What does music mean to you? Have you ever been brought to tears by a simple song? For a young boy with autism seeing his favourite band Coldplay in concert was just too much.
His dad, Luis Vazquez, caught the emotional moment on camera during a gig at Mexico City's Foro Sol stadium.
"Tears stream down your face," sang Chris Martin in the apt lyrics to the song, "Fix You."
The boy is shown dancing and moving his shoulders, but at one point the experience just gets too much and he buries his head in his hands and cries with pure joy.
His dad presses his head to his son's and sings to him.
It's really a touching moment between a father and son. It also speaks to the power of music. Certain artists, certain songs have the power to unite us. It's a power that has been acutely felt all across the world in the days following the death of Prince.
The clip has been viewed more than 1.7 million times - and even members of Coldplay were moved by what their music inspired:
"This kind of thing makes it all worthwhile. Hola Luis y tu hijo hermoso! Love."
Many kids with autism are intensely passionate music fans. A friend's son had a similar experience when he got to see his favourite band, U2, perform live.
Though sensory issues often come hand in hand with the disorder, it can be tempting for parents to avoid taking kids to loud and overstimulating venues like concert halls for fear that the experience would be too overwhelming.
I have been there, and it's always a judgment call and a delicate balancing act. After all, you don't want to thrust your child into a situation that could induce a meltdown but neither do you want to rob them of life's riches, either.
All kids deserve to experience life to the fullest.
I love that these parents made their son's dream come true, autism be damned. So beautiful.
You've heard of therapy dogs, but what about therapy raccoons? A British woman who suffers from chronic illnesses claims her pet raccoon helps her deal.
Kasey Valentine has Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (aka chronic fatigue) and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, a rare connective tissue disorder that causes her considerable joint pain.
"Both illnesses have left me quite isolated and anxious about going outside and meeting new people," explained Valentine. "I don’t have many close friends these days because of this, as not many people understand how it feels."
But Cody the raccoon - which Valentine takes for regular walks to the shops and bathes like a puppy - helps enormously.
Which begs the question: why not just get a dog, which is a domesticated animal? Raccoons aren't really meant to be house pets. Valentine admits as much.
"Naturally, they are destructive creatures and Cody enjoys peeling off wallpaper. He never gets left on his own and he is kept out of mischief where possible. It's like having an extremely hyper toddler at times, but it keeps me on my toes and I really need that."
Yes, raccoons are typically a pretty feral bunch. Just ask those who live in the city of Toronto, where a considerable amount of effort and funding has been put into keeping the mischievous mammals from upturning garbage cans every night.
Yes, there is a certain cuteness about them - at least the ones that aren't foaming at the mouth. They regularly wind up in my yard at dusk, but I don't invite them in for biscuits and cuddles.
Valentine describes Cody's "personality" as "inquisitive, curious and affectionate."
"He is very intelligent too. He is a lot more outgoing than me, which is great because it helps me learn to be more confident about life and meeting new people. He has really changed my life around and I now have a reason to keep pushing forward every day."
Cody made me cast my mind back to little Darwin in the shearling coat... Does it matter what type of animal a person takes as a pet if they are proven to be a therapeutic influence? Or is it irresponsible and selfish to treat a raccoon (or monkey) as a surrogate baby?
Here's a question. How soon should you go out on the town for the first time after you have a baby? If you're Chrissy Teigen, the answer is 10 days after you give birth.
In fact, that's a trick question because there is no right answer. Or rather, the answer is: whenever you bloody well feel like going out, provided you haven't gone and left your baby in the backseat of your car...
But unfortunately not all social media users are aware of the cardinal rule of motherhood. Thou shall not shame other mamas.
Teigen got the first - but by no means the last - taste of internet vitriol after she deigned to go out to dinner with hubby John Legend.
I went to dinner. People are pissed. Good morning! pic.twitter.com/oQ54mtet8c
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) April 24, 2016
Instagram was rife with comments like “She’s hitting the streets already???? Damn these so-called celebrities want to show off so bad after giving birth. Spend bonding time with your baby and not let the nanny or babysitter raise them!”
And: “That spotlight pull be strong. One week. Who wants to leave a one week old baby to go to a bar?”
But Teigen proved that when it comes to parenting criticism, she's no wilting violet. She handled the haters with aplomb, calling out the passive aggressive remarks with coolness and humour.
Take her response to “How’s baby Luna,” from a "concerned" commenter.
i dunno i can't find her https://t.co/fEj8rFHEMI
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) April 24, 2016
Boom.
Bravo Chrissy! Now that is how you shut down a mommy shamer.
RELATED: Let's Make it a Girl. Is Choosing a Baby's Sex Wrong?
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