It’s graduation season, and many of you will be watching your kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews reach that big life milestone over the next few weeks. I’m right there with you. My son, Ian, just gave his senior speech and talked about something very near and dear to my heart, his hero — my mother. Warning: Grab the tissues. (Ian’s speech starts just after the 6-minute mark.)
The secret meanings behind emojis
Emojis are your digital body language, and just like in real life, one wrong move can send the totally wrong message. 😬 The right emoji adds personality, sarcasm or a playful tone. But some of these tiny icons carry hidden meanings you might not realize.
Use the 🍆 emoji to talk about dinner? Yikes. Definitely don’t send 🐱 thinking it’s just cute. Even something as simple as the 😅 emoji might read way more awkward than you intended.
One bad emoji, and you’ve accidentally turned “Thanks!” into “I’m flirting” or worse, “I’m confused and sweating.”
So before you hit send, read this. 👇 It might just save you from an emoji facepalm.
Most misused emojis
😂 Crying laughing: If this is your go-to, you’re a jokester. There’s a reason I use it with my dad jokes. Heads up, Gen Z definitely thinks it’s for old people. Oh well.
💀 Skull: It means “I’m dead,” as in, laughing so hard it just about killed you. Super popular with Gen Z and now millennials. Use it and your kids or grandkids will think you’re groovy.
🔥 Fire: If you’re constantly dropping the fire emoji, you’re all about hype and enthusiasm. It’s the equivalent of saying, “That’s awesome!”
🙃 Upside-down smiley: The king of sarcasm for those of you with a dry sense of humor. It’s the perfect way to say, “Yeah, sure … whatever.”
👍 Thumbs-up: Sorry, but it usually comes across as passive-aggressive. When you respond to a long text with just a thumbs-up, people see it as dismissive. I’ll share what I use instead below.
🙏 Praying hands: Are you using this emoji to say “thank you” or to actually pray? You’re probably a thoughtful and appreciative person. Some people still confuse it for a high five.
👀 Side-eye: Dropping the 👀 emoji in a message? You’re either curious, gossiping or hinting at something juicy.
It's back to school time! Save on tech for you, the kids or the grandkids
Amazon
It doesn’t matter if you’re preparing your child for distance learning or if you’re taking college courses — it’s just fun to go back-to-school shopping.
What makes school shopping exceptionally fun is perusing technology that can be used for scholastic, business or entertainment purposes. No one gets excited about purchasing erasers and glue sticks, but everyone pays attention when buying a new laptop or choosing the right wireless keyboard and mouse combo.
Summertime essentials for the kids
Entertain the kids, grandkids, neighbor kids or your inner kid with these fun, hot-weather staples. Get ‘em now so you’re ready anytime!
- 🎈 Amazing! Fill and tie 100 water balloons at once in just a minute. So much easier than back in the day.
- Or go with reusable water balloons (10% off, $8.99). No bits to clean up after the fun!
- 🏖️ The best little toy shovels (29% off, $9.99) for digging in the sand or dirt. Get the kiddos to pull weeds while they’re at it!
- 24 chunky sticks of sidewalk chalk (50% off, $9.99) for doodlin’ and hopscotch. Do kids still play hopscotch? I sure hope so.
- 🌽 Or grab a cornhole set, which you’ll enjoy playing even after the kids leave.
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Taking care of grandkids this summer? Here are some fun games!
You don’t need a super fancy gaming system to keep the little ones entertained. Check out these fun games, in 60 seconds.
Cellphones cause cancer, communist China's tech & store 100K songs in cloud
Plus, I’ll tell you how to make sure your firewall is working. I also have tips to get rid of duplicate photos and stop snoops — along with my advice about websites, keeping in touch with grandkids, and being a money-making travel blogger.
Starlink coming to school buses
Do your kids or grandkids ride on the school bus? Listen to this one-minute podcast for the full story behind Elon Musk’s newest plot.