In the fall of 2023, young mother Sage Pasch’s unique family situation attracted a ton of online attention after the 20-something shared a six-second video on TikTok. The video has now been viewed over 48 million times and rests pinned at the top of Pasch’s page because it shows how hard it can be for young moms to be taken seriously.
In the video, the young-looking Pasch (young-looking because she is indeed in her early twenties) took her teenaged son Nick to the ER after he injured his leg at school. But when the family got to the hospital, the doctor couldn’t believe Pasch was his mother. “POV, we’re at the ER, and the doctor didn’t believe I was the parent,” she captioned the post.
Pasch and her fiancé, Luke Faircloth, adopted the teen in 2022 after his parents tragically died two years apart. “Nick was already spending so much time with us, so it made sense that we would continue raising him,” Pasch told Today.
At the time the video was posted, the couple had Nick and 17-month-old baby Laith, who they lovingly call Bub.
After experiencing the ER doctor’s confusion, Pasch said that people are often taken aback by her family when they are out in public. “Everybody gets a little confused because my fiancé and I are definitely younger to have a teenager,” she said. “It can be very frustrating.”
It may be hard for the young parents to be taken seriously, but their story has made a lot of people in a similar situation feel seen.
“Omg, I feel this. I took my son to the ER, and they asked for the guardian. Yes, hi, that’s me,” one mom wrote in the comments.
“Meee with my teenager at a parent-teacher conference. They think I’m her older sister and say we need to talk with your parents,” another added.
Though the confusion is frustrating, it’s not slowing Pasch and her family down. In a recent post, Pasch shared that she and her family had welcomed a fourth baby and were taking their followers on a trip to shop for the nursery.
After a couple seconds, Pasch admits the new baby they’re shopping for is actually their new hamster named Mousey. Judging by some of Pasch’s other videos, though, they’re trying for a fourth human baby and Pasch is hoping for a girl!
Grandparents—grandmothers, in particular—often earn a bad reputation for using the arrival of a baby to shift the spotlight towards themselves, rather than becoming a support system for the new parents. Insisting on cutesy nicknames like “glamma” comes to mind as an example (that’s not to say that grandmas can’t elect to have alternative nicknames; it’s more so the lack of collaboration that’s sometimes involved).
And growing more popular over the past few years is the “grandma shower” trend, which is essentially a baby shower, complete with all the usual fanfare, such as games, gifts, registries, and the like. However, this time, the celebrations are geared towards welcoming a first-time grandma into her new role.
With the aforementioned factors in mind, it’s probably no wonder that critics have called grandma showers “tacky” and attention-seeking. One person even took to X to call it “peak boomer entitlement.” As far back as 2010, etiquette expert Judith Martin referred to it as a shallow gift grab.
just learned about “grandma showers.” her daughter/daughter-in-law gets pregnant… but they throw grandma a party, just for HER! gifts and everything. peak boomer entitlement — mary morgan (@maryarchived) July 11, 2025
Perhaps, if we allow for nuance, we can see that there may be some circumstances where grandma showers are appropriate.
As popular grandparent advice site More Than Grand explains, having a group of coworkers celebrate a grandma shower during their lunch break, for instance, is virtually harmless, as are any other kind of low-key shindigs, since they don’t actually take anything away from the parents.
Additionally, gifts could be a viable option if grandma is doing most of the caretaking and can’t afford to get these things herself. At least then, it’s the village’s needs that are being supported. Shared grandparent wisdom or grandparenting books could even be a good grandparent-specific gift that doesn’t necessarily cross a line.
-Wait to schedule the grandma shower for AFTER the actual baby shower, and obviously don’t schedule it for a competing time
-Don’t double-dip on the invite list
-If creating a registry, simply share the parent’s. Don’t create a separate one.
It should go without saying, but a lot of these common icks that come as a result of grandma showers could be avoided by simply consulting the mom-to-be on what she’s comfortable with, More Than Grand argues. Much of the conflict in this area stems from not giving parents the respect they deserve as the ultimate authority on what’s best for their child.
Of course, becoming a grandparent is a wonderful moment that is genuinely worthy of celebration. However, as is evident by the overwhelming number of absentee grandparents out there, it is not nearly as involuntarily life-changing as becoming a parent. And that seems to be the major thing that ruffles feathers. Keep this in mind, and having a slice of cake that says “congrats GMA!” shouldn’t be an issue.
Do you remember chatting with your friends on a three-way call, wrapping the phone cord around your finger while you got the scoop on what happened during 4th-period lunch? If not, then you were probably born after cellphones became the norm. But for older people, a time was had back then—and now, today’s kids might get to experience that nostalgic telephone experience, too.
More parents are starting to install landline phones for their kids instead of getting them cellphones. Older generations often complain that Gen Z seems to lack social skills, but they’re the first generation to grow up without house phones. It turns out that all those hours spent chatting on the landline may have been a key factor in developing effective communication skills.
However, for parents now, the development of communication skills is a welcome, unexpected side effect of trying to keep their kids off smartphones for a little longer. In 2025, it may seem imperative that a child have a cellphone so they can stay in touch with their family members. Latchkey kids may be seen as a thing of the past, but they still exist when kids age out of after-school care. That means parents who are concerned about safety may turn to cellphones a little earlier than they’d like to make sure their kids make it into the house after getting off the bus.
A cellphone may help a child communicate that they’ve made it home, but it doesn’t protect them from the dangers of having unfettered access to the Internet and social media. This is why some parents are turning to landlines again, and they’re pleasantly surprised by the results.
“My husband and I decided to kind of pause the screen path that so many people were on, but we pivoted and surprised her with a landline,” Caron Morse tells The Today Show.
The mom was able to convince a few other parents to join in, watching the circle of landlines grow for her daughter. However, having a constantly busy phone wasn’t the sweet side effect—it was the increased communication skills. “It sounds so weird to say that bringing a landline into the house was my smartest parenting choice, but in my heart I really feel like this was an important pivot,” the mom says.
Paul Zalewski, co-founder of Fathercraft, shares with Parents Magazine that he installed a cordless landline complete with an answering machine for his kids. He tells the magazine that the shift was deliberate so his kids can practice real conversations, adding, “Their overall communication has become more intentional. Since the landline is voice only, they think before they speak. [The phone] has played a crucial role in building confidence and competence. The older one, in particular, has taken on small adult-like tasks, such as calling to confirm logistics or leaving an important message. We see that responsibility translates into other areas of independence.”
It was even great for their listening skills. The same thing goes for parents who have ditched full-time cell phone use to have a landline in the house. Patty Schepel writes for The Every Mom about her unexpected positive outcome when she switched to using a landline for a week after realizing her child was competing with her phone for attention.
She explains, “My goal was to get rid of my phone-separation anxiety, and I wanted to be more present with my kids. However, I was floored by all the additional benefits that came out of this experience.” She lists, “I sat with my thoughts. I was in a better mood. I felt more present with my kids. I noticed fewer behavioral issues with my son. I was more productive. I called my friends and had more meaningful conversations.” Schepel says the experiment made her realize that she didn’t actually need to be connected all the time or jump onto the emotional rollercoaster that is social media.
Giving a child a smartphone is a huge decision, especially if it’s not a restricted phone like the Bark or Gabb phones that allow complete parental control. However, even with phones like that, introducing the phone can create a habit that some parents may not be ready to contend with. Childhood digital safety expert for Bark Technologies, Titania Jordan, tells Parents Magazine, “Slow, intentional access protects kids from the dangers and stress of life online. I’ve never met a parent who wished they’d handed over tech earlier—only ones who wish they’d waited longer. This landline trend is just one sign of a larger move toward slower, lower-tech childhoods.”
Taking a kid to soccer practice is a good time for many of us to catch up on our Instagram feeds, read a good book, or sit in the car, where it’s warm, and watch from the parking lot. Sure, it’s great to see your kid run around and be active, but it’s a lot more fun to see them play in a game where something is at stake instead of running drills or playing Sharks and Minnows.
For those who get a little bored at their kid’s practices, you will want to listen to the words of the great Abby Wambach: Don’t go.
Wambach is a retired soccer player, coach, and member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame, who was a regular in the U.S. women’s national soccer team from 2003 to 2015. In 2012, she was named the FIFA World Player of the Year. She shared her thoughts on a recent episode of her Welcome to the Party podcast with co-host Rebecca Lowe from NBC’s Premier League coverage.
The conversation began when Lowe admitted that she doesn’t get to attend all of her child’s games due to her job. “I go to the practices because I don’t get to go to as many games as I would like. I probably go to one every four because I’m at work on the weekends,” Lowe said.
Should parents attend their child’s sports practice?
“Just think about this. What is the purpose of practice? It’s not for the kid to look over their shoulder and make sure that their mom, dad, or parent is sitting on the sideline watching them. Practice is for free play for them,” Wambach responded. “That there is nothing that’s going to encumber them from trying something new…taking a risk, making a mistake, trying something, being successful. Because what we’re then doing is, we’re externalizing all of our motivation.”
Wambach goes on to say that if a child is giving their all on the practice field to make their parents happy, it makes it more difficult for them to develop a more critical skill, having the self-determination and motivation to play for themselves. “‘Cause we want our kids to be self-starters and internally motivated. So if you’re at practice, it outsources that motivation,” Wambach said.
Give kids space and they’ll grow
Let Grow, a movement dedicated to giving children greater independence, agrees with Wambach’s take on practice, suggesting that when children are allowed to practice without parents looking over their shoulders, they are more likely to develop a better relationship with their teammates and coaches. “Yet, by being there all the time, you’re not giving your child a chance to really grow and develop that relationship with their coach and teammates. They’re always watching you as you watch them,” the organization says. “It might seem innocent enough to watch every practice, but it can also give coaches a nice break to not have to deal with the hovering.”
So, next time your kid has to go to practice, consider giving them some space. By giving them room to take risks, make mistakes, and build stronger connections with their teammates and coach, you’re helping them grow both on and off the field. Sometimes, the best support parents can give their child is knowing when to leave them alone.
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