It’s not easy being a kid, especially when you’re getting older and trying to learn how to exist in the world, all while figuring out who you are. Especially when you’re 12 and everything is changing so fast. Especially when you have autism.

It’s helpful, often necessary, for young kids to have advocates at school. Especially those kids with extra challenges. Which is what makes it so heartbreaking when someone who should be an advocate turns out to be anything but.

That’s what happened to 11-year-old autistic fifth-grader Akalis Castejon. Akalis goes to Bailly Preparatory Academy in Gary, Indiana, and he made the news recently when, at the school’s end of the year award ceremony, his special education teacher gave him a trophy for “Most Annoying Male.”

That’s right. He was insulted and given a trophy, at the 5th-grade celebration at a local Golden Corral. Needless to say, his family was stunned, and the school has acted swiftly against the teacher.

“We acknowledge the potential impact that an experience like this could have on a child’s mental well-being, self-esteem and overall level of comfortability in a learning environment going forward,” Gary Community School Corp. emergency manager Peter Morikis said, in a statement.

Chicago Tribune columnist Rex Huppke was appalled by the story and reached out to the boy’s father. It seems Akalis didn’t understand he was being ridiculed and was excited to receive a trophy.

“I’m kind of glad that he didn’t understand,” Castejon told Huppke. And he expressed his concerns about his son’s future. “I’m not going to be around forever to take care of him,” Castejon said. “I want things to be better for him.”

Huppke took it upon himself to make amends for the community and made a special announcement in his column. Akalis is now the recipient of a special new award, a certificate that will be framed and sent to him, certifying that he is Rex Huppke’s “2019 Outstanding Person Award for his good cheer and for lifting up those around him.”

This time, Akalis will know what his award his for, and he’ll know that he deserves it.

“I’m currently battling terminal brain cancer and I’m not backing down. Despite my diagnosis I decided to attempt an Ironman triathlon and dedicate my race to my daughter.

A month after my second brain surgery I started radiation and chemotherapy… and I started training for Ironman.

My first radiation treatment left me feeling nauseous and fatigued but I made a promise to myself, so I pushed through the uncomfortable feelings and went to the gym and ran a mile on the treadmill. Each day I went in for radiation and chemo treatments I also went for a run.

After 5 weeks of treatment I worked myself up to running 20 miles a day. My radiation treatment was over, but my chemotherapy was stepping up a notch. So I stepped my training up.

I learned how to swim competitively and how to cycle efficiently. By the end of one year worth of chemotherapy I had trained my body to be able to attempt a full distance Ironman – 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of cycling, and 26.2 miles of running… all in under 17 hours if possible.

Training while undergoing cancer treatment was difficult. Pushing my body to race 140.6 miles was extra challenging due to the many side effects of chemotherapy. However, if my daughter was going to see me knocked down by brain cancer I wanted her to see me get up, find strength and press on.

I wasn’t sure if my body was going to be able to make it the full distance, but for my daughter’s sake I had to try.

When I crossed the finish line in under 14 hours, seeing her made everything worth it. I had nothing to prove, but I had an example I needed to set.

At the finish line I looked my daughter in the eyes and said, ‘If I can do it, you can do it. Dream big and never give up hope. Find strength and press on.'”

– Jay Hewitt

Want to share a story about fatherhood? Email [email protected]

On Tue, Dec 1, 2020 at 10:23 AM Mike Julianelle wrote:
“I’m currently battling terminal brain cancer and I’m not backing down. Despite my diagnosis I decided to attempt an Ironman triathlon and dedicate my race to my daughter.

A month after my second brain surgery I started radiation and chemotherapy… and I started training for Ironman.

My first radiation treatment left me feeling nauseous and fatigued but I made a promise to myself, so I pushed through the uncomfortable feelings and went to the gym and ran a mile on the treadmill. Each day I went in for radiation and chemo treatments I also went for a run.

After 5 weeks of treatment I worked myself up to running 20 miles a day. My radiation treatment was over, but my chemotherapy was stepping up a notch. So I stepped my training up. I learned how to swim competitively and how to cycle efficiently. By the end of one year worth of chemotherapy I had trained my body to be able to attempt a full distance Ironman – 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of cycling, and 26.2 miles of running… all in under 17 hours if possible.

Training while undergoing cancer treatment was difficult. Pushing my body to race 140.6 miles was extra challenging due to the many side effects of chemotherapy. However, if my daughter was going to see me knocked down by brain cancer I wanted her to see me get up, find strength and press on. I wasn’t sure if my body was going to be able to make it the full distance, but for my daughter’s sake I had to try.

When I crossed the finish line in under 14 hours, seeing her made everything worth it. I had nothing to prove, but I had an example I needed to set. At the finish line I looked my daughter in the eyes and said, ‘If I can do it, you can do it. Dream big and never give up hope. Find strength and press on.'”

– Jay Hewitt

Want to share a story about fatherhood? Email [email protected]

Finding ways to be there for your kids is a constantly-evolving challenge. As kids grow up, they may start communicating with you less and their friends more. Even finding time throughout the day to sit down and talk becomes more difficult as kids’ schedules fill up with extracurriculars and plans of their own, making an already challenging aspect of parenting even harder. One dad named Chris Yandle found a unique way to share life lessons, advice, and love with his daughter during a time when her brain was already primed for learning – he did it through notes, small nuggets of wisdom that he slipped into her lunch box when she went off to school every day.

Dr. Yandle wanted to support his daughter through an especially difficult year, as Addison’s transition to fourth grade meant she’d attended four different schools in five years.

“It wasn’t how we planned it, but as someone who moved around a lot as a kid, I knew this school year was going to be tough,” Dr. Yandle explained on his website. “Every morning, I wrote my daughter a note about life, school, or growing up, and I’d slip it in her bookbag or her lunch box to find later in the day.”

For over three years, Dr. Yandle has been sending his daughter to school with his “#DadLunchNotes,” a hashtag he coined when he started sharing his notes on social media. Though the notes are written for his daughter, the wisdom this loving dad shares is universal.

“These words of encouragement and life lessons are my way of connecting with my daughter and offering her the advice and anecdotes I wish I received at her age,” Dr. Chris Yandle told The Dad.

Inspiring and motivating kids to be the best versions of themselves is something all parents hope to accomplish, but finding the right method is difficult. Fortunately for Dr. Yandle, his extremely efficient method of delivering words of wisdom has become something Addison (and her teachers) look forward to every day.

“With each passing day, parenting in the digital age is getting more and more difficult,” Dr. Yandle explained. “As a dad to a pre-teen junior high girl, I thought you and other dads might be interested in a non-digital way to connect with their kids in our heavily connected world.”

The desire to share his unique method of communication led Dr. Yandle to post his Dad Lunch Notes on social media, and recently, he even compiled them into a book called Lucky Enough.

A parent friend told me: “I’d love it if you could mass produce #DadLunchNotes, as to have others (like myself in the morning – running like a chicken without a head) throw them in the lunch box every morning. Please say yes.”

I don’t know where to start. @Postit, whatcha say? pic.twitter.com/LKuwRZfO8y

— Chris Yandle, Ph.D. 😷 (@ChrisYandle) November 16, 2020

“One of the notes I wrote to Addison during her fourth-grade year was a quote from Taylor Swift: ‘If you’re lucky enough to have something that makes you different from everybody else, don’t ever change.’ When I read that quote, I knew I found the right title,” Dr. Yandle explained on his website.

For years to come, Addison will be Lucky Enough to have a stockpile of dad wisdom when she needs it most. And undoubtedly, this unique method of building a dad-daughter connection will be treasured by both forever.

I wrote this November 18, 2019.

It’s amazing how much I still feel the same even when I get small victories.

I’m still scratching and clawing to share what I do.

DEEP DOWN, if I’m able to help others then that’s more important than what’s in my bank account.#DadLunchNotes pic.twitter.com/7BuVPJakjI

— Chris Yandle, Ph.D. 😷 (@ChrisYandle) November 18, 2020

2020 hasn’t provided us with a lot of good news. It’s been a pretty consistent shit show. Movies we were anticipating got moved, concerts we would have loved to have gone to got canceled, restaurants and bars were completely closed for much of the year.

But we have had a few decent developments in the entertainment world, from cool castings to cool trailers to cool movies that landed on TVs before we expected them to. And now there’s news of a new album from an old favorite or two.

Dr. Dre’s latest LP won’t come out in 2020, but learning that it’s complete, and seems to feature his protege Eminem, counts as a win for this terrible year.

Detroit rapper Page Kennedy has the inside scoop, and he let it loose on Twitter, tweeting, “This Dr. Dre album sounding [fire emojis]” he wrote. “Hope y’all get to hear.”

This Dr. Dre album sounding 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥. Hope y’all get to hear 😈

— Page Kennedy (@PageKennedy) November 17, 2020

And then, when another person asked about Eminem’s next album, Kennedy dropped more news:

“Wait, also need to know when is Em dropping his…please,” a fan wrote, to which Kennedy replied: “Well he def on this one lol.”

Well he def on this one lol.

— Page Kennedy (@PageKennedy) November 17, 2020

No date yet on when Dre’s follow-up to 2015’s Compton will drop, but these hints from Kennedy bode well for fans of Dre, Eminem, and former presidential candidate Kanye West, who tweeted earlier this year that Eminem is actually featured on the album’s remix of one of his tracks was on the album.

“Eminem Thank you for rapping on the Dr. Dre remix of my daughter’s favorite song of mine USE THIS GOSPEL,” tweeted West.

Rap fans have something to be thankful for this holiday season. Hopefully, we get the actual album before Easter!

The pandemic has given us all a lot more free time.

When we were quarantined, we caught up on our favorite shows and binged new sensations like The Last Dance and Tiger King. But now it’s months later, and we’re just about out of TV to watch. And if you work in show business, odds are you don’t even have any work to do, as most productions have been shut down. One person that’s kept us entertained is Ryan Reynolds. If he’s not trolling Hugh Jackman for charity he’s sending a heartwarming video message to a fan.

Luckily for Ryan Reynolds, one of his movies was recently able to finish production, after having been shut down in March, and the star knows how challenging it was for everyone to get it done. So despite being busier than many actors, he used some of his free time over Thanksgiving to show his gratitude for the people who make his job easier.

Reynolds posted a photo on Instagram to celebrate the wrap of his film Red Notice, which co-stars Dwayne Johnson and Gal Gadot, acknowledging how difficult it was for the actors and the crew to film under extreme conditions.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Ryan Reynolds (@vancityreynolds)

But he didn’t just post to social media. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Reynolds recorded over 400 messages to thank each member of his crew for their hard work and sacrifice. he thanked them and their families for enduring the months of isolation necessary to safely complete the film.

He even thanked their dogs.

“I made videos for their dogs,” he said. “Morale was so low because everyone was in lockdown. They couldn’t go anywhere but work or the hotel. In some cases, their families were at home less than a mile away. I can’t imagine that kind of longing.”

When the movie ended, he also made sure every member of the crew left with a bottle of his Aviation Gin, (no word on whether or not it was the homeschool edition) and a personalized note.

“Awesome group of people,” he said. “What they did was so hard.”

He’s pretty awesome too.

All good things must come to an end. Over the past few years, The Office has had a major resurgence. It’s not that the show wasn’t beloved when it was on the air for its 7 seasons – it was one of the biggest shows on television throughout its run. But after it ended, and was harder to get a hold of, people moved on, as people do.

And then it appeared on Netflix, where, like Friends, another NBC megahit, it caught on with an entire generation who hadn’t experienced it live. Suddenly the world was awash in Office memes and Office jokes and Office Buzzfeed articles and podcasts by Pam and Kevin. Superfans even created highly detailed LEGO sets. There is no denying that Netflix was good to the Dunder-Mifflin crew.

Alas, The Office’s time on the popular streaming service is coming to an end.

Netflix announced that the show will be leaving its platform on December 31st. But don’t despair! The sitcom isn’t leaving the world of streaming, it’s just changing homes.

As of January 1st, 2021, The Office will only be accessible on Peacock, NBC’s new streaming service. And it will feature new material!

Over the summer, Matt Strauss, the chairman of Peacock and NBCUniversal Digital Enterprises, promised that when the beloved sitcom lands on Peacock, it will feature elements that were never aired before.

“We will be reintroducing ‘The Office’ in a more complete way, incorporating elements that were not part of the original broadcast,” Strauss told Bloomberg.

We’re not entirely sure what he means – but speculation is that there will be extended episodes, and perhaps extras or bloopers that were included on DVD sets, or deleted scenes – but something tells me Office fans will be scrolling past Netflix and hopping onto Peacock to find out.

Well well well, how the turntables…

Moving can be hard on kids. You’re in a new school, your old friends are gone, and it can take some time to get adjusted. Moving right before a birthday sucks even more, and just serves to amplify that lonely feeling. An 8-year-old boy in British Columbia (that’s in Canada, for you less than Cosmopolitan types) was struggling after a recent move and was worried about turning 9 without any friends. So his parents put the call out on social media to have strangers send him cards, so his birthday would still be special.

Turns out he got 1,000 of them. And even better, movie star Ryan Reynolds sent the boy a video message relating to his struggle and wishing him a happy birthday. Let’s pause 10 seconds for our routine Ryan Reynolds appreciation. The Deadpool star, and girl-dad seemingly has a heart of freaking gold. He (and his wife Blake Lively) have donated millions this year to charities supporting COVID-19 response and charities focused on children. Reynolds helped reunite a child with his lost toy, bought a soccer team with Always Sunny star Rob McElhenney, and also found the time to write 400 thank you notes to the crew working on his new movie during the pandemic. He even went above and beyond to connect with a Deadpool cosplayer. And this isn’t even covering half of the great stuff he’s done this year.

So we are not surprised that Reynolds would make little Damien’s birthday one he will never forget.

Reynolds, who is also Canadian, told Damien he relates to his story because he went to a new school when he was a kid (a few of them) and remembers how alienating it felt. “I remember how alone I felt and unseen I felt,” he said.

“I guess the point is that you’re not alone.”

Reynolds wished him a happy birthday and said he hopes he gets to meet him in person one of these days.

His family told local media they were blown away by the message and were thrilled to see Damien’s expression change when he realized what was going on. They said the entire project of making their kid’s birthday extra special left them feeling profoundly grateful.

Now Damien can proudly go to school knowing Deadpool himself took the time to wish him a happy birthday.

Remember when we used to wake up and get out of bed and our body didn’t mysteriously hurt for no reason whatsoever? Or when we could stay energized all day long with just one cup of coffee? (#tbt) We could go on, but you get it, and probably don’t need to relive it. As we get older, life gets…more rickety. But luckily, there’s a solution. Multiple solutions, actually, based on your concerns.

Vault Health offers health kits that can help with energy, focus, fitness, and libido. The Brain, Body, and Sex Kits provide personalized health and wellbeing care that actually works.

The Brain Kit

If you find yourself losing focus, easily getting anxious, or forgetting simple tasks or details, the Brain Kit is designed to combat all of the above problems. It includes a vital peptide called semax (which has been shown to fight cognitive decline, dementia, and sometimes even brain injury), which increases production of BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor), and that amplifies brain cell production and creates a barrier to keep brain cells from dying. It also includes other natural supplements such as Ashwagandha and Schisandra will help keep stress and anxiety at bay. The Brain Kit can help with overall focus, mood, and creativity. 

Get your work done, hang with the kids, and still have brain power left at the end of the day to actually stay up (!!!) and do date night with your partner, or even get through a few chapters. Like ye olde days.

The Body Kit

It used to be that dragging our limbs to the gym was the problem. Now it’s finding the energy and stamina to just get out of our office chair. With the stresses of 2020, you’re not the only one who’s deprioritized gym time, and maybe you’re really starting to feel that difference. The Vault’s Body Kit will help by providing you with science-backed growth hormone-releasing peptides CJC-1295 and Ipamorelin at-home injections. The process is super safe, physician-approved, and effective. You’ll get the energy you used to have to go for a run, do weight training, and this kit will also help increase muscle mass and lose body fat.

The Sex Kit

If you’re overhearing, “It’s okay, it happens,” we have a solution for you: The Vault’s Sex Kit. The Vault’s medical team created this kit to solve super common issues in the bedroom; the two treatments include oral supplements containing tadalafil and apomorphine. Tadalafil increases blood flow, and apomorphine helps the brain stimulation of erections. The second treatment is a dose of oxytocin, which is a bonding hormone. Basically, it’ll get you in the mood and ready to perform and help you stay in the mood. Great success!

**If you have any of the following conditions, we don’t recommend you try these supplements and treatments, or see your healthcare provider before starting**

-Diabetes

-Active cancer (i.e. cancer that has not been cured yet or is in remission)

-Congestive heart failure or poorly controlled hypertension

Some side effects include:

-With CJC-1295, some people can experience joint pains, increased intensity of dreams, numbness or tingling in extremities.

-Ipamorelin can cause headaches, nausea or aches and pains in the joints.

-Ibutamoren can cause an increase in appetite.

Scientific studies have shown the efficacy of these medications for the indications we recommend them for, however every individual is different and may not be an appropriate candidate for every treatment. That is why at Vault, we have you speak with a men’s health specialist before confirming your order.

After receiving your kit, Vault clinicians are available to you with questions or concerns. If you feel the medication isn’t working, your Vault provider may recommend you try them multiple times or adjust your dose or try taking them at different times.

Check out more at Vault Health.

Who says drinking games are just for college kids and frat parties? Admittedly, now that we’re adults, we’ve let the art of imbibing get a little boring. Drinking now might be tossing back a few cocktails during dinner or whiskey on the rocks while working from home after hours. Why, though? Why aren’t we playing Kings with our friends on a Friday night? And there’s no reason we shouldn’t “Ride the Bus” or play Flip Cup with our partner.

Besides, now seems like the best time to bring drinking games back. After all, it’s not like we can go out and chase down fun in all the usual ways (thanks again, COVID-19). While the drinking games with cards we’ve included here might only work well in person with people in your pod or “core four,” that doesn’t mean all social drinking is out. You could easily fire up a Zoom meeting with your pals and play a game of Truth or Drink.

So, the next time you order groceries, order up some Blue Ribbon or Fireball. Then set out on an endeavor to bring drinking games back to your life as a grown-up.

Adult Drinking Games With Cards

1. Pyramid or Beeramid

Pyramid is the ultimate BSing card game. First, you set up a “pyramid” by placing cards face down: six cards on the bottom row, five on the next, then four, three, two, and one card on the top row. Afterward, the dealer deals each player three cards. From there, you try to get your friends to drink based on what cards they think you have.

2. Horse Race

Like betting but don’t want to waste alcohol money on a horse race? In this drinking game, you bet using drinks instead of money and each ace card is a “horse.” The best part: Literally no skill is required. It’s all left to chance.

3. Ride The Bus/Around The World

The best way to describe Ride the Bus? It’s kinda like drunken Uno. The object of the game is to get rid of your cards.

4. Kings

In this game of chance, how much you drink depends entirely on the cards you draw. Many cards (especially face cards) have rules unique to each friend group, family, or gaming establishment. We love it because it’s your chance to personalize it based on your friends and setting.

Drinking Games For 2+ Adults

5. Beer Pong

Beer Pong is probably the drinking game that requires the most skill and coordination. It’s also absolutely the most popular game played at frat and sorority parties. But, who says you can’t play it on your wife’s farmhouse dining room table?!

6. Flip Cup

The only game as popular as beer pong at frat parties is Flip Cup. Setup is cheap: Some disposable cups and whatever you want to drink, even Natty Lite. And the object of the game is simply to flip cups and get drunk.

7. Quarters

You may have played quarters at a college party back in the day, too. But you don’t have to have a big group in order to play. As a matter of fact, sitting at a table and bouncing quarters with just your best bro or lady is equally chill and fun.

8. Drunk Jenga

Drunk Jenga is another game that’s easy to play as a pair. And it only gets more fun the more you drink.

Drinking Games For 3+ Adults

9. Fingers/Finger Spoof

If we’re being real, Fingers is a little iffy as far as sanitation goes. After all, the game is played by everyone putting their fingers on the rim of the glass and betting how many people will drink. That’s a lot of fingers where your mouth will go. You do you, though. After all, drinking games and questionable behavior sort of go hand-in-hand (or, in this case, fingers-in-beer).

10. Wizard Staff

Wizard Staff is kinda like Edward Forty-Hands. But in this case, instead of taping your drinks to your hands, you tape them to each other. Each time you crack open a new beer, you tape it to the top of your empty can. The more you drink, the more cans you stack, thus creating a wizard staff. Whose will be the biggest?

11. Never Have I Ever

Never Have I Ever can be played in a pair or in a larger group, but it’s definitely best played with people you know well. The concept is simple. You take turns saying, “Never have I ever…” and following up with something fun or scandalous. (“Never have I ever gotten so drunk that I puked” or “Never have I ever cheated on someone.”) Anyone who has done that thing takes a drink.

12. Truth or Drink

Truth or Drink is very similar to Never Have I Ever. In this game, though, one person poses a question and players either answer or — you guessed it — drink. There’s an actual game you can buy, but you can easily DIY it by writing questions on index cards or simply pulling them from thin air.

Sometimes we just don’t give kids enough credit for setting amazing examples for the rest of us. While many of us are already overwhelmed with everything we have to get done in a single day, kids take their time exploring and learning about the world around them. While we may encounter certain things so often that we don’t fully process them anymore, kids notice problems and set out to fix them.

Since he was old enough to lift a helping hand, 12-year-old Ethan Reynolds from Columbus, Indiana has gone out of his way to do so. He volunteers at nursing homes, animal shelters, and makes it a priority to give to those in need. In fact, last Christmas, Ethan forewent a typical kid’s wish list. While his friends were asking for toys and video games, Ethan asked for something that ultimately wasn’t even for him. Ethan asked for a lawnmower, hoping to use it to help neighbors in need.

When this big-hearted 12-year-old noticed members of his community asking for money and food on the street when COVID began impacting jobs, he set out to help. Starting with whatever money he had available, Ethan bought non-perishable food and personal hygiene products that his community desperately needed. He set out a table on his front lawn, wrote “Free Food” on a sign out front, and Ethan’s Table was born.

Ethan’s compassion awakened something in his community, and before he knew it, neighbors began adding their own donations to his table. Being 12 doesn’t pay all that well, so Ethan began doing lawn work for his neighbors to raise money. With the money he made, he bought more food to keep Ethan’s Table stocked.

Unfortunately, the lawnmower this determined 12-year-old had been using was every dad’s worst nightmare. It was old, rusty, and would frequently break down mid-job. Ethan had unshakable determination, but he was held back by his less-than-ideal equipment.

Filled with gratitude for Ethan’s constant support, his community stepped up, thrilled to give something back to the little boy who constantly gives so much himself. Ethan’s community got together and bought the most important item on his Christmas list – a new lawnmower.

Ethan was overwhelmed when he realized the brand new lawnmower sitting in front of his house actually belonged to him – Ethan fell to the ground, bubbling over with excitement about all the people this lawnmower would allow him to help.

“We try to have $75-$100 worth of food on the table every day,” Ethan’s website explains.

Though he frequently receives donations, Ethan puts in the work to make sure that nobody in his community goes hungry. Every community needs an Ethan, and every Ethan needs a lawnmower. Fortunately for everyone, this generous boy’s Christmas wish came true.