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Taylor Swift's surprise 'Tonight Show' performance is emotional tribute to Jimmy Fallon's mom
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When "The Tonight Show" asked Taylor Swift last minute to perform on the show, they had no idea how fitting her lyrics would be for an emotional tribute to Jimmy Fallon's mother. - photo by Mary Dalrymple
NEW YORK CITY When "The Tonight Show" producers asked Taylor Swift to perform on the show, no one knew just how emotional, and fitting, her performance would be.

Monday night "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" aired its first episode back after a weeklong hiatus due to the death of host Jimmy Fallon's mother. To start off the show, Fallon shared a tribute to his mother, Gloria.

"She was the best audience. She was the one I was always trying to make laugh," Fallon said before sharing a childhood story.

"When we were little, my mom would walk us to the store, me and my sister, and we would hold hands," Fallon said while holding back tears. "She would squeeze my hand three times and say, 'I love you,' and I would squeeze back, 'I love you too.'"

Fallon went on to share how he squeezed his mother's hand again to say "I love you" while visiting her in the hospital just before she died.

"I knew we were in trouble," he said.

Fallon finished his emotional and sweet tribute by thanking his audience and saying he would work hard to bring more light and laughter into the world.

"Mom, I'll never stop trying to make you laugh. I love you," he said while squeezing his hand in the air three times before moving on to the show's other segments.

Later in the night's episode, an unexpected tribute from musical guest Taylor Swift got the crowd emotional once again.

Swift was on the show to perform the song "New Year's Day" from her new album "Reputation." When she sang the lyrics to the song's second verse, everyone realized just how fitting the song was for the occasion.

"You squeezed my hand three times in the back of the taxi, I can tell that it's gonna be a long road," Swift sang before finishing the rest of the song and immediately embracing Fallon in a heartfelt hug.

After the show ended, Mike DiCenzo, one of the show's writers and producers, shared more on Twitter about just how special the night had been.

DiCenzo shared how hard the night was for Fallon and how he hadn't previously told anyone the story about his mom and squeezing her hand three times.

But Fallon did the show anyway, and that is "a testament to how strong he is," DiCenzo tweeted.

Then DiCenzo mentioned Taylor Swift. It turns out, Swift had not been scheduled to perform, but when the show reached out and told her they were trying to make the night extra special for Fallon, she immediately agreed.

None of the producers had previously heard the song "New Year's Day," so they also did not know about the lyrical connection to Fallon's story.

"Tears," DiCenzo said. "I think everyone in the audience started sobbing."

DiCenzo then shared how the hug between Fallon and Swift was "100% real emotion."

"Whatever you think of Taylor, she did something beautiful for Jimmy and our show today, and we're forever grateful," he tweeted.
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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