fresh perspective.

Recently, actress Michelle Yeoh opened up about her own infertility struggles, and the difficult feelings that arose as a result. Her candid and vulnerable words are making so many women who have had similar experiences feel seen—not to mention hopeful.

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In two separate interview—one with BBC’s Woman’s Hour and the other with The Times—the Oscar winner revealed that she had always wanted to start a family. It was a dream shared by her first husband Sir Dickson Poon. Yeoh had even retired from her budding acting career in order to make this dream a reality.

And yet, that dream would go on unrealized, even after trying a fertility treatment.

"And I think the worst moment to go through is every month you feel like such a failure," she told BBC.

Poon wanting kids and Yeoh not being able to get pregnant eventually became the major factor leading to their amicable divorce. While Yeoh commended the “bravery” they had to make such a hard decision, she still told the Times that it remains the “biggest sadness” in her life.

But, even while holding onto that sadness, Yeoh committed to giving other aspects of her life her “ 110 percent,” which she said enabled her to live without regrets. And no one would argue that, with a highly successful career spanning over three decades and an Oscar at 62, she didn’t give it her all.

Plus, Yeoh has been able to appreciate the “beauty” of her six godchildren (one of them being Poon’s daughter), her many nephews and nieces, and even a baby grandchild from her stepson. Yeoh had recently remarried to Jean Todt after a 19-year engagement. So plenty of blessings still to be had.

"I did everything to make it work, and sometimes even that is not enough, you have to be able..." she said while apparently raising her arms with her fists balled. "In life we say, you have to not go around holding your hands like this, you have to learn to let go, and sometimes letting go helps you move forward."

As for feelings of guilt, she told the BBC, “I think at some point you stop blaming yourself. I go, there are certain things in your body that don't function in a certain way. That's how it is.

"You just have to let go and move on. And I think you come to a point where you have to stop blaming you."

This last point struck a major chord with other women who’ve had similar challenges.

See on Instagram

“Thank you for this interview. I think because society pushes us to try harder, do more, and look on the bright side of things, we learn not to have compassion for ourselves on the things we have no control over. ❤️”

“As someone who wanted children, but ended up not getting them.. it is just beautiful to hear the words from someone else's mouth. I always admired Michelle Yeoh and this just amplifies the love I feel for her ❤️”

“It is so refreshing, and so necessary, to hear this topic being spoken about with such honesty and clarity 👏👏 Permanent childlessness is, for many, such a huge thing to face either as a couple or solo, and yet remains a largely hidden experience. It definitely needs to be talked about more and it is wonderful to see the conversations beginning to appear in places like this, with brilliant people like this 😍”

“You're not a failure because you were not able to have children❤️ I had to have a hysterectomy at 32 and even though it caused me, I had to accept that not everyone gets to be a mom. Now I have love for everyone in my life to share❤️”

“Thank you Michelle for sharing your story. This is my story almost exactly. I’m 57 and the pain still shows up in me sometimes.”

Hopefully any other woman going through this kind of challenge finds this today and remembers to give themselves a little self compassion.

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Millennial dad of 3 shuts down boomer parents for their 'ridiculous' holiday expectations

"Why is it that every time I have to make the effort for you, yet you can't do the most basic thing for me?”

via Canva/Photos

A Millennial dad has had it with his boomer dad's expectations.

A TikTok video posted by @carrerasfam is going viral, with over 300,000 views, because so many millennial parents can relate. In the video, a husband politely but firmly tells his “practically retired” baby boomer dad that he’s not taking his 3 young kids on a 400-mile drive to their house for the holidays.

Carerras Fam is a popular TikTok page about “all things postpartum and mamahood.” The husband opens the conversation with his dad by explaining all the inconveniences of taking 3 young kids on a long road trip. “I know you want us to drive down for the holidays, but it's kinda ridiculous that you want me to pack my 3 kids with their portable beds with my clothes, their clothes, the formula, everything that goes on with raising 3 kids and having them feel comfortable. Drive down for over four hours just so that we could spend some time in your house?” the husband says.

@carrerasfam
Sorry it’s just so much work. But you’re welcome to visit us #millennial #millennials #parents #parenting #parentsontiktok #boomers #millennials

It’s obviously inconvenient for the couple to pack up their kids and drive 4 hours, but it’s also unsafe because the house is not baby-proof. "I'm gonna have to run around, make sure that they don't break any of your stuff, and which you will take care of them,” the husband continues using sarcastic air quotes.

The dad brings up another great point: His parents are in good health, so why don’t they drive to their house? “You could visit. You don't have little kids,” the dad continues. “You don't have anything going on.

"Why is it that every time I have to make the effort for you, yet you can't do the most basic thing for me?”

It’s clear from the phone call the dad understands that traveling with the kids and staying in a house that isn’t correctly set up for young kids will make the holiday a struggle. Instead of making memories, they’ll most likely be running around bent over trying to save their kids from breaking something or hanging out at Target buying electrical socket plugs and a bottle brush because they left theirs at home.

The video struck a chord with many millennial parents.

“First holiday with a kid… parents are confused why I won’t drive 9 hours with a 3mnth old for Christmas,” too_many_catz writes. “The ‘not baby proofed’ part hit my soullllllll. It’s so stressful having to chase your kids around and ask to close doors, move pictures, block stairs, etc. And nobody takes you seriously!" OhHeyItsIndy added.

It’s also expensive for young families to travel. “Add to it they want us to spend money on gas, airfare, etc. when we live paycheck to paycheck and rent while they own homes and live comfortably off a pension,” another user wrote.

This one hit hard: “They always act like you're asking the world of them, yet they will willingly go on any other vacation that they choose,” Mackenzie Byrne wrote.

TX Travel Chick may have hit the nail on the head with her explanation for why boomer parents expect their children to road trip it to their house for the holidays. “Because we are used to following their orders!!! REVOLT,” she wrote.

Ultimately, it would be interesting to learn why boomer parents want to inconvenience their kids when it would be much easier for them to take a trip to see them, especially if they can afford a hotel. One wonders if they are being entitled or if they’ve forgotten how hard it is to travel with young kids.

Powerful Tweet reveals a harsh truth Girl Dads don't want to admit

Whether you intimidate boyfriends or set hard curfews, we're all afraid of the same thing.

Unsplash

Fathers on all sides of the political spectrum share at least one thing in common: We're protective of our little girls. Yes, the 'shotgun-wielding dad' who intimidates gentlemen callers is an old cliche, but even though his methods may be a little outdated, his heart is usually in the right place.

We know that, fair or not, the world is more dangerous for daughters than it is for our sons. And it's not just dads! Uncles, big brothers, family friends. They all make sure to keep an extra watchful eye on the young girls of the family.

What we need to talk about more out loud is what, exactly, we're so afraid of.

To that end, a recent viral post on X brilliantly pointed out the truth.

"One time years ago I said 'men are trash' and my dad got really annoyed by it. my mum had to stop and ask him 'when you're warning her not to be out late, to be careful, telling her that it's not safe etc who are you warning her about? not women'"

Holy cow, what a mic drop.

— (@)

There's been a growing sentiment online that wonders if we've been 'too mean' to men.

First, there was the #MeToo movement, which gained steam in around 2017. It was a time when staggering numbers of women felt empowered to come forward with stories of sexual assault, harassment, and more.

Quickly, "good guys" spoke up to reassure the world that "Not all men are bad!"

#NotAllMen, almost instantly, became a hashtag used to mock people who were dismissive of women's concerns about the state of, well, men.

In 2024, conversations about the male loneliness epidemic have taken centerstage. Ideas that men have been disenfranchised to the point of radicalization. That they've been forgotten about in a society that pushes for progress for every other group but them.

In short, "Stop being so mean to men!'

The post from user mariaalcoptia beautifully illustrates the hypocrisy at play: Even men know that men are dangerous!

Maria's reply was in response to another post that explained the phenomenon even further:

"I don’t think men have heard what fathers tell their daughters about men. Nobody hates men more, nobody is a bigger misandrist than fathers who actually love their daughters. All they do is slander their fellow men to their daughters from morning to night," wrote user sugabelly.

"Girl Dads hate men."

— (@)

As a progressive-minded and, at least I'd like to think, solid guy, even I get bummed out about the bombardment of "men are terrible" messaging I see anytime I'm online.

It's hard not to get defensive, and to resist the urge to shout "Not all of us!"

But deep down we know it's true. There are huge problems with men and masculinity in our country that are making it a worse place for everyone else.

It's why we interrogate potential boyfriends and teach our daughters crotch kicks and how to throw a punch, and why we want to know where they're going and who they're with and when they'll be back.

(And it's why we aren't nearly as protective of our boys.)

It's not because of the bogeyman. It's because of other men.

The sooner we can put our feelings aside and all admit that, the sooner we can get to work on making things better.

Being as thoughtful about how we raise our sons as we are about protecting daughters would be a good place to start!

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After a teacher left an 11-year-old girl a crushing note, people respond with stories of triumph

"Will never happen. Sorry."

Photo credit: Canva

Teacher leaves awful note on child's assignment people respond

Teachers are supposed to foster a nurturing environment that encourages learning and growth. It is not an easy feat being a teacher, you're not only charged with teaching a classroom full of children but managing classroom behaviors while also ensuring students are comfortable enough to confide in you when needed. The role of an educator carries a lot of weight with one of the biggest ones being shaping future leaders, but not all teachers are created equal.

Some teachers either don't realize the impact they have on students or entered into the profession for reasons outside of desire to help students succeed. When this happens, a child's spirit can be crushed beyond repair if they don't have others around them to reinforce positive things about them. One mom found herself aghast at the note her elementary school child received on a graded assignment.

There isn't much context to the photo other than a short description that reads, "My 11 year old daughters teacher wrote this comment on her homework. I'm absolutely flabbergasted and angry. This after my daughter just competed in gymnastics nationals a month ago."

girl in orange long sleeve shirt writing on white paper Photo by Jason Sung on Unsplash

The photo contains a snippet of the graded homework assignment where the little girl answered the prompt "my hopes and dreams" with her aspirations of becoming an Olympic gymnast. The girl also included that she wanted to be a "perfect gymnast," which could be what the teacher was responding to but there's no way to make that determination from the feedback on the assignment, which only reads, "will never happen sorry."

But there does appear to be a line of some sort drawn from the sentence about becoming a perfect gymnast so maybe there was a misunderstanding. Things aren't always conveyed correctly in short written text but that didn't stop people from jumping to the girl's defense and sharing their own stories of being told they couldn't do something only to excel at it later.

from mildlyinfuriating

One person writes in part, "When I was in first grade, my teacher told me multiple times that I was bad at math. I believed her because I was six. I believed that until the last part of college, when I finally HAD to take calculus for my major and I had put it off until my senior year. Professor for Calculus 2 asked me to be a math major… turns out I have a mind for math. I hope the girl in the post wins Olympic gold."

A woman pleads with the mom to take the issue up with the principal, "Please do this for me - back in the 80's a teacher told me I couldn't take a certain programming class because "girls don't need to take programming classes" - he wanted to keep his little boys club intact - no girls allowed! I'm a Database Manager (going on 20 years) now for a large company. My father just signed me up at the local community college to take the programming class."

cady heron math GIFGiphy

Someone else shares their triumph story, "When I was in high school a teacher told me I should drop mathematics in favour of mathematical literacy (the easier math) because I wasn't good at math and I'd never be able to become an engineer or any other related field that needed math. Another math teacher told me to ignore that advice and that if I worked hard and put my mind to it I'd be able to overcome what I find difficult and eventually it will just click. It would take hard work and I'd probably hate it, but I'd get there.

If I had listened to the first teacher I wouldn't be where I am today..literally lecturing complex mathematical concepts to university students. Those 2 years teaching kids I did everything possible to be like the teacher that encouraged me to go further, so that hopefully some of the kids I taught will realise[sic] their full potential like I did."

Calculate Figure It Out GIFGiphy

Another person says, "I broke my arm in high school and was getting my strength back. My max for bench at 1 point was 115 because my arm couldn’t support the weight. I told my weights coach my goal was 250 by my Jr year. I was a freshmen at the time. He said ya you’ll never get there. I hit 280 on my PR and ended up finishing my Jr year in the 1000lbs club for Squats, Cleans, and Bench. After every rep I’d say 'F**k you Mr. McKenna.'"

While some commenters question the validity of the note written on the homework assignment, people overwhelmingly support the girl by showing comments like these from educators far more common than people would like to think. Hopefully the child gets a chance to read all the triumphant notes left by others and goes on to win a gold medal at the Olympics one day.

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