WASHINGTON (TNND) — A recent survey by Common Sense Media reveals that nearly one-third of parents with children aged 0-8 report their kids have used artificial intelligence for school-related learning.
The survey, conducted in August, involved over 1,500 parents and highlights the growing presence of AI in early childhood education.
While 75% to 80% of parents express concerns about the impact of screen media, three-quarters acknowledge the potential benefits of AI for learning and connection. Despite these concerns, 61% of parents said their children’s use of AI had no impact on their critical thinking skills.
“This tension—balancing technology’s risks with its benefits—defines the modern parenting experience. Parents of young children face the dual challenge of navigating screen media use and preserving fundamental childhood experiences like daily reading, which has declined from 64% to 52% among 5- to 8-year-olds since 2017, even as overall screen time remains steady,” James P. Steyer, Common Sense Media’s Founder and CEO noted. “The report highlights the convergence of early childhood and technology. Screen time is no longer just a mainstay of children’s entertainment and education—it’s now an integral part of daily activities for many families. We found that 1 in 5 families now use mobile devices to help manage their child’s bedtime routines, mealtimes, and emotional regulation.”
The survey further indicates that 39% of parents of children aged 5-8 reported their kids use AI to learn about school-related material, 33% for learning critical thinking skills, and 24% for creating creative content, such as writing short stories or making art.
Children are acquiring screens at a younger age. By age 2, 4 in 10 children have their own tablet (40%). By age 4, more than half (58%) of children have their own tablet. By age 8, nearly 1 in 4 children have their own cellphone. Overall, 51% of children age 8 and younger have their own mobile device (such as a tablet or cellphone).
Our report aims to help you understand these shifts and navigate them thoughtfully. How we respond to these changes today will shape not just our children’s relationship with technology, but their development, learning, and well-being for years to come.
The American Academy of Pediatrics warns of potential dangers, including AI-generated content advancing stereotypes and falsehoods, data collection without children’s knowledge, and the use of AI for bullying and fraud.
Despite these risks, the report also highlights the benefits of AI as a valuable tool for learning, fostering creativity, and engaging children in new ways. Experts emphasize the importance of parents discussing safe AI usage with their children to ensure a balanced approach.
Former world champion boxers Ebanie Bridges and Kell Brook have announced the birth of their baby boy, Ezerra Ray Brook.
The pair shared the heartwarming news in an emotional post on Instagram, while also joking they may have recorded a first in the sport.
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Bridges announced she has given birth to a baby boy, Ezerra Ray BrookCredit: @ebanie_bridges on Instagram
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Brook rests his sleeping baby boy on his chestCredit: @ebanie_bridges on Instagram
“20.02.2025 our price arrived, Ezerra Ray Brook,” the caption read.
“We are so in love. Our little champ – first baby in boxing history to be born to two world champions. (No pressure though).”
In the post, Bridges shared a photo of her holding baby Ezerra in the hospital bed.
Ezerra is snapped wearing a blue outfit and an adorable white beanie which read, ‘born 2025’.
Also featured in the carousel of images is a shirtless Brook kissing the forehead of his baby boy.
The two are also pictured with beaming smiles as they hold up their newborn.
Bridges first revealed her pregnancy to the world when she showed off her baby bump at Misfits Boxing’s 18th X Series event in Newcastle last September.
The Australian had ventured up north to support her close friend Elle Brooke headline the card.
Now that she has given birth, time will tell whether the 38-year-old elects to resume her boxing career.
Bridges has not fought since she lost her IBF female bantamweight title to Miyo Yoshida in December 2023.
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The pair are all smiles as they show off their baby boyCredit: @ebanie_bridges on Instagram
The Australian first claimed the title when she out-pointed Maria Cecilia Roman in March 2022 and defended her crown later that year in an all-Aussie battle against Shannon O’Connell.
Bridges dominated her rival and earned an eight-round stoppage in Leeds.
As for Brook, he hung up the gloves in February 2022 after a stoppage victory over Amir Khan.
Khloé Kardashian recently opened up about how her ex-husband Lamar Odom became the head of the Kardashian household after her father’s death. Kardashian first met Odom in 2009, six years after her father, Robert Kardashian Sr., died in 2003. In The KardashiansSeason 6, Episode 5, Kardashian reflected on her marriage to Odom in a confessional. The duo officially divorced in 2016, about half a year after Odom suffered from an overdose and was found unresponsive in a Nevada brothel.
After this overdose landed Odom in a coma, Kardashian was there to help him recover. However, their relationship didn’t last much longer after this harrowing event — and Kardashian has long been vocal about how difficult leaving Odom was. Now nearly a decade after their split, the Good American mogul has shed insight into how her divorce from Odom impacted both herself and her entire family:
“Because our Dad died so young, Lamar was the first man that ever came in our lives that was like, the head of the household. For all of us. Lamar was everyone’s protector. Everyone — even if someone was older — looked up to Lamar… It made me sad because the demise of Lamar hurt and affected every single one of my family. We still love him and cherish him, but that man is just not there.”
Khloé Kardashian and Lamar Odom Recently Reunited on ‘The Kardashians’
In The Kardashians Season 6 premiere episode, Kardashian reunited with her ex-husband Odom. Neither had seen each other since Kardashian left him in 2016, but thankfully, the two of them were able to heartwarmingly reunite on Khloe in Wonderland’s host’s 40th birthday. Khloé Kardashian has been transparent about wanting to try to shed some of her past trauma and baggage in this milestone year. And that’s exactly why she met up with Odom at her friend Malika Haqq’s house. The Good American owner even gave him back a trunk of his belongings that she had kept over the past nine years.
Unfortunately, Kardashians are no stranger to scandals and relationships ending terribly, as more recent episodes of The Kardashians have shed light on Khloé Kardashian’s another relationship dynamic with her ex Tristan Thompson, who she shares two children with. Their relationship ended back in 2021 after multiple cheating scandals, New episodes of The Kardashians air on Hulu on Thursdays at 12 a.m. ET. All previous episodes and seasons of the reality TV show can be streamed on the same platform.
Meghan Sussex (formerly, Meghan Markle) is embarking on a new chapter in her life. With her husband, Prince Harry, and their two children, Archie and Lilibet, by her side, Meghan is – in her own words – “not in the pursuit of perfection, in the pursuit of joy!” As her new Netflix show ‘With Love, Meghan’ premiered earlier this week, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex made it a point to establish her newfound motto in life – feeding, hosting and entertaining people and finding happiness in doing so. She also harped on another statement quite a few times, especially while garnishing softbread cookies with floral sprinkles – love is in the details. Indeed, it is; as the ‘Suits’ alum quietly honored her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, with something very subtle but quite detailed!
Love is in the details!
Meghan has always been known for her sartorial choice – for being a fashionista, yet never giving up her classic sense of styling. Marrying into the British Royal Family has only elevated that. The Duchess of Sussex has also been seen wearing jewellery that is not only meaningful but also deeply intertwined with Prince Harry’s late mother and her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana. On her show, ‘With Love, Meghan’, Meghan was seen sporting a gold necklace around her neck. As per Tatler, the piece is the Queen Water Drop Moonstone Necklace with Sprinkled Diamonds by Logan Hollowell, described as bringing “good fortune” and “success in love as well as business matters.” It also offers “protection on land and at sea.” But then, the kicker: the moonstone is described as being “associated with the moon, and was the stone of the goddess Diana.”
According to the description, “Moonstone is a very personal stone. It is a reflection of the person who owns it. It does not add or detract, only shows how it is. This is why the moonstone is said to perceive that which ‘is.’ Moonstone is an excellent stone to use in meditation to understand oneself. Placing it in the moonlight of a moon reaching its fullness, not a full or waning moon, can revitalize it. This is a particularly good gemstone for women.”
Past records:
Meghan has come to prefer understated jewellery and has become known for her signature delicate gold stacking pieces. Apart from the moonstone necklace, Meghan also flaunted Diana’s Cartier Tank watch, which she often wears.
Meghan has also worn a number of other pieces from Diana’s jewelry collection over the years, including the show-stopping aquamarine ring Meghan wore for her wedding reception with Prince Harry on May 19, 2018. Asprey made the jewel for Diana, Princess of Wales, in the 1990s, with the late royal wearing the piece for the first time during her 1996 tour of Australia. The Duchess went on to wear the ring for her wedding reception at Frogmore House in May 2018, as well as for a glittering dinner in Tonga, during her and Prince Harry’s tour later that year. At the time, Meghan Markle was in the early stages of pregnancy with her son, Archie, now three, who was born in May 2019.
Tuesdays are usually one of my busiest days of the week but also some of my most productive. Here’s a peek into my Tuesdays as a sophomore parent ally, double majoring in political science and environmental science.
6:45 AM – Good Morning!
Over the past year, I’ve slowly but surely become more of a morning person, so I’m usually up pretty early! I roll out of bed, make breakfast, and sit down with my coffee. Then, I get ready for my day and make sure my backpack is packed with everything I’ll need.
8:15 AM – Walking to Class
Tuesdays are the only day I have an 8:30 class, so I’m out the door pretty early. Around 8:15, I head out to walk to my SSC 201 Lab – Soil Science. This is my natural science elective for my environmental science major, and it’s turned out to be one of my favorites!
11:00 AM – Lunch Time
One of my favorite times of the day! I usually pack a lunch and find a friend to sit and eat with, as it’s a bit tough to get back to my apartment between classes. Some days, I treat myself and head over to D.H. Hill Library to grab a coffee as well!
11:45 AM – Second Class of the Day
Time for CH 220 – Organic Chemistry. It’s not one of my most fun classes of the semester, but it’s definitely the one I’ve learned the most in so far, and it’s been very rewarding!
1:30 PM – Last Class of the Day
My last class of the day, and one of my favorites, is PS 310 – Public Policy. As a new double major in political science and environmental science, learning about policy issues and what they entail has quickly become one of my favorite things to do.
3:30 PM – Volunteering at RMC
I’m a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority, and our philanthropy is the Ronald McDonald House. Throughout the semester, groups of us volunteer to help make meals. It’s such a rewarding experience and a great way to hang out with my sorority sisters while serving the Raleigh community.
6:30 PM – Dinner Time
After a long day of classes and activities, I’m always ready for dinner! Since moving into an apartment this year and having my own kitchen, I’ve loved learning about meal prepping and trying out different recipes. Dinner is something I really look forward to every day!
7:30 PM – Homework Time/Run
I usually block out a chunk of time in the evenings to do my homework for the week and to make sure I’ve got the next day planned out. If it’s a night when I don’t have a ton of homework, I’ll usually head over to Carmichael Gym to get a quick run in!
10:00 PM – Wrapping Up the Day
Around 10:00 PM, I start to wrap up my day by shutting down my laptop and getting ready for bed. Usually, you’ll find my roommates and I in our living room watching a show or movie together at this time. We’ve recently started rewatching all of our favorite childhood movies!
11:00 PM – Bedtime
I try my best to get to bed around 11:00 PM every night, but it depends on my school and activity schedule. My non-negotiable at this time is my nightly hot tea!
I hope you enjoyed getting a little glimpse into the day in the life of a Parent Ally! Goodnight and Go Pack!
The Criterion Challenge is an annual film challenge with 52 weekly categories that the participant must fulfill by watching films within the Criterion Collection. Last week’s challenge was to watch a film that would be added to Criterion’s physical collection in 2025. The challenge for this week (week nine) is the 1930s.
Out of the 1700+ films making up the collection, 125 match the criteria of being made in the 1930s, spanning the full decade: 1930 to 1939. I was surprised that I had both heard of and had already seen a handful of films from this subset. My watches from that century include a French film, The Blood of a Poet (1930), and an American film, The Emperor Jones (1933). The 1930s marked the transition from silent films and slapstick comedy to action-packed classics that tend to be a little more digestible for modern-day viewers.
For week nine, I watched the film Bringing Up Baby (1938). I chose this because the movie’s name sounded familiar to me, which is understandable given that it is considered a classic by many. I also chose this because it is credited as including one of the earliest examples of a “manic pixie dream girl,” a character trope I will describe shortly.
This film features Professor David Huxley (Cary Grant), a paleontologist who had an unfortunate run-in with a young, rich woman, Susan Vance (Katharine Hepburn). The professor is an aloof workaholic, willing to brush off his fiancée in favor of the completion of his museum exhibit. Susan is aloof in a completely different way, meaning she is definitely not a woman grounded in a logical reality. During the morning of the professor’s wedding, Susan tells him she needs his help to transport a live leopard (yes, a live leopard) to Connecticut. From there, their journey only continues its spiral towards madness.
Susan is one of the most infuriating, agitating characters I have ever laid eyes on. She goes to ridiculous lengths to derail the professor’s day (his wedding day, mind you), including stealing his clothing while he showers and inadvertently getting him arrested. Susan is impossible to have a rational conversation with, seeming to be the kind of girl who’s never heard the word “no.” She absolutely fits the bill of a “manic pixie dream girl,” who is often described as a mostly one-dimensional, beautiful young woman with bizarre personality traits and abnormal behavior. These types of characters are often not the main character; instead, they serve as the love interest for a male main character.
Before watching the film, I knew the leopard on screen was not a puppet. Still, I was surprised to see a real live leopard when it came on screen. In my opinion, it is this leopard that steals the show; it appears so well-behaved that it makes you start to consider getting one as a pet yourself. In the plot, the leopard gets loose multiple times, causing the main characters to spend a great deal of time looking for him in rural Connecticut. The most surprising thing about this movie is the plot twist: there actually are two leopards, not one, roaming free in Connecticut on the same evening, and the characters end up catching the wrong one.
Seeing a real leopard on television was honestly refreshing after watching decades of movies full of computer-generated imagery (CGI) slop (next time I watch a film featuring or starring a CGI animal, I will be thinking of you, Baby from Bringing Up Baby (1938)). Overall, I give this movie four out of five stars, with one star short because of how agitating Miss Vance was. Professor Huxley should probably go into witness protection or something so she cannot track him down anymore.
Priyanka Chahar Choudhary, known to be a prominent name in the entertainment industry, became a household name after her stint in Bigg Boss 16. The actress recently appeared on Pinkvilla’s Behind the Success show and spoke about her journey in the entertainment industry. While talking to us, the actress remembered the time when her father’s health deteriorated while they were on a vacation.
While exclusively talking to Pinkvilla, Priyanka Chahar Choudhary recalled the difficult phase when her father suffered a heart attack during a vacation in Nashik. After showing a picture with her parents, Priyanka reminisced about her fond memories of spending a vacation with her parents, who visited the resort for the first time. Priyanka mentioned how her father is not allowed to eat a few things, but despite that, he had a few things on their vacation as it was his first outing.
Watch Priyanka Chahar Choudhary’s exclusive interview with Pinkvilla here-
Priyanka recalled how suddenly her father’s health deteriorated, and as she was busy shooting a campaign there, she was not aware of her father’s condition. The Udaariyaan actor remembered how her father didn’t wish to tell her about his poor health condition as she was busy with work. She disclosed, “My brother took him to the hospital. I was shooting. When I returned, I was looking for my dad.”
She then said how her mother informed her that her father had suffered a mini heart attack. The actress recalled how she was in rush till midnight. Priyanka expressed her sorrow, saying how she doesn’t like it when parents don’t share things. Sharing her father’s health update, Priyanka mentioned that he is doing well and now follows a strict diet.
On the professional front, Priyanka Chahar Choudhary has been a part of several fictional and non-fictional shows, such as Udaariyaan, Bigg Boss 16 and more. Udaariyaan starred Priyanka Chahar Choudhary, Ankit Gupta, and Isha Malviya in lead roles. It was her journey on Bigg Boss 16 which made her a household name.
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I’ve had a terrible run in with my mother-in-law and don’t know what to do about it.
I’m married to her only son, whom she dotes on. We had reached a point where we got on, but our relationship has always been strained. I feel as though whoever married her son would never be good enough.
Having grown up in eastern Europe, she came to the UK in the 1980s having met and married my father-in-law in her home country. She has been deeply unhappy here and in her marriage. She seems to hate anything “British” or representing British culture and so I feel I have become a representative of that.
She has recently started watching right-wing news and has a deep mistrust of any mainstream media.
She regularly sends out petitions for her family members to sign. My husband and her daughters ignore these. Friends of hers who have engaged or pushed back end up in huge arguments with her. She is totally unreasonable and always turns it round so that she is the “victim”. I feel quite passionate about politics and feel she should be pulled up on her opinions and that ignoring them almost reinforces her as being correct.
I recently replied to a particularly incendiary petition she sent me with “I’m sorry, I can’t sign this”, and I questioned the facts. She then replied to me by accident, thinking she was sending her text to someone else, where she pitied my husband for living with me. I replied to her saying I think she had meant it for someone else, she ignored that.
I am so upset about. My husband has spoken to her but she manipulates him and ended up telling him how lonely she is and lied about the message. My husband has grown up with this manipulation and I feel angry that he doesn’t show anger or upset that his mum would say this about me.
I would like her to apologise to me.
I feel for you. Having family members with extreme and misinformed political views is upsetting and exhausting. But you have chronicled yourself how entrenched your mother-in-law is. So I fear we must be realistic.
I went to Association for Family Therapy and Systemic Practice-accredited psychotherapist, Hannah Sherbersky, who said: “This sounds like a very difficult situation. Your mother-in-law sounds terribly unhappy, and her situation in terms of her suspicion and beliefs may be escalating. In some ways, however, this is not the problem.”
Whenever we talk about problems with in-laws (and Sherbersky and I did a whole podcast on it which you can listen to here) the most important thing is for the couple to establish a united front. If this can happen – and unfortunately it so often doesn’t – then at least you have this united bond.
Sherbersky said: “I would want to encourage you to get your husband to see that the stakes are high in terms of potential family estrangement, and that the kindest thing he could for both of you is to get a few issues really clear.
“I would clearly communicate to your mother-in-law,” she added, “that you and your husband’s values are not the same as hers; that you do love her, and do want her to be part of the family, but you cannot support and agree with her values. For that reason, you will not be involved in any future conversations about it. And your husband needs to stick to that and protect you, his wife. I would encourage him to give his mother lots of love and support – but be really firm and clear with her too.”
We know this sounds easy to say but hard to put into practice but it’s key. Could you get the sisters on board too?
What you then have to try to do is to not engage in any conversation or message about it. I know you feel a moral responsibility but I don’t think you will ever change her mind: just entrench her further. It will be hard at first to switch off but easier in time and with practice. Wanting an apology, at least a heartfelt one, is ambitious. You’re giving your mother-in-law a lot of power, but in some ways you need to unplug from her.
Every week, Annalisa Barbieri addresses a personal problem sent in by a reader. If you would like advice from Annalisa, please send your problem to ask.annalisa@theguardian.com. Annalisa regrets she cannot enter into personal correspondence. Submissions are subject to our terms and conditions.
Comments on this piece are premoderated to ensure the discussion remains on the topics raised by the article. Please be aware that there may be a short delay in comments appearing on the site.
I was a single parent to an eight-year-old, balancing parenting and part-time work with completing a master’s degree in 2020. My son and I lived in a converted Queenslander, and despite its somewhat faded charm and convenient location, the flat had no living room, back yard, ceiling fans or air-conditioning.
We got by with limited space until lockdowns meant I spent almost all of my time at the kitchen table – working, completing uni assignments, trying to homeschool a very active child, writing, eating and socialising via Zoom. By the middle of the year I was dreaming of an alternative home with more space, even though I didn’t think I could afford it.
In the same year I moved in with a friend, Jen. Although Jen and I had never lived together, we had known each other since high school, and we knew each other’s families. I was friends with her partner and most importantly, I trusted her with my child.
Our combined income meant we could afford a three-bedroom house with air-con and a huge back yard – big enough for a trampoline, a Hills Hoist, a veggie patch and an out-of-control passionfruit vine. For the first time in my son’s life he had space for hide and seek and back yard birthday parties. My outgoings were also drastically reduced; Jen and I opened a joint bank account and shared bills, groceries, petrol and household necessities.
My experience is mirrored in many ways by Lenine Bourke, a renter from Brisbane who co-parents her 12-year-old with her ex-partner and solo parents her six-year-old. Bourke has lived in many iterations of shared housing since becoming a parent.
“When my eldest was little, my partner and I lived with my best mate in Sydney so we could afford a beachside unit. And then when I became a single parent I rented a house in Brisbane and often had other people living in my spare room – friends, nannies, even my mum for a while,” she says.
Lenine Bourke (front) and her kids live upstairs, while Coonan (back) lives downstairs with his children. Photograph: Jamila Filippone/The Guardian
Bourke says shared living is a “game-changer” for single parents like herself. “I work 20 hours a week in the not-for-profit sector and I’m a full-time carer for one of my kids who has complex disabilities. Being able to reduce my overheads is the only way I can survive.”
Housing and financial hardship are two of the biggest concerns facing single parents in Australia, says Jenny Davidson, CEO of the Council of Single Mothers and their Children (CSMC). “Housing has been in our top issues for over a decade,” she says. “Yet despite that long history, it’s worse than ever, and it’s probably going to get worse before it gets better.”
Single parents are disproportionately affected by what Davidson describes as the “double whammy” of affordability and availability, saying “we frequently hear from single mothers who have applied for 40, 60, 100 rental properties”. Even when single parents can afford to live alone, they’re often not considered suitable renters. “It’s really hard for a single-parent family to get on that shortlist taken to the owners.”
In CSMC’s 2022 national survey of single mothers, respondents were found to experience homelessness or marginalised housing at over three times the national average. Shared living arrangements are a lifeline for people like Bourke, who is now in a more formalised version of shared living, in a dual-occupancy house owned by her friend Coonan.
“Coonan and I have known each other for a long time, and I knew he was looking for a long-term tenant. My rent kept going up but the house I was living in was falling apart and no maintenance was ever done, so I approached Coonan.”
Bourke and her kids moved in upstairs, while Coonan lives downstairs with his three kids aged six, four and two. “Having a landlord can always be tricky, but having one that cares about me and my family with a three-year lease is amazing,” says Bourke.
Davidson has seen the desire for co-living grow as a response to the cost-of-living crisis, with CSMC recently including a guide to shared housing on their website. CSMC also runs a closed Facebook group for single mothers looking for co-living solutions to the housing crisis, which Davidson says has “grown exponentially” to almost 3,000 members.
Aside from housing security, I’ve experienced other unexpected benefits to co-living. Jen had a geriatric cat, Pancakes, who became a much-loved member of our family. We were also able to pool resources – we set up a monthly savings goal and used the money to take holidays together. When I had to work late or attend an evening lecture, Jen looked after my son and prepared dinner. My mental load lightened significantly, and as a household we had the capacity to host regular dinners for other families, sending them home with plastic containers filled with leftovers.
This sense of community and solidarity is one of the biggest benefits to shared living. It’s a way to combat what Davidson calls the “critical and ongoing” social isolation that single parents often face. Elle Sitek, a counsellor who runs an online resource for single mums called Beanstalk, says single parents “still seem to be very much struggling alone”.
“From a mental health perspective, shared housing is a wonderful solution,” says Sitek.
Co-living enabled Brooke’s son to have space for hide and seek and back yard birthday parties
Bourke agrees: “When I come home after a rough day with the kids I can pop downstairs for a cuppa and a debrief with another queer single parent who understands my lived experiences.”
Of course, it’s not all utopian living and rainbows. Davidson encourages parents to treat co-living on a case-by-case basis. “Think carefully before you move in with somebody, and try to come up with a list of critical things that you need to try to compare and contrast.” For Bourke, this meant having honest conversations about expectations and boundaries, as well as discussing the practicalities of co-living – “things like noise, sleep routines, car parks, yard access, rubbish removal, visitors, dating, and even sharing a washing machine”. With a laugh, Bourke adds: “Sometimes I need to make a run down to the shared washing machine draped in a sarong, but I prepared Coonan for that.”
Single parents may have to compromise space and privacy depending on the types of dwellings available for co-living, says Davidson. Dual living properties are a popular option, but they can be hard to find.
“Because we live in two separate dwellings on the same property, when the kids are dysregulated we can go to our own space to regroup, whereas I’ve had friends who shared one big house which involved a lot more negotiating when it came to parenting styles and the needs of the kids,” says Bourke.
This was echoed by other parents I’ve spoken with. Co-living arrangements seem to work best when participants already have long and established friendships, as do households where children are of similar ages, or where families have their own space for retreat.
My co-living arrangement came to an end last year when Jen had a baby and moved in with her partner. I put off moving out of our house for over a year as I searched – without luck – for a suitable housemate. I’m about to make my fourth move since becoming a single parent eight years ago. In that time, rent in my pocket of Brisbane has risen astronomically – a two-bedroom flat now costs more than a three-bedroom house did in 2020. This puts me, along with many others, into what is classed as rental stress.
Housing touches on many of the issues facing single parents, and co-living is often a choice made in response to these hardships. Davidson and Sitek believe that co-living is a viable option for single parents, with Sitek praising its combination of “financial, practical and emotional benefits”.
When it works, shared living can reshape our understanding of what it means to be a family, and to have a home. Bourke agrees, saying “out of crisis often comes resilience”.
“The co-housing model, whether it’s for financial, environmental, cultural or kinship reasons, can be a new way of living. Many of us are surviving under extreme circumstances, but we are finding interesting ways to make it work as best as possible.”
With age comes wisdom, or at least we hope it does. As we get older, we collect life lessons that we can pass along to younger generations, sometimes with lengthy stories, sometimes with quippy sayings.
Adages like “A penny saved is a penny earned,” or “Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise,” have been part of our collective treasure chest of life advice for generations, but the aphorisms that spring from the experience of our loved ones and mentors are often the most meaningful.
Someone shared that they’d read and appreciated this old man’s advice: “My grandpa once told me ‘if you get on the wrong train, get off at the nearest station, the longer it takes you to get off, the more expensive the return trip will be.’ He wasn’t talking about trains.” The person asked for more tidbits of wisdom from old folks and people started sharing sayings they heard from their elders growing up.
Here are some of the best “old man advice” sayings and how they can be applied in a person’s life.
“You might miss what’s ahead of you if you keep concentrating on what’s in the rear view mirror.”
Another commenter put it another way: “Don’t look behind you, you aren’t going that way.” This adage is about not dwelling on the past. Many of us have a tendency to spend more time mentally in the past, rehashing old memories or being nostalgic for what once was, than we do in the present or looking forward to the future. There’s nothing wrong with a little reflection, but if most of our focus is in the past, we miss out on the present. Rear view mirrors are for quick glances, not where our focus should be.
“Do the right thing, even if nobody is watching.”
This saying is about good character and true integrity. If you notice someone drop a $20 bill and no one is around to see but you, do you give it back to them or do you pick it up and keep it? If you realize that a store didn’t charge you for an item, do you point it out and make it right or do you allow the mistake to remain? There are opportunities each day for us to choose between right and wrong, and those choices really speak to who we are if they are made without anyone else knowing.
“Be nice to everybody you meet on the way up the ladder. You’ll see the same faces on the way down “
Don’t get cocky and don’t burn bridges you think you won’t need to return to. There’s value in being kind for its own sake, but there’s also the reality that being kind also makes people like you. When people like you, they’re more likely to lend you a helping hand, and you never know when you’re going to be in a position to need one. It’s also a good reminder that you’re not inherently better than anyone else just because of where you are in life. We’re all constantly in flux, so it’s important to stay humble and kind.
In other words, “Make all your words sweet because tomorrow you may have to eat them.”
“One of the most powerful negotiating tools is silence.”
The power of silence in general is often underrated, but it can be an especially useful tool in a negotiation. Some people are so uncomfortable with silence that they will make concessions simply to avoid it. And sometimes the best response to an unreasonable demand is to just say nothing and stare, letting the other party come to the realization themselves. It takes calm confidence to simply be quiet and let the silence fill the room, which can feel surprisingly intimidating.
“Always listen to your gut, even if you can’t explain it.”
Ah, the strange and mysterious sense of intuition that we can’t really describe but know when we feel it. Whether it’s getting a creepy vibe about a person or a little voice telling you to do or not do something, those “gut instincts” can serve us well. Of course, if we are prone to anxiety, our instincts can sometimes be confused with anxious thoughts, but “go with your gut” is solid advice anyway.
“It doesn’t matter what path you’re on if it’s the wrong mountain.”
Sometimes people trying to find their way end up hitting roadblock after roadblock, which may mean they just haven’t found the right path yet or might mean they need an entire overhaul of their life. That might look like switching career paths entirely, rather than trying to find a job in your field that fits. It might mean changing majors in the middle of your studies when you find yourself not enjoying any of your classes. It might mean finding a new community or reevaluating your relationships.
“The harder I work, the luckier I get.”
Several sayings line up with this one, like “Luck is the intersection of preparation and opportunity,” and “Luck favors the prepared mind.” There’s a lot to be said for fortune and hard work going hand in hand. If we expect good things to just land in our lap, we will likely be disappointed, but if we move in the direction of things we want to happen and do the work of preparing for good things to come our way, “luck” frequently seems to follow.
Finding a saying that resonates can be really helpful when we’re facing a specific challenge in life, especially when we commit it to memory and repeat it often.
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