Go ahead, make fun of your kids, science says it's GOOD parenting

😜 Playfully teasing might be the secret to raising smarter, happier kids

Tantrums, trolling, and toddler brainpower: The science behind playful parenting

Trolling your kids might sound like a TikTok trend gone too far, but science says a little mischief might be good for boosting young brains. In this story by Mark Wales, we learn that playful teasing, when done with heart, helps kids build emotional intelligence, creative problem-solving skills, and even conflict resolution. Dr. Carol Bishop Mills calls it a way to teach affection and boundaries.

Even toddlers get the joke, thanks to what researchers call “intentional context cues.” Translation: your fake tantrum could be teaching them empathy, humor, and social grace.

📺 The surprising science of what dogs love to watch on TV

It’s not just Animal Planet and squirrel chases. Your dog might be a TV critic.

Auburn University researchers surveyed 453 dog owners and uncovered something oddly delightful, dogs show clear preferences when it comes to television. As Ryan Reed reports, their new “Dog Television Viewing Scale” revealed that some dogs go full detective-mode for animal scenes, while others fixate on honking cars or doorbells. The twist? It’s all linked to temperament, not breed or exposure.

This isn’t just a quirky footnote, it could shape how we enrich the lives of shelter dogs or make solo time less stressful for pets left home alone. DOGTV founder Ron Levi says it best: “There is a possible solution here for so many pets who are home by themselves.”

Does this mean you have to paws pause it when the dog goes outside for a potty break?

And what did we learn?

Yesterday, we asked how you feel about shrooming in the name of medical advancement, and, GOOD readers, you are here for it by a wide margin.

• 🧠 Promising frontier, we need more research. (68.1%)

• 📊 Cautiously optimistic, but I want long-term data. (12.8%)

• 🛑 No thanks! Keep it out of my food and my medicine. (8.5%)

• 🤓 Fascinating, but definitely not DIY territory. (10.6%) 

💬From the group text…

If horror/romance isn’t a mashup you’re into, how about athleticism/charity? A few blokes are rowing all the way from New York to the UK to raise money for veteran mental health. It’s mad, it’s inspiring, and it’s working! They’re up to almost $50k!