When I talk publicly about how raising my baby is beautiful, not oppressive, feminists get mad. We never said that! they claim. To that I can only ask, Have you read second-wave feminist literature? Second-wave feminists did, in fact, call motherhood oppressive.
And ever since the &#8217;60s, the media&#8217;s advertising for the role hasn&#8217;t been particularly good. Culture followed the feminists&#8217; lead by portraying motherhood in an unfavorable light — both in obvious and more subtle ways. The prevailing messages always seem to reiterate the same point: Having children will ruin your life and strip you of your freedom forever.
It&#8217;s just as evident in today&#8217;s media as it was decades ago. While on maternity leave, I started watching three different shows. Each one introduced a pregnancy storyline, and in every case, the female lead chose to abort her baby. For one, it wasn&#8217;t the right time. For another, it would ruin her career. For the third, she wouldn&#8217;t be able to attend her dream school.
The state of modern television is just one of the many examples of the oppressive messaging that still permeates the media. Motherhood is portrayed as such a terrible fate that it is presented as better to terminate the life of your baby than to become a mother. As a new mom, holding my sleeping baby, I turned off each of those shows. The juxtaposition between what the media was telling me and what I was actually experiencing was striking.
Motherhood has far exceeded my already high expectations. Looking at my son&#8217;s face, I couldn&#8217;t find the oppression. It unlocked a million new horizons — new highs and even new lows — but most importantly, it brought a precious new human being into my life, one I have the privilege of raising and calling my own. There is no &#8220;sentence&#8221; more beautiful than that.
So, from my nursery rocking chair, I recorded a simple video on social media saying so.
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Since then, women have made their own videos highlighting moments from their lives as mothers using my video’s audio, while another corner of the internet has taken personal offense. Many feminists responded with videos declaring, &#8220;We never said that.&#8221; That&#8217;s odd because I didn&#8217;t even use the word feminist. But perhaps they recognized that the language I criticized did, in fact, stem from their movement.
&#8220;They&#8221; did, in fact, say that.
It wasn&#8217;t difficult to dive into feminist literature from the 1960s and 1970s and find numerous direct quotes from influential figures saying that motherhood is oppressive. Shulamith Firestone wrote in her 1970 book &#8220;The Dialectic of Sex,&#8221; &#8220;The heart of a woman&#8217;s oppression is her childbearing and childrearing roles.&#8221;
Other notable examples include quotes from prominent feminist writers equating fetuses to parasites and describing domestic life as &#8220;comfortable concentration camps.&#8221; The list goes on and on, so much so that I made an entire video outlining my findings.
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Perhaps one takeaway from the current outrage is that many people are no longer reading the rhetoric of their movement&#8217;s icons from decades ago. Or perhaps they want to distance themselves from their more radical predecessors and present a more peaceful picture of what their movement represents.
Probably not, but one can hope. Considering that the modern feminist movement still celebrates what I view as one of the most heinous practices in the United States, I doubt it. It always comes back to abortion.
For a movement to justify such an act, motherhood must still be portrayed, directly or indirectly, as oppression. Only if motherhood is seen as a fate worse than death does the argument for ending an unborn child&#8217;s life become coherent (though still deeply flawed). They may not say it as bluntly anymore, but I believe the core tenets from sexual revolution authors to modern-day influencers remain the same.
As for me, I&#8217;ll stick with another message for the masses: Motherhood is the most important role I will ever have, and it is not oppression. Motherhood is simply the best.
***
This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/upstream" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream</a>, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.

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The Cultural Lie That Turned Motherhood Into A Burden

abortion

children

family

feminism

motherhood

upstream

Something has shifted in American pediatrics. After the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended in 2023 that doctors offer weight-loss medication to children as young as 12, prescriptions of GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy and Saxenda for <a href="https://www.wsj.com/health/wellness/when-diets-dont-work-parents-turn-to-wegovy-for-elementary-school-kids-35aa9c05">kids jumped sharply</a> almost overnight, and they have climbed every month since. Clinical trials are now underway to push these drugs to children younger than 12. We are, in effect, deciding that the cure for a childhood spent eating processed foods and addicted to screens is a weekly injection that reengineers a developing brain&#8217;s hunger signals. Have we fallen so far off the cliff that we must inject our kids to lead them down a healthy path? This is not a solution.
There are some adults with serious metabolic conditions for whom these medications can be a genuine tool. But we have to address our cultural disease at the roots. “Let food be thy medicine” could never ring truer than it does at this pivotal juncture. 
Clearly, in this instance, GLP-1 drugs are a Band-Aid stretched over a wound not yet cleaned up. They suppress appetite; they do not teach a child what to eat and how to move. They lower a number on a scale; they do not change a home or a school cafeteria. The moment a child stops taking them, the weight tends to return because the underlying habits never change, and all of the issues will be exacerbated. Are we truly willing to commit a generation of kids to lifelong pharmaceutical dependence when basic, wholesome meals and daily outside play is usually all that’s needed?
The food put in front of children is the real scandal. Roughly 70% of the calories American children eat now come from ultra-processed foods, the engineered snacks and drinks designed in laboratories to override the body&#8217;s natural sense of fullness. We have built an environment that makes children sick and then act surprised when they are. 
The MAHA Commission&#8217;s <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/MAHA-Report-The-White-House.pdf">report</a> last year, &#8220;Make Our Children Healthy Again,&#8221; named this plainly, pointing to poor diet, environmental toxins, physical inactivity, and the over-medicalization of childhood as the roots of a genuine crisis in chronic disease. It’s good to have a clear prognosis on the dire state of things, but the real shift needs to start at dinner tables and in schools. We need to bring back simple, time-tested wisdom and real foods from God’s green earth.
The good news is that the solution is not complicated, and it does not require a prescription. It requires basic foods. Start with protein at every meal, especially a real breakfast, the kind that steadies a child through a school morning instead of delivering the sugar spike and crash of a toaster pastry. Fill the plate with vegetables until they become ordinary rather than a negotiation. Get kids moving their bodies every day, not as punishment, but as play, the way childhood is supposed to be. And cut the processed foods and refined sugars that are doing the damage.
None of this is exotic. It is exactly how previous generations of healthy children were raised before their nutrition was outsourced to vending machines, cafeterias that offer mac and cheese or pizza, and drive-throughs.
We’ve been working with women and their families for the last 15 years, and our latest book, &#8220;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0736994610/?bestFormat=true&amp;k=7%20skills%20to%20lasting%20health%20by%20trim%20healthy%20mama&amp;ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-bk-ww_k0_1_8_di&amp;crid=11YSVR5IE2B7Y&amp;sprefix=7%20skills">The 7 Skills to Lasting Health</a>,&#8221; provides all of these tools in a simple, accessible way. We’d be happy to make it available as a curriculum for schools nationwide. But, if you don’t know where to start, this is an easy on-ramp.
This is not merely a matter of personal health. A nation whose children are growing up sicker, weaker, and more medicated than their parents is a nation weakening at its foundation. When military recruiters struggle to find young people fit to serve and when the cost to treat the epidemic of chronic disease consumes an ever-larger share of our economy, the health of our children stops being a private concern and becomes a question of national strength.
We may be celebrating 250 years of America, but a country cannot lead the world while its next generation is too unwell to carry it forward. We have a clear choice in front of us. We can keep treating the symptoms, normalizing injections for children addicted to their screens and hoping the bill never comes due. Or we can do the harder, better thing and address this at its root, one breakfast, one home-cooked dinner, one afternoon outside at a time.
The drugs will always be there for the few who truly need them for breakthrough. But for the millions who simply need real food and a healthier life, reaching for the syringe first is a failure. Our children are our future. They deserve more than a bandage. They deserve to be made well.
***
Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison are New York Times bestselling authors and the founders of Trim Healthy Mama.
This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream,</a> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.

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The Childhood ‘Solution’ That Should Terrify Every Parent

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health

Ozempic

A woke, taxpayer-funded exhibit in England claims the Care Bears toys are LGBT icons, describing one of the beloved children&#8217;s characters as &#8220;transgender or gender fluid.&#8221; 
“Funshine Bear is our yellow bear with a smiling sun in his belly, and is considered to be transgender or gender fluid,” the exhibit <a href="https://villiers.digital-exhibition.uk/">claimed</a>, arguing that the character was voiced by female actors before 2004 and by male actors afterward. 
“Bears like True Love Bear … and others, disrupt gender norms through their expression of their true selves but are accepted regardless,” the museum stated. “This enables children and adults to realize that regardless of their identity, sexuality, or self-expression — they are loved.&#8221;
The Care Bears were also praised for their “deep association with symbols such as the rainbow — which became a symbol for the queer community in 1978.”
The exhibit drew criticism from family advocacy organizations. 
“Taxpayers should not be funding such blatant attempts to sexualize children’s toys and promote false gender ideology,” the Family Education Trust <a href="https://x.com/FamEdTrust/status/2081463243365605477">said</a> in an X post. 

The Care Bear display was part of a larger exhibition <a href="https://www.cultureleicestershire.co.uk/projects/villiers-revealed-welcome-to-our-virtual-exhibition/george-villiers/">exploring</a> historical figures and artifacts through a modern LGBT lens, including George Villiers, whom the exhibition claimed would be considered &#8220;queer&#8221; today because he was the &#8220;favorite&#8221; gay lover of King James I. 
The exhibit claimed Villiers is a “reminder that LGBTQ+ life and love isn’t a side story in history, but it shapes history. A history we all inherit and can explore together,” and promoted a “powerful exploration” of reclaiming queer icons that experienced “bi and pan erasure” throughout history by the British Empire. 
The Care Bears were in the Villiers Revealed Student Gallery, where University of Nottingham student volunteers found objects in the museum collections “having queer resonance.” Among the other selections were coins of Emperor Hadrian, whom the museum described as “an openly queer figure,” a portrait of a mermaid, praised by transgender-identifying people for their “ability to transform,” and dolls, criticized because they “uphold patriarchal values and are either forced upon or forbidden to gender non-conforming children.”
The Telegraph <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07/26/some-teddy-bears-are-trans-says-taxpayer-backed-arts-group/">notes</a> that the display has been made digital because, according to its creator John Sleigh, “some people simply aren’t ready or able to access queer spaces physically.”
Elena Kucharik, the American illustrator who created the original Care Bears, has never confirmed the characters as transgender or LGBT symbols. After creating the franchise, she went on to illustrate Tyndale House&#8217;s Christian children&#8217;s series &#8220;Little Blessings.&#8221;

Screenshot 2026-07-27 at 2.15.52 PM

Woke Exhibit Claims Popular Kids Character Is Transgender

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lgbtq

politics

Toys

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Target has recalled 211,000 toddler sandals nationwide because they pose &#8220;a risk of serious injury or death.&#8221;
The&#8221;Cat &amp; Jack Children’s Sandals,&#8221; which sold for $22 across all of Target’s U.S. stores, were recalled July 16. 
 
The shoes have been recalled due to small decorative pearls on the tan sandal’s raffia straps. Target <a href="https://www.target.com/help/article/000225695">received</a> 23 reports of the pearls falling off, posing a tripping and choking hazard for small children.
No injuries have been reported from these sandals so far.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that parents should return the shoes as soon as possible or risk harming their child.
“Consumers should stop using the recalled sandals immediately, take them away from children and contact Target for a full refund,” the Consumer Product Safety Commission <a href="https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2026/Target-Recalls-Cat-Jack-Childrens-Sandals-Due-to-Risk-of-Serious-Injury-or-Death-from-Choking-Hazard">reported</a>. “Consumers will be asked to return the sandals to any store or use a prepaid label to return the sandals by mail.” 
Target has been forced to recall other children&#8217;s products. The retail outlet has <a href="https://www.target.com/help/articles/news-safety/product-recalls">pulled</a> a toddler kitchen step stool, children’s play tents, and an “Under the Sea Popping Toy” made for infants and toddlers.

Target store, a major American retail chain of discount department stores

Target Issues Warning About Popular Kids Brand ‘Cat & Jack’

Children's Health

Recall

target

A gay couple is suing a single mother for an estimated $600,000 because she refused abortion after potential minor birth defects were discovered by ultrasound.
A surrogate in Canada says a gay couple told her to abort the baby she was carrying — which was created using a donor egg and one of the men&#8217;s sperm — at nearly six months pregnant over a possible cleft palate and a potential minor heart issue. A lawsuit obtained by the National Post says the couple is suing the woman for causing them emotional distress and not keeping them informed in a timely manner.
After the woman, who is not being named, refused to kill the child, the couple allegedly stiffed her on reimbursement for pregnancy-related expenses, lost income, and other costs, which were supposed to be paid per agreement. When the woman tried to take them to small claims court to try to get the $10,000, the couple hit her with an estimated $600,000 lawsuit.
“You know I’m a single mom, you know I have a daughter, and you’re basically suing me for my house. It seems very sh*tty, it’s just awful,&#8221; the woman said. “I just feel used … They didn’t get the perfect child they wanted and they threw me away.”
In Canada, women are not paid enormous sums for surrogacy as they are in America; instead, they&#8217;re only allowed reimbursement for pregnancy-related expenses. The woman in this case said she decided to become a surrogate to help others. She said she was inundated with dozens of requests for surrogacy after she announced her intentions. She added that she chose the gay couple after much consideration.
After the woman told the partners about possible birth defects, which were a cleft lip, a potential cleft palate, and a possible minor heart defect, the couple said in a letter that they wanted their surrogate to kill the child.
“Considering that medical tests indicate that the fetus has, or is likely to have, a genetic, chromosomal or other abnormality or defect, and in accordance with article 8.5 (a) of our surrogacy agreement … we want to inform you of our wish that the pregnancy be terminated,” the gay couple reportedly said. “Although very difficult, this decision is free and informed.”
The request left the woman feeling &#8220;devastated” and a “mess,&#8221; she said.
She ended up delivering a baby boy through an at-home birth, which further upset the gay couple, who reportedly wanted the baby delivered in a hospital because of the suspected birth defects. The at-home birth was agreed upon in their original surrogacy plan.
Surrogacy has become increasingly controversial, with critics arguing that the process turns motherhood into a transaction, preys on the poor, and treats children like a product.
Pro-life activist Lila Rose <a href="https://x.com/LilaGraceRose/status/2077207953451692129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">posted</a> about the lawsuit on Tuesday, writing, &#8220;A same-sex couple is suing their surrogate for $600K after she refused to abort their baby at 22 weeks in Canada. Scans indicated the child had a cleft lip and a possible heart defect,&#8221; she said. &#8220;The little boy was born healthy.&#8221;
&#8220;That child is alive today not because of the men who purchased his life, but because the woman who carried him in her womb protected him. Children are not commodities,&#8221; Rose added. &#8220;Ban surrogacy now.&#8221;
The gay couple declined to comment on the matter, according to the Post.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/surrogacy-is-the-worst-outcome-of-throwaway-culture">Surrogacy Is The Worst Outcome Of Throwaway Culture</a>

Pregnant woman’s belly with barcode – stock photo

Gay Couple Sues Surrogate For All She Has Because She Refused Abortion

canada

Mother

surrogacy

In between parties for our nation’s 250th birthday party, I spent some time over the weekend opening six new <a href="https://trumpaccounts.gov/">Trump Accounts</a> for my six children, ages three to 12. They aren’t eligible for the $1,000 baby bonus for opening the accounts, but the younger four will receive $250 each from the Dell Foundation, available to children age 10 and under in most zip codes in the country. The older two may be eligible for a share of SpaceX stock after SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell announced, on the day the accounts launched, that she would gift two million shares to America’s children between the ages of 11 and 17.
During his speech at the launch in the Oval Office, Texas Senator Ted Cruz hit on one of the most important parts of the program: a new government initiative that doesn’t make Americans dependent upon the government. Comparing the program to the New Deal, Cruz explained, &#8220;Instead of having the government taking care of everyone, Trump Accounts are about making every child and every American a capitalist. Every one of our kids is now going to be an owner of one of the biggest producers in our country.”
As the power of the Democratic Socialists of America rises, parents and children <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-the-president-believes-trump-accounts-will-push-back-on-the-communist-threat">more than ever</a> need to understand the power and opportunity that comes in a capitalist society. President Donald Trump understands that nothing can turn you into a capitalist faster than watching the market make your money grow.
Americans have been ill-served in the school system, most notably in reading and math, for a myriad of reasons. One aspect of that poor education that’s little discussed is in financial literacy. In most schools in the country, public or private, the topic of investments never comes up. Americans don’t know how to save for their future, for college, or for their retirement. Most assume that investing is only for the super rich, that the only way they can grow their net worth is in a low-interest savings account offered at their local bank.
The education component is one of the most powerful assets of the Trump Accounts. Housed within a simple and easy-to-use app, the accounts allow Americans to dive into a crash course on investing. The app offers a dozen four-minute reads on topics such as “The power of compounding,” “What is a stock?” and “What is a fractional share?”
Americans can watch the seed money they’ve received grow in real time in their accounts. For the millions of Americans without financial accounts outside of a basic checking and savings account, this is their first chance to see how compounding works in action, encouraging further research into other kinds of investment accounts. The Trump Accounts can and should serve as a gateway drug into Americans opening a 529 account with their state or their own brokerage accounts with a firm like Schwab or Fidelity.
On the app, they can load projections based on the average growth of the market based on their child’s age and a sample monthly contribution.  I can easily see how a $50 per month contribution would transform my three-year-old’s account into almost $15,000 by the time he’s 18 and over $433,000 by the time he’s 60. For my 12-year-old, that looks like over $4,000 when she’s 18 and over $231,000 when she’s 60.
That sends a powerful message: the greatest gift of compounding is time. The earlier you invest, the better. But also, it’s never too late.
That’s not to say that from a tax perspective, the Trump Accounts are the perfect vehicle for growth and sheltering. Critics have argued that other kinds of accounts, such as 529 savings accounts and Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) accounts, may be better options.
But depending on individual circumstances, the benefits for many Americans are clear: Employers (including parents who own their own S-Corp companies) and family members can easily invest in a child’s account. Philanthropists like the Dells and SpaceX can contribute and ensure that their fortunes are helping the next generation of American children instead of sinking into useless nonprofits claiming to fight climate, racism, or poverty. They can make a tangible impact fighting poverty instead of paying for office space and consultants.
Despite growing up poor (single mom on disability in a single-wide trailer park poor), I learned from my mom the basics of financial management. As a bored 22-year-old recent college graduate barely scraping by at my first job, I taught myself the stock market and used extra money I’d have spent on lunches to buy several stocks. Almost 20 years later, those investments have grown over 1,000%, from $3,600 to over $43,000.
I’ve similarly watched my children’s 529 college savings account grow astronomically. After some seed money from family at birth and regular contributions, my four-year-old’s account has already grown from $29,000 to $40,000. The value of my older three kids’ accounts has doubled.
After I got a taste of how I could make investing work for me and my family, I was hooked. Watching a few thousand dollars grow into tens of thousands has a way of doing that.
Millions of Americans are going to get their first taste of the thrill of investing and the power of capitalism thanks to the Trump Accounts. That lesson is priceless, and we’ll watch its impact compound for decades to come.
***
Bethany Mandel (<a href="https://x.com/bethanyshondark" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@bethanyshondark</a>) is a homeschooling mother of six and a writer. She is the bestselling co-author, with Karol Markowicz, of &#8220;Stolen Youth: How Radicals Are Erasing Innocence and Indoctrinating a Generation.&#8221;
This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/upstream" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream</a>, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.

Thinking little boy with fake money

The Trump Program That Could Create A Generation Of Capitalists

Money

Personal finances

trump accounts

There’s a new TikTok trend making headlines, and it’s all about moms smoking weed to survive taking care of their children.
They call themselves “garden moms.” Parents are calling pot a coping mechanism, describing their drug habits with zero shame. As the barriers to accessing marijuana crumble nationwide, with multiple states legalizing the drug both for medical and recreational use, users are bringing their daily use into the mainstream.
The Atlantic’s Sarah Levy recently <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/2026/06/gardening-moms-weed-parenting/687518/">reported</a> that she found about 76,000 videos under the #gardenmom hashtag. She interviewed an influencer named Taylor Mitchem, who has 120,000 followers and started smoking pot daily when her son was two and a half. Her reasoning was simple: &#8220;If you can have something that can take the edge off a little bit, why not?&#8221;
There have been enough articles about the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-high-cost-of-getting-high-how-legal-weed-is-destroying-a-generation">pitfalls of legalized marijuana</a>, and it’s not worth rehashing that argument here. But one of the most interesting aspects of the phenomenon isn’t specific to weed. It’s the larger issue of why these moms feel the need to escape their children in the first place.
In this case, the stigma isn&#8217;t just around the substance. It’s more about admitting out loud that you find your own children exhausting enough to need daily relief from them, whether that comes in the form of wine, weed, or whatever the next thing is. A cute hashtag can’t hide that basic truth.
Before the garden moms — also referred to as “cannamoms” — there were the wine moms who bragged that “Mommy’s sippy cup” was a stemless tumbler filled with chardonnay. Decades ago, there was Valium (“mother’s little helper”), and even before that it was the tranquilizer Miltown, which Levy noted was often prescribed to housewives in the 1950s for anxiety.
For years, women have been coming up with ways to manipulate their minds to cope with the stress of motherhood. Weed is the latest vehicle. It’s not likely to be the last.
And the weed mom trend isn’t new, either. Motherly <a href="https://www.mother.ly/health-wellness/self-care/cannabis-use-in-motherhood-rise-of-cannamoms/">ran</a> &#8220;High on Motherhood: The Rise of Cannamoms&#8221; back in 2024, quoting a mom named Susie who said weed gave her &#8220;the sweetest, most engaged moments&#8221; with her daughter while high. Writer Jamilah Lemieux <a href="https://www.romper.com/life/moms-who-smoke-weed">told</a> Romper the same year she thinks cannabis is headed toward the same social status as alcohol: &#8220;widely available, legal, and socially acceptable.&#8221; ABC News was <a href="https://abcnews.com/GMA/Family/weed-moms-wine-moms/story?id=66184880">asking</a> &#8220;Are weed moms the new wine moms?&#8221; back in 2019. Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez, a pediatrician at Columbia, told the network she&#8217;s watched it happen in her own practice: more parents turning to cannabis products to &#8220;take the edge off&#8221; of ordinary life.
Advocates often frame smoking weed as an enhancement to parenting rather than an outright escape. &#8220;I got high so I could be more patient&#8221; sounds a lot better than &#8220;I got high because I wanted to feel good,&#8221; even when the outcome is identical. And the outcome matters. Levy cites Kirby Deater-Deckard, a psychology professor at UMass Amherst, on how being chemically mellow slows your reaction time in an actual emergency. A relaxed parent isn&#8217;t necessarily a present one, and one who is overly calm could be dangerous if she needs to act quickly.
I&#8217;ve watched this shift happen in my own circle. Lately, weed is more prevalent, and, what’s worse, it’s a little too convenient. Ten years ago, getting high took effort: find a dealer, roll a joint, smell like a skunk, hide the paraphernalia from a toddler who notices everything. Also, it was mostly illegal back then. That kept a lot of would-be users from even trying. 
Then came the THC gummies. They have no smoke, no smell, no complicated rituals. Because of the convenience, they’re showing up in places where White Claws used to dominate. 
But there are still problems. This form makes it easier to lose track of how much you&#8217;ve had, and edibles are notoriously easy to over-consume. Romper reported that accidental child exposure to THC edibles has spiked over 1,300% in five years, which makes sense considering that they’re packaged like fruit snacks. The format that made cannabis more parent-friendly also made it harder to notice when &#8220;taking the edge off&#8221; has turned into being zoned out for several hours.
What almost none of this pro-weed content mentions is what happens when &#8220;a little bit&#8221; becomes a habit that&#8217;s not easy to quit. Slate writer Sammi LaBue <a href="https://slate.com/technology/2026/06/weed-health-cannabis-disorder-scromiting.html">described</a> developing cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome after prolonged marijuana smoking. This involved a condition of violent vomiting tied to long-term regular use, nicknamed &#8220;scromiting&#8221; for the screaming that often accompanies it. 
Alice Moon, a cannabis industry veteran, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/javierhasse/2020/03/13/alice-moon-chs/">developed CHS</a> herself after years of regular use. It took two years and several doctors before anyone diagnosed her because the condition wasn&#8217;t well understood yet. 
You won&#8217;t find any of that in the #gardenmom clips. What you&#8217;ll find is a promise: a calmer, gentler version of parenting, one that doesn&#8217;t yell over spilled milk. The harder part to justify is feeling the need to check out in the first place. 
Cannamoms did not discover a solution to stress-free parenting. They’re just repackaging the same escape mechanisms that, over time, were exposed for being cop-outs. Wine, weed, Valium: It’s all part of the same playbook that treats children like they need to be endured rather than enjoyed. 
***
This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/upstream" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream</a>, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.

GettyImages-1457878238

How ‘Mommy Juice’ Got A Whole New Meaning

Drugs

Marijuana

This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/upstream" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream</a>, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
***
Just weeks before our nation’s 250th birthday, NBC News released a new <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/poll-america-250-riven-doubt-pessimism-glimmers-hope-rcna348912">poll</a> showing a “record-low number” of Americans are “extremely proud” to be Americans. Two groups, in particular, are driving the decline: liberals and young Americans. Just 29% of Democrats and 36% of 18- to 34-year-olds <a href="https://x.com/SteveKornacki/status/2066173092393533458">say they are “very” or “extremely proud”</a> of being American, compared to 90% of Republicans and 75% of seniors.
Individually, these partisan and generational divides seem like bad news. But taken together, they strike me as a source of optimism and even inspiration for American patriots.
Because there is another crucial difference between older and younger Americans besides their age and their politics: their knowledge of American history and civics. 
For <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/2890/younger-americans-get-much-lower-grades-than-their-elders-history-quiz.aspx?utm_source=chatgpt.com">decades</a>, surveys have found that older Americans know more about our founding, our Constitution, and our history than younger Americans do. A recent <a href="https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/america-at-250-surveying-change-and-continuity-on-civic-values/">study</a> by the American Enterprise Institute asked Americans about key elements of U.S. history such as the Bill of Rights, the Civil War, and the Cold War, and found, “Members of Gen Z were less knowledgeable on each historical landmark than were baby boomers.”
This is consistent with the abysmal data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (“the nation’s report card”). Students’ test scores in U.S. history have been <a href="https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/highlights/ushistory/2022/">falling</a> for over a decade now. Fewer than 15% of U.S. eighth graders are proficient in the subject, and only one-fifth are proficient in <a href="https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/highlights/civics/2022/">civics</a>.
Nor is this epidemic of historical ignorance limited to middle-schoolers. Studies show similar knowledge gaps among <a href="https://www.goacta.org/2024/07/acta-releases-alarming-new-survey-showing-dangerous-level-of-civic-illiteracy-among-college-students/">college students</a> and <a href="https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/civics/new-study-finds-alarming-lack-of-civic-literacy-among-americans">adults</a>. Only one-third of Americans, for instance, know enough about our country to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/most-us-would-fail-u-s-citizenship-test-survey-finds-n918961">pass</a> the citizenship test we require for new immigrants.
In this context, America’s patriotism gap makes more sense. The people who love our country most tend to be the ones who know her best. American history is the second greatest story ever told. The problem is that we stopped telling that story to our children.
On the contrary, we have twisted the story. The elites who run America’s schools, news media, and the entertainment industry have spent a generation lying to our kids about our country. In classrooms across the country today, American history is treated like a horror story. Students don’t learn about our successes — only our sins.
Of course, kids inundated with anti-American propaganda are going to grow up to be less patriotic. On the other hand, if the root cause of America’s patriotism gap is ignorance about our history, the problem can be easily solved. All we have to do is tell the truth about America. That’s exactly what &#8220;Star Spangled Adventures: The Movie!&#8221; does.
&#8220;Star Spangled Adventures&#8221; is a series of animated shorts that tells the true story of the United States. Each episode introduces children to a hero or moment from America’s history, from Christopher Columbus and the Pilgrims through the Revolution, the Civil War, and all the way to the Wright brothers and Jackie Robinson. Launched three years ago by the American Cornerstone Institute, the series now has over 30 episodes and has reached hundreds of thousands of children and their families.
Through our <a href="https://littlepatriotslearning.com">Little Patriots</a> initiative, we worked with historians and educators to create original classroom resources to go along with each episode. We’re fighting back against historical ignorance one story at a time.
This year, in celebration of America’s 250th, we decided to turn &#8220;Star Spangled Adventures&#8221; into a feature-length film. The movie features the voices of stars such as Kirk Cameron, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/weekend-plans-with-gary-sinise-the-most-patriotic-actor-in-america">Gary Sinise</a>, Kevin Sorbo, and even a cartoon version of me! You will soon be able to stream the movie for yourself and your family <a href="https://starspangledadventures.com/">online</a>.
No nation is perfect, but ours is extraordinary. At no point in the last 250 years was there a country that presented more opportunities than America did. Sure, we had our faults. But every other country’s faults were at least as bad, and usually worse.
Today, Americans of every race, creed, and color are freer, more prosperous, and more secure in their God-given rights than any people in history. &#8220;Star Spangled Adventures&#8221; reminds us all that the best reason Americans should love their country is that their country is so lovable.
And the best way to revive American patriotism is to start telling our children the truth about the land of the free and the home of the brave.
***
Dr. Benjamin S. Carson, Sr., is founder and chairman of the American Cornerstone Institute. He previously served as the 17th secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

USA, Indiana, Lafayette

The Story About America Too Few Kids Hear

America 250

Movies

patriotism

A notorious California Democrat who is looking to fill Nancy Pelosi&#8217;s congressional seat is again supporting legislation that protects sexual predators who commit crimes against children.
If passed into law, California&#8217;s AB-2691 would prohibit individuals convicted of sexual assault or human trafficking from holding public office in California. But thanks to Sen. Scott Wiener, an amendment was added to carve out an exception for those who committed crimes against children.
The bill unanimously passed through the California Assembly and was referred to the <a href="https://selc.senate.ca.gov/members">Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee</a>, where it was amended to provide protections for convicted pedophiles. The committee, which is chaired by Wiener, <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB2691">amended the bill</a> to clarify that the term &#8220;sexual assault&#8221; does not include several violations of California&#8217;s <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=PEN&amp;division=&amp;title=9.&amp;part=1.&amp;chapter=5.&amp;article=">penal code</a> involving the sexual assault of minors.
At a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAV_owqdREs">June 30</a> hearing on the bill, Greg Burt, vice president of the California Family Council, stated that the amendments were so shocking that he and his colleagues couldn&#8217;t believe they were real.
&#8220;When we read the June 24th amendment to AB 2691, our honest reaction was that it could not be real. We assumed we&#8217;d misread it. We sat in our office and tried to imagine how anyone could stand up and defend it. So I&#8217;m here today, generally hoping someone will tell us why crimes against children are being carved out of this bill,&#8221; Burt stated.
&#8220;Barring people convicted of felony sexual assault and human trafficking from holding public office is good policy. We want to support the bill, but the amendments — we were told this committee chair demanded — exempt convictions for felony sodomy, oral copulation, and sexual penetration against children.&#8221;
Wiener, who is <a href="https://www.scottwiener.com/meet-scott">running</a> for Nancy Pelosi&#8217;s congressional seat, has a history of pushing legislation that protects sex offenders. In 2019, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/newsom-signs-bill-that-could-alter-sex-offender-registration-for-gay-sex-with-minors">Wiener</a> introduced a bill, which is now <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB145">California law</a>, that shields young adults from mandatory registration onto the sex offender registry if the sexually victimized minor is at least 14 and within 10 years of their age. Wiener is known for his LGBTQ+ activism and has spearheaded multiple bills in the California Senate that push <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/meet-scott-wiener-nancy-pelosis-likely-replacement-probably-thinks-youre-a-bigot?author=Susannah+Luthi&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Meet+Scott+Wiener%3A+Nancy+Pelosi%E2%80%99s+Likely+Replacement+Probably+Thinks+You%E2%80%99re+A+Bigot">transgender policies</a> into state law.
<a href="https://senate.ca.gov/sd37">Senator Steven Choi</a>, the Republican Vice Chair of the <a href="https://selc.senate.ca.gov/members">Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee</a>, said at the hearing that he &#8220;could no longer in good conscience support&#8221; AB-2691 because the bill &#8220;excludes heinous crimes like sodomy of a minor or sexual penetration of a minor.&#8221;
&#8220;I supported this bill but I now believe that this bill must be opposed because of the absurd message that it sends — namely that it&#8217;s okay to have pedophiles and the child groomers in elected office. Until the highness of crimes involving minors are restored in the definition of a sexual assault under this bill, I will not be able to in good conscience support this bill,&#8221; stated Choi.
Wiener responded to Choi&#8217;s comments by defending the amended bill, claiming those who opposed the changes were doing so due to &#8220;pure politics and pure political cynicism.&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;ve been in politics a long time, and every time I think I&#8217;ve seen the height of cynicism in politics, there are some people who manage to set a new world record in political cynicism,&#8221; Wiener stated.
Wiener voted in support of AB-2691, which <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billVotesClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB2691">passed</a> the committee with the pedophile protections in place in a 4-1 vote.
At the same hearing, Wiener openly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dems-kill-bill-to-ban-sex-offenders-from-public-office?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Dems+Kill+Bill+To+Ban+Sex+Offenders+From+Public+Office">opposed</a> AB-2753, a bill that would prohibit anyone on the sex offender registry from holding public office.
&#8220;I will be voting no on this bill and recommending that the committee vote no,&#8221; Wiener stated and explained that California&#8217;s sex offender registry was &#8220;extreme and broken&#8221; before he and other legislators started &#8220;fixing it.&#8221;
Wiener recommended changes be made to the bill in alignment with analysis provided by the Senate Committee on Elections and Constitutional Amendments, which states the bill creates concerns for members of the LGBTQ+ community and does not provide flexibility for changes in law over time in determining what constitutes a sexual offense.
&#8220;The bill does not make allowances for changes in law over time, so things that may have been sex offenses in the past, such as consensual sex between two men, would preclude a person from running for office under this bill,&#8221; states the <a href="///Users/meganbrock/Downloads/202520260AB2753_Senate%20Elections%20And%20Constitutional%20Amendments.pdf">analysis</a>.
Wiener did not respond to The Daily Wire&#8217;s request for comment.

San Francisco Pride 2026

Nancy Pelosi’s Would-Be Successor Makes Another Move To Protect Pedophiles

california

scott wiener

This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/upstream" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream</a>, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
***
&#8220;Toy Story 5&#8221; has struck a nerve. Since its release on June 19, it has become the highest-grossing &#8220;Toy Story&#8221; movie ever and pulled in the second-highest Pixar opening. The film captures something many parents have felt: the age of toys is over. Play-based childhood has ended, and we are now in the age of screens. The movie’s accurate diagnosis of the crisis in modern American childhood captures the frustrations parents feel over kids and screens. If you talk to most parents, they lament the state of childhood today, but they also feel a sense that the screens are inevitable.
The film captures this sentiment well by portraying the collective action problems that screens during childhood present. As Jonathan Haidt explains in his book &#8220;The Anxious Generation,&#8221; screens and their apps create negative network effects, where even kids who aren’t on smartphones or social media can still experience their negative impacts by how it changes the group social dynamics among peers. In the film, Bonnie has no one to play with because all the other kids are sitting inside on screens.
As Jessie, the beloved cowgirl first introduced in &#8220;Toy Story 2,&#8221; says, “No wonder she can’t make a friend; she is the only one out there still playing with toys.” All the other kids are just tap, tap, tapping away inside on screens. This collective action problem pressures parents to give in to the screens, despite their initial reservations. Oftentimes, like Bonnie’s parents in the movie, parents believe that giving the screen will solve the child’s loneliness problems and help them connect more with friends. 
While &#8220;Toy Story 5&#8221; captures how parents feel fed up with the screens, unfortunately, the film misses the mark on solutions and instead <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-lesson-toy-story-5-gets-dangerously-wrong">affirms a sense of helplessness</a> on the part of parents that screens are now just an inevitable part of childhood. As Bonnie’s parents hand her a tablet, they note, &#8220;Now that you are eight, we figured it was time.”
Sadly, the movie is mainly reflecting our cultural reality. The combination of social pressures and the dominant modern parenting strategy of child-led, gentle parenting leads most parents, despite their reservations, to fall into the “screen-time trap.” By age 2, 40% of children have their own tablet; by age 4, over half of children (58%) own a tablet, and about 80% of kids between ages 5 to 11 interact with tablets, according to Common Sense Media’s latest <a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/2025-common-sense-census-web-2.pdf">survey</a>. Despite initial concerns, parents end up relenting to the screens, and they are told by the tech companies that they can mitigate any dangers by imposing time limits and controls. 
Thus, most parents (86%) have rules around when, where, or how their child can use screens, according to a Pew Research Center <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2025/10/08/how-parents-approach-their-kids-screen-time/">survey</a>. However, in practice, only one-in-five parents say they are able to stick to their rules around screens all the time. Furthermore, even companies’ own internal research finds that their time limit tools are ineffective. TikTok created the option for parents to limit children’s time on the app, and the company set the default time limit for children to 60 minutes each day. Their internal research showed that this tool didn’t put a dent in the average time children spent on the app. Minors’ usage dropped by less than 1%, from about 108.5 minutes each day to roughly 107 minutes on the app each day.
All of this shouldn’t surprise us if we correctly understand that interactive screens are designed to be addictive to our brains, especially the developing brains of children. Brain studies show that screens activate the same reward pathway in the brain as alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, as they release constant bursts of dopamine. Dopamine is responsible for motivation and incentivizes us to keep going to get a reward. But dopamine doesn’t produce satisfaction or fulfillment; it only creates a constant craving for more. Unlike natural rewards in real life, with screens there is no completion point, no consummation that triggers an opioid satisfaction response in the brain and then naturally winds down our motivation. Instead, a user is permanently trapped in a wanting phase, stuck dopamine chasing. 
A time limit will never be enough. Even 15 minutes of screen time a day creates a biological constant compulsion for more. As one mom said to me about managing screen limits, “It’s me, a drug-dispensing machine, and an underdeveloped child.” No wonder only one in five parents can stick to their screen rules. But what are parents to do instead?
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_1119343" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1119343" class="size-medium wp-image-1119343" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/g_disneymovies_toystory5_6_b89f2798-300x168.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="168" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/g_disneymovies_toystory5_6_b89f2798-300x168.jpeg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/g_disneymovies_toystory5_6_b89f2798-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/g_disneymovies_toystory5_6_b89f2798-768x431.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/g_disneymovies_toystory5_6_b89f2798.jpeg 1300w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Photo courtesy of Pixar</div>
Unfortunately, &#8220;Toy Story 5&#8221; doesn’t offer parents a positive path away from the screens. The sad irony in the movie is that even once it becomes evident to her parents that Bonnie is being harmed by her screen, Lilypad, and its group chat, it is not the parents who take decisive action to take the screen away. It is Lilypad, the screen herself, who takes action when she realizes that for all the connection and friendship she promised, she has only ended up hurting Bonnie. (If only real screens were so self-aware; unfortunately, they are run by aggressive algorithms that keep kids addicted at whatever cost.) 
At this cultural moment, when the evidence of the harms of screens has never been clearer, &#8220;Toy Story 5&#8221; missed its opportunity to take a stronger stance and show parents that screens do not need to be an inevitable part of modern childhood and, in fact, a better way is possible: getting rid of the screens entirely. We don’t need better uses for screens, as portrayed at the end of the film when Lilypad connects Bonnie with a new friend in real life. We need loving, yet authoritative, parents who decisively take the screens away and instead guide their children toward a life of independent, imaginary play and in-person friendships. 
In my <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tech-Exit-Practical-Freeing-Smartphones/dp/059373629X">book</a>, I outline this different path, called “the Tech Exit.” The definition of the Tech Exit is: no smartphones, social media, tablets, or video games during childhood or the teen years. If this sounds impossible, let me offer you a few tips for how to start on this journey to embracing the real-life childhood that you already want for your kids. It can be done, and it’s even possible to reverse course if you’ve already given your child screens.
First, you have to detox from all interactive screens if you have already given them. Start with a 30-day detox if you can. Prepare your family by explaining what you’re doing and why. Pick a day to start, and then do it. Get rid of all the screens from your house. Science shows that detoxes work to reset our brains — for anyone at any age at any time. 
Once you have detoxed, to keep going over the long-term, you will need to find other families. 
No parent can make this exit alone. From tablets in kindergarten classrooms to smartphone apps required of college and even high school students, we are all expected to participate in a society-wide social experiment. To counteract these pressures, parents must join together. By working with other families in your communities and schools, you can create counter pressures to push screens back out of childhood. 
This also means parents need to take a more active role in helping a child build an in-person social life, setting up play dates, helping them set up in-person activities, and helping them find friends who also aren’t on screens. Helping your children find friends and build a healthy social life takes work.
One older mom gave me as a young mom a word of caution: “You’ll have to work at helping children build a social life, especially when they’re tweens and teens. These things used to happen more naturally, but because kids are so plugged in now, you have to be far more intentional about it as a parent.” Parents can help by facilitating social activities in their homes, like having a fire pit in their backyard for teens to hang out around, putting a ping-pong table in the basement, or organizing hikes or service projects for teens to do together. 
Saying no to screens is ultimately about saying “yes” to so much more in real life. As we take screens away, we need to replace them with positive responsibilities and activities in the real world. Give children tools and tasks that foster independence and adult responsibility. For teens, it can be a car or a first job. For tweens and younger children, it can be a bike they are allowed to ride to their friend’s house or the neighborhood pool, a pet that is their responsibility, chores around the home, or even early informal jobs such as raking a neighbor’s yard or babysitting. Real-life responsibilities channel a child’s time and energy toward building productive life skills such as work ethic, care, responsibility, creativity, and problem-solving that will help them flourish both in the present and in the future.
This is the life we all want for our children and the bold solution that &#8220;Toy Story 5&#8221; should have held out to parents: Get rid of the screens entirely, get your kids outside, help them find friends in real life, and give them responsibilities. This is the path to true flourishing. 
***
Clare Morell is a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and author of &#8220;<a title="https://thetechexit.com/" href="https://thetechexit.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://thetechexit.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1782928654208000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0hMMb9Wd14gC_Q6CvYcT5Y">The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones</a><a title="https://thetechexit.com/" href="https://thetechexit.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://thetechexit.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1782928654208000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0hMMb9Wd14gC_Q6CvYcT5Y">.&#8221;</a> She previously worked in the White House Counsel’s Office and the Justice Department during the first Trump administration.

g_movies_toystory5_still_3_52ea0cb0

What ‘Toy Story 5’ Should Have Told Parents About Screens

Pixar

technology

Toy Story

A major toy manufacturer is under fire after one outraged parent realized an item marketed to children as young as 3 had inappropriate and sexual content printed on it. 
Zuru Mini Brands sells a miniature toy version of the popular Colleen Hoover romance novel “Without Merit,” which apparently includes actual lines of text that can be read by anyone who purchases it, per TikTok user Tam (@ basic_mom_moments). 
Tam said in the viral video, which now has over 5 million views, that some of the books she received were classics like “Moby Dick” and “Sherlock Holmes.” But she said her daughter was reading “Without Merit” and then allegedly told her, “Mommy, I can’t read this book anymore, it’s inappropriate.”
At first, Tam said she thought it was a silly yet harmless word such as “butt” or “dumb.” But when she took out the included miniature magnifying glass to look for herself, the last line of the first page of “Without Merit” said, “I was enjoying his hand on my boob.”
“My daughter is seven,” she said in the video, “and I had to have a kind of weird conversation with her about that, that I wasn’t really ready to have.”
<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@basic_mom_moments/video/7649183440419523871" data-video-id="7649183440419523871" data-embed-from="oembed" style="max-width:605px; min-width:325px;">
<section> <a target="_blank" title="@basic_mom_moments" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@basic_mom_moments?refer=embed">@basic_mom_moments</a> 
I’m literally speechless. 🚩 Check your kids&#8217; Mini Brands books, parents. I cannot believe what I just read in a toy for my 7-year-old. @ZURU @Target please explain this. <a title="parenting" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/parenting?refer=embed">#Parenting</a> <a title="minibrands" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/minibrands?refer=embed">#MiniBrands</a> <a title="momlife" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/momlife?refer=embed">#momlife</a> <a title="target" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/target?refer=embed">#Target</a> <a title="fyp" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/fyp?refer=embed">#fyp</a>
 <a target="_blank" title="♬ original sound - the_real_tamtam" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7649183415706733342?refer=embed">♬ original sound &#8211; the_real_tamtam</a> </section>
</blockquote>
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The TikTok creator updated her followers with the response from Zuru in the comments, which she called “corporate garbage.”
A rep from the company responded by saying that the “ages three and up” label was for choking hazards, not content. She said the company “did admit” that there was “inappropriate content” that was “not OK for children.” Tam said the rep promised to pass the feedback on to internal team members and offered to send her child a free box of toys. “Not totally happy with this,” Tam <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@basic_mom_moments/video/7651793918429760798">noted</a>, saying she’s happy the company responded but was frustrated it happened at all. 
The brand Zuru is known for its popular Mini Brands collection of everyday household items. Everything from kitchen appliances to food, shoes, toys, and more can be purchased in miniaturized versions from the Mini Brands lineup. These are sold in blind bags and are a limited release to encourage buyers to keep buying and collect them all.
On the distributor’s website, these items are labeled as a “Surprise Toy for Kids, Teens &amp; Adults Ages 3+ by ZURU.”
Most commenters were outraged that Colleen Hoover&#8217;s books were included in the mix. But others noted that adults collected mini items too, and claimed this title was for them. 
“It’s literally a toy for adults which is why it’s in the toy section but it overlaps with kids toys. It’s the parent’s responsibility to check for what they buy their kids. She’s so annoying,” one Redditor <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/MiniBrands/comments/1u7nftd/so_this_is_why_minibrands_books_are_taken_off/?rdt=49002">said</a> of Tam. 
“She&#8217;d rather gripe in an online video than just monitor what her kid gets,” another person agreed. “Miniatures aren&#8217;t just for kids. They are for everyone.”
Editor&#8217;s note: A previous version of the article attributed Mini Brands to MGA Entertainment. The toy is manufactured by ZURU Toys.

Target toys

Adult Content Hidden Inside Popular Toy Goes Viral

Adult Content Hidden Inside Popular Toy Goes Viral On TikTok

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As children raced through the halls of the Trump Kennedy Center waving miniature American flags and wearing Minuteman hats, Dr. Ben Carson stood at the center of what he hopes will become a new movement in children&#8217;s education.
The former Housing and Urban Development secretary, 2016 presidential candidate, and renowned neurosurgeon premiered “Star Spangled Adventures: The Movie” on Sunday as part of the <a href="https://americancornerstone.org/">American Cornerstone Institute&#8217;s</a> Little Patriots initiative, an effort designed to teach American history to children through books, films, and educational resources ahead of the nation&#8217;s 250th anniversary.
For Carson, the animated feature is about far more than entertainment. &#8220;In order for people to really develop patriotism, they need to know their history,&#8221; Carson said in an interview with The Daily Wire before the screening. &#8220;I was noticing that fewer and fewer people seem to know their history.&#8221;
The concern is one that animated nearly every aspect of the event. Throughout the afternoon, families packed the venue for patriotic activities before gathering for a screening of the film, which follows Liberty the Eagle through key moments in American history.
Carson argued that too many young Americans are being taught a distorted understanding of the country&#8217;s past. &#8220;Probably the biggest thing that&#8217;s missing is that we have a country with an honorable history,&#8221; Carson said. &#8220;There are those who have taken some of the bad things that have happened and tried to make that characterizing.&#8221;
While acknowledging that America has experienced failures throughout its history, Carson said modern education often focuses exclusively on those failures while ignoring the nation&#8217;s achievements.
The result, he warned, is a generation increasingly vulnerable to ideological movements hostile to America&#8217;s founding principles. &#8220;We look around and we see socialism and communism becoming acceptable,&#8221; Carson said. &#8220;Those things are not compatible with our Constitution.&#8221;
That concern helps explain why Carson chose animation as the medium for his latest project. The challenge, he said, was finding a way to communicate history to children without sacrificing historical accuracy. &#8220;We throw some humor in there, but it&#8217;s heavily weighted with facts,&#8221; Carson said. &#8220;We did it that way so that not only would the little kids enjoy it, but the parents, the grandparents, the teachers would learn also.&#8221;
The film boasts an unusually star-studded cast for an independent patriotic project. Kevin Sorbo voices George Washington, Gary Sinise portrays Robert E. Lee, Pat Boone appears as Abraham Lincoln, and actor John Schneider lends his voice to Revolutionary War militia commander Captain John Parker.
For Schneider, best known for his role on &#8220;The Dukes of Hazzard,&#8221; joining the project required little persuasion. &#8220;I love this country. I was raised to love this country and honor this country,&#8221; Schneider told The Daily Wire on the red carpet.
What motivated him, he said, was seeing what he described as a growing effort to rewrite American history. &#8220;After I turned 50 or so, I started seeing this revisionist history coming in and saying that our country was bad,&#8221; Schneider said. &#8220;It really aggravated me.&#8221;
Standing just steps away from children wearing colonial-era hats and red, white, and blue outfits, Schneider said the event represented something increasingly rare in modern American culture: an unapologetic celebration of the nation itself. &#8220;It&#8217;s so great to be part of something that is defending our history,&#8221; he said.
Among those attending the premiere was longtime Carson mentee and ally Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner, who described the event as representative of the &#8220;heartbeat of America.&#8221;
&#8220;Patriots — even young patriots, little children — families coming together, celebrating our great country together, celebrating our faith in God together,&#8221; Turner added.
The premiere also served as a launch point for Carson&#8217;s broader educational ambitions. Alongside the film, Carson released a new book, “Built on Faith,” a children’s book discussing America&#8217;s founders and the influence of religious belief in their lives.
According to Carson, “Star Spangled Adventures” is only the beginning. &#8220;There are a lot of creative ventures in the works,&#8221; he said. As America approaches its semiquincentennial celebration in 2026, Carson hopes those projects will help create a generation that understands not only the nation&#8217;s history but its responsibilities.
When asked what he hopes families discuss on the drive home after watching the film, Carson&#8217;s answer was simple. &#8220;How can we see more of this?&#8221; he said. &#8220;How can we get more involved?&#8221;
For Dr. Ben Carson, that conversation may ultimately be the point of all his efforts going forward; the movie itself is only one chapter in a much larger effort to convince America&#8217;s youngest citizens that their country&#8217;s story is worth knowing — and worth defending.

Ben Carson

Ben Carson Wants To Teach America’s Children To Love Their Country Again

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