family – Topical Fruit

New Dating Trend: Letting Mom Run Your Tinder

Modern dating is hard, so why not hand the whole task off to your parents? What could possibly go wrong? 👀

According to the Wall Street Journal, Gen Z and millennial singles have started outsourcing their love lives to their parents.

People in their 20s and 30s are letting Mom (and sometimes Dad) take the reins on dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge… because if you’re gonna be disappointed and rebuffed by strangers, it might as well be a family affair.

Failing to find someone can be exhausting

Struggling to find your soulmate isn’t a new problem, but online dating has made the search feel like a neverending slog. When you’ve spent years swiping yourself into oblivion, you suddenly find yourself saying, “You know what? Let’s see if Mom can do any better.”

Does mother really know best?

A 31-year-old woman the WSJ talked to said she has to reject a lot of her mom’s picks because they just don’t vibe. “She’s picking guys who are wearing Gucci and more designer, put-together apparel. And I’m like, okay, but how are they gonna do on a hike?”

Success stories are rare but real

Another woman said her dad convinced her to give a British guy a shot – even after the potential suitor didn’t respond to her messages right away. They started FaceTiming daily, and he picked her up from the airport when she moved to London for grad school. Now they’re a couple. Chalk one up for Team Dad!

Parents finally get to experience dating in 2025

Whether it’s good or bad, the experiment is giving parents a front-row seat to the chaos their kids have been dealing with. Suddenly, their “why can’t you find anyone” mantra is giving way to “Wow, I see why you can’t find anyone.”

One mom was stunned by how many men on dating apps proudly posed in full hunting gear, or mid-chug with a handle of cheap liquor. (Ma’am… that is the modern courting ritual. Just wait until they start texting. 🍆)

Is it worth a try, or is it just too risky?

Before you jump in with both feet (and both parents), remember this: If you let Mom into your relationship before it even gets started, there may be no going back.

So, the question is are you desperate enough to let your mom play matchmaker? Or will you continue to suffer in solitude, stubbornly swiping into the void?

There’s also a third option. Maybe just sack up, Gen Z, and resign yourself to the idea of dying alone like the rest of us. 😘

Six Things to Never Leave in Your Car When It’s Freezing

You’d never leave a gallon of milk in your trunk during a July heatwave, right? Well, winter has its own set of car-destroying, mess-making, regret-inducing mistakes.

Leaving the wrong stuff in your car when it’s below freezing can be just as bad – or worse – than when it’s too hot. If your car turns into an accidental walk-in freezer, bad things happen.

Here are six things you should never leave in your car when it’s below freezing.

Aerosol Cans

You know those cans of hairspray, deodorant, or air freshener rolling around your trunk? Yeah, they’re basically little pressurized time bombs in cold weather. Extreme temps can make them explode. Nothing says “good morning” like a can of Febreze blowing up in your backseat.

Canned Food

Bring those groceries in asap! Freezing temps can make the food inside expand, which can cause tiny cracks or even cause the can to swell. That’s how bacteria sneaks in and ruins Taco Tuesday. The USDA says if it looks swollen, toss it. If it doesn’t look swollen, maybe still toss it. Just don’t trust a cold can.

Eggs

Yes, eggs freeze. And no, they don’t bounce back from it. If you leave them in the car after a grocery run and they freeze and crack, they’re no longer safe to eat. Also, egg goo in your back seat is no fun at all.

Electronics

Phones, tablets, laptops – basically your entire digital life – is not a fan of the freeze. Cold weather can make batteries act weird, screens go wonky, and when they warm back up, condensation inside can fry them. So unless you want your iPad to become a very flat, very useless ice cube, bring it in.

Medication

Some medications, like insulin, can become unstable or even useless if they freeze. The rule of thumb with any frozen meds is: don’t guess, just toss – or talk to your pharmacist before you end up with more problems than you started with.

Loved Ones

This should go without saying, but just in case: don’t leave pets, kids, or anyone else in a freezing car, even for “just a sec.” If the idea of sitting in an ice-cold vehicle makes you miserable, don’t subject Grandma or the golden retriever to it. Your car turns into a walk-in freezer with seatbelts faster than you think.

47% Would Sit at the Kids’ Table to Avoid the Adults

Thanksgiving is supposed to be about gratitude, family, and stretchy pants. But if you’ve ever survived one of those dinners that goes from cranberry sauce to crisis in 20 minutes flat, you already know: it’s not the turkey that gets roasted the hardest.

A poll commissioned by St. Francis Winery revealed that nearly half of Americans (47%) would be open to sitting at the kids’ table to avoid enduring another grown-up food fight over hot topics.

Millennials were especially eager to dodge the drama, with 62% saying they’d happily swap chairs with the juice-box crowd.

So, what exactly are we all trying to avoid this year? According to the survey, here are the top 10 conversation landmines that can turn your gravy boat into a sinking ship:

Politics: No surprise here. Nothing like a heated debate about the Electoral College to ruin the mashed potatoes.
Money: “So, how much are you making now?” is not the vibe.
Appearance or Weight: Don’t be the person who says, “Oh, more stuffing, huh?” (Looking at you, Grandma.)
Religion: Keep the faith talk light or off the table altogether.
Exes: Wondering why your nephew’s girlfriend didn’t come this year? Maybe don’t bring it up unless you want to see him cry.
Mental Health: Important, yes. But on Thanksgiving, nothing’s more important than stuffing and pie.
Career Woes: Let them enjoy their sweet potatoes in peace. No need to remind them they just got laid off.
Personal Struggles: Same goes for any tough life updates. Thanksgiving isn’t a therapy session.
Relationship Status: Wanna make things uncomfortable? Just ask that couple who’ve been dating for eight years, “So, when are you getting married?”
Absent Family Members: Talking smack about relatives who aren’t there is a fast track to arguments and awkward silences.

There’s plenty of other stuff to talk about without making things cringe. So pour the wine, pass the rolls, and stick to safe topics like football, pie, or how wild it is that cranberry sauce still comes in a can.

So, maybe take a cue from the kids’ table this year. Sure, the four-year-old is eating with her hands… but at least she didn’t bring up inflation.

Phones Are Ruining Family Conversations… and It’s Not Just the Kids

Trying to have a heart-to-heart with your kid these days is damn-near impossible, since you’re competing with TikTok, Snapchat, and whatever’s trending on YouTube.

A new survey found that kids under 18 are holding a phone 52% of the time their parents are trying to talk to them. That’s right… half your valuable wisdom is probably getting drowned out by memes and cat videos.

And before you roll your eyes at “these kids today,” let’s be real: parents aren’t much better. The same survey says partners are glued to their phones 58% of the time during conversations. So basically, everyone’s ignoring everyone.

But at least we’re ignoring each other together.

Only 74% of parents could say they’d had a real, device-free conversation with their kid in the past week. Which means a quarter of families haven’t gone even seven days without someone scrolling mid-sentence. No wonder 78% of parents are worried about losing face-to-face time with their kids.

Some households are trying to fight back with “no phone zones” during dinner, family outings, or movie night. You know, those rare times when you actually want to see each other’s faces instead of the glow of a screen. But enforcing those rules is easier said than done.

So yes, the internet is winning. But the silver lining? At least when your teen pretends to listen while glued to their phone, they can say they “learned it from watching you!” (Gen X’ers will get that reference, if they’re even listening to me.)

The Average American Screws Up Four Major Decisions in Their Life

People say it’s a good idea to live without regrets… but if someone asked you how many wrong decisions you’ve made in your life, how many would you say?

And this is “major” wrong decisions… so not like “eating Taco Bell last night.” More like “my first marriage and my third child.”

According to new research, the average American estimates they have made four wrong major decisions in their life. 31% say they’ve made more.

71% say they wish they had more guidance when it comes to making large life decisions. But honestly, mistakes are a normal part of life.

54% say they turn to their friends and family for advice when making major decisions.

But 40% do their own research, usually online. 28% will seek out “industry professionals”… 26% will read informational books… and 25% will look for “informational videos and TV shows.”

Poll conducted by SWNS / OnePoll on behalf of AtomFinance with a panel of 2,000 Americans

Ash-Spreading Ceremony Interrupted by Constipation Ad

Spreading a loved one’s ashes is usually a deeply emotional, solemn moment. But for one family near Seattle, their heartfelt goodbye turned into something else entirely thanks to a poorly timed Spotify ad and one extremely unfortunate sound effect.

They gathered on a boat in the Puget Sound in mid-July to honor someone they’d lost and say farewell, and they queued up a touching soundtrack for the moment – Frank Sinatra’s soaring version of “The Impossible Dream.” And that’s where things took a sharp turn.

They had the free version of Spotify

The touching moment was ruined – or depending on your perspective, improved – because the person playing the song didn’t have the ad-free version.

Just as the final note faded out and everyone was no doubt holding back tears, an ad kicked in. And not just any ad.

Cut the fart SFX!

The ad was for some sort of constipation remedy and opened with a loud, prolonged fart sound. Because nothing says rest in peace like a digital toot echoing across the water.

What followed the fart wasn’t any better. The first spoken line of the ad was “This is the quickest way to clear out stuck poop.” 💩(Whoever wrote that ad copy is one classy individual.)

They had a great sense of humor about it

Everyone on board burst into laughter, and the guy who filmed it joked later that his mom “really needs to subscribe to Spotify Premium.”

The fact that they weren’t devastated makes the whole thing strangely beautiful in its own way. A serious ceremony with a totally unserious interruption – and a reminder that even in grief, laughter can still find its way in.

The natural question from people on social media is whose ashes were they – and would they find it funny? If so, maybe it was their parting gift.

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How Often Do You Wash Your Jeans? Depends How Brave (or Nose-Blind) You Are

If your laundry basket could talk, it would probably say, “Please… I’m begging you.” But since it can’t, plenty of us wait until there’s a sock crisis or we’re down to our emergency underwear before doing anything about it.

Laundry isn’t the worst chore out there, but let’s be honest… it’s nobody’s idea of a good time. Unless you’re one of the very rare laundry lovers out there (and yes, they exist), you’re probably just doing the bare minimum to avoid mildew and social shame.

Still, most people are taking care of it themselves. A new poll found 55% of Americans always do their own laundry, while 5% say someone else always handles it. Everyone else falls somewhere in between, depending on how desperate the wardrobe situation gets.

Now, do we enjoy laundry? Eh. Only 9% of people say they love it, and 23% say they like it. On the flip side, 12% dislike it, and 5% flat-out hate it. 49% are totally neutral… the Switzerland of household chores.

The survey also asked how many times people wear different types of clothing before washing them… and spoiler alert: the results range from reasonable to “I’m gonna stand over here.”

Underwear: 80% of people wash it after one wear (as any decent society should). But 5% of people wear the same pair four or more times before washing. Yes, that’s real. And yes, men are more likely to do it.

T-shirts: 55% wash after one use. 10% wear them at least four times, which might explain why some shirts are more vintage aroma than vintage style.

Non-jeans pants: 29% go one-and-done, but 21% say, “Eh, one more wear won’t hurt.” (It might.)

Sweaters: Only 19% wash after a single wear. A whopping 32% go four-plus wears, relying on the magical cleansing power of “airing it out.”

Jeans: Just 16% wash after one wear, and 36% stretch it past four. Men, once again, are more likely to live on the edge. (Or the edge of someone’s olfactory tolerance.)

So, next time you wonder if those jeans can go another day, just remember… you’re either part of the majority, or part of the reason Febreze exists.

Parents Feel Like “Bad Parents” 156 Times a Year, and Honestly, That Feels Low

If you’ve ever stood in the kitchen at 8:00 p.m. while your kid eats microwave mac & cheese off a frisbee and thought, “I am crushing this parenting thing,” congratulations… you’re delusional. But at least you’re in good company.

A new survey finds that the average parent feels like a “bad” parent three times a week. That’s 156 times a year where you genuinely question if letting your toddler watch six episodes of Paw Patrol in a row was character-building or just a cry for help.

And 45% of parents say this whole raising-humans gig is way more demanding than they expected.

Which is probably because nobody warned us that “sleep training” actually means “everyone cries and no one sleeps.”

On top of that, parents stumble into two situations a week they have absolutely no clue how to handle. Like, should you negotiate with a child who’s screaming because their banana broke in half? Or just light the kitchen on fire and start over?

Also, parents say they need a break from parenting twice a week.

That sounds reasonable… until you realize “a break” usually means hiding in the bathroom scrolling memes while someone shouts your name like you’re a customer service hotline.

But here’s the good news: Kids make their parents laugh 12 times a day. Which is beautiful, really. Between the existential dread and the juice-box explosions, these tiny chaos machines are apparently also hilarious. (Example: A four-year-old once called the cops on his mom for eating his ice cream. Case closed, Your Honor.)

All We Need from Dad Is: 👍

If you’ve ever gotten a silent nod, a half-smile, or the ever-reliable thumbs up from your dad, congratulations: you speak Dad. Or at least, you’re fluent in “Dad Speak,” the understated emotional language many fathers abide by.

A new poll dropped just after the emotional rollercoaster of Father’s Day, and it highlights just how much dads say without really saying anything.

According to the survey, more than a third of people say that a simple thumbs up from their dad is a solid sign of both love and support. No hugs, no tears… just one digit raised in solemn approval.

And honestly? That checks out.

Nearly half of respondents (49%) say their dad would probably describe himself as “not good at emotional stuff.” Unsurprisingly, women were more likely than men to hear “I love you” from their fathers. But the love is there… it’s just usually wrapped in acts of service or sarcastic jokes about thermostat settings.

That’s where “Dad Speak” comes in. It’s not about what he says… it’s what he does.

Here are the top 20 ways dads show their affection, according to the poll:

Showing up when you need him.
Buying you a meal (bonus points if it’s your favorite).
Teaching you a practical skill, whether it’s grilling or how to unclog a sink.
Fixing stuff around the house, with or without being asked.
Offering you a ride.
Lending you tools. (Or at least telling you where they used to be.)
Helping out with your kids or pets.
Helping you move. (Again.)
Making you a hot drink. (Or cracking open a cold one.)
Forwarding links he thinks you’ll find “useful.” Even if they aren’t.
Checking your tires or topping up your oil.
Giving you a thumbs up.
Cooking your favorite meal without fanfare.
Sorting out directions like a human GPS.
Giving you a thumbs up: The emoji version.
Mowing your lawn or tidying your yard while “just stopping by.”
Reminding you to bring a coat (even if it’s 65 and sunny).
Helping with your school work like he remembers algebra.
Packing snacks or sandwiches for a road trip.
Filling up your gas tank.

So next time Dad sends you a text that just says “ok” or forwards you an article about car maintenance “for no reason,” know this: he probably loves you a lot. He’s just saying it in his own language.

And if he adds a thumbs up emoji? That’s basically a sonnet.