How is it our teens find us so cringe while also depending on us for clothes, shelter, and Chipotle? Chip Leighton, author of the new book WHAT TIME IS NOON, discusses the disconnect between teens' naivete about the world and the ironclad rules of interaction they still see fit to impose upon their parents.

Chip Leighton is creator of The Leighton Show, a hilarious social media platform about parenting and marriage. Its viral videos have been seen more than 250 million times.

Margaret and Chip discuss:

• How vacation is a new location in which your teens will blame you for everything
• Funny mistakes teens make when it comes to cooking, driving, and traveling
• The "horrifying" mistakes parents make when it comes to technology

Here's where you can find Chip:

• theleightonshow.com
• @The_Leighton_Show on TikTok, IG, and FB
• Buy WHAT TIME IS NOON: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9781682689240

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A recent report found that the division of home responsibilities is still grossly unequal. Mothers—whether they are married or single—do significantly more than fathers. In fact, the “The Free-Time Gender Gap” report found that “simply being a woman is linked to spending more time on unpaid childcare and household work, and having less free time, even when controlling for age, income, race/ ethnicity, parental status, and marital status."

What does it mean for women to have less free time, and how can we keep working to close the gender gap?

Amy and Margaret discuss:

• The differences in socialization between men and women when it comes to our living spaces
• How time inequality serves to further reinforce and perpetuate gender inequality
• How "secondary childcare" factors into the free-time gender gap

Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:

• Natalia Vega Varela, and Leyly Moridi “The Free-Time Gender Gap: How Unpaid Care and Household Labor Reinforces Women’s Inequality,” Gender Equity Policy Institute, October 2024.
• Allison Daminger for the American Sociological Review: De-gendered Processes, Gendered Outcomes: How Egalitarian Couples Make Sense of Non-egalitarian Household Practices
• Anne Helen Petersen on Substack: What Makes Women Clean

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

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mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, emotional labor,

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We’re excited to share an episode of the podcast “What It’s Like to Be…” from New York Times bestselling business book author Dan Heath.

In every episode, Dan interviews someone from a different profession: a cattle rancher, a FBI special agent, a professional Santa Claus. He asks what it’s like to do what they do. It’s the perfect show to listen to with your kids – it’s family safe but also gives them a preview of different careers, and the kinds of personalities that fit with the work.

Is a Secret Service Agent supposed to pretend like they’re not there when they’re around the president?

What does a hair stylist do when a client asks for a celebrity hairstyle that will never work for them?

In the preview you’re about to hear, you’ll meet a marine biologist who studies manta rays. You’ll hear how drones have changed her work, what it’s like to get to know individual rays, and why people have such a romantic image of being a “Marine Biologist.”

You can find more episodes of “What It’s Like to Be…” wherever you get your podcasts.

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This month's Deep Dive series is all about family dynamics. Listen to the whole playlist on Spotify.

What makes us introverts or extroverts– and why do so many of us choose our total opposites for our parenting partners? In this episode we talk about the myths of introverts and extroverts, why opposites attract, and how to parent kids who are also your total opposites.

In this episode, Amy and Margaret discuss:

• The ways that introverts and extroverts solve problems
• How they navigate being the opposite of their partners
• How to advocate for your kids depending on their social orientation

Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:

• Natalie Arroyo Camacho for Well & Good: "3 Obstacles To Expect From an Introvert-Extrovert Relationship—Plus Whether It Can Work at All"
• Rodney B. Lawn et al: "Quiet Flourishing: The Authenticity and Well-Being of Trait Introverts Living in the West Depends on Extraversion-Deficit Beliefs"
• Healthline: "Are You an Extrovert? Here’s How to Tell"
• R. L. LaFevers for Wired: Tips For Introverted Parents Raising Extroverted Kids
• R. L. LaFevers for Wired: Are You Raising An Introvert?
• Are You an Introvert? Take this assessment

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/

mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, introvert, extrovert, personality type, personality test, personality assessment

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What is the "whole-brain perspective" when it comes to parenting, and what does it mean to parent with the brain in mind? Dr. Dan Siegel, founding co-director of the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center and Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute, and author of the psychology classic THE WHOLE-BRAIN CHILD, explains how we can help our kids learn from difficult experiences rather than avoid them. 

Dan, Amy, and Margaret discuss:

• What whole-brain integration means
• How neurodivergent brains function
• How parents can help their children lead balanced, meaningful, and connected lives

Here's where you can find Dr. Siegel:

• www.drdansiegel.com
• @drdansiegel on social media
• Buy THE WHOLE-BRAIN CHILD: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9780553386691

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

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mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, resilience, grit, self-esteem, neuroscience, child brain development

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What do you do that, goshdarnit, actually works exactly as advertised to make your life better? In this episode, we discuss all the early bedtimes and PT exercises that we find annoyingly effective, plus...

• time management tactics that are frustrating useful
• meal planning methods that work every time (if you do them)
• how to make your phone more boring—and immediately less interesting

Read all of the things that unfortunately work well on the original thread in our Facebook group

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

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mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, parental stress, kids stress, decluttering, meal prepping, time management, workout, exercise

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This month's Deep Dive series is all about helping our kids through hardships like making mistakes, getting rejected, and facing competition. Listen to the whole playlist on Spotify.

Do you worry about finding the balance between forcing your kid to keep doing activities that are good for them (that you already paid for) and not letting them be miserable all the time? How do you keep them on track academically without having to run flashcards with them about the Peloponnesian War for the billionth time? Here's what the research says about when to push our kids - and when to let sleeping (Peloponnesian) dogs lie.

A listener in our Facebook group asks:

"How do you decide when to push your kids? Like when to go from YMCA basketball to the travel team. Or when to go from regular school to the accelerated program, or the private school that's more rigorous. When to apply for the stretch school or the internship? We don't want to ruin hobbies or turn the stress up to 11, obviously. So how do you know which knob to turn and when to turn it so that their ambition, their ability, and their achievement all line up in perfect balance and harmony?"

Amy and Margaret discuss:

• The “optimal push” and how it's different from over-parenting
• Achievement-by-proxy distortion (sing out, Louise!)
• The factors to consider when pushing your child to do something

Ultimately, kids are optimally supported when they believe their parents’ love is not performance-contingent. The answer lies in helping them fulfill their potential without damaging their self-esteem.

Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:

• Amy Wilson for New York Family: Finding the Optimal Push
• Our episode "How Not To Live Through Our Kids"
• Dr. Eddie Brummelman et al: My Child Redeems My Broken Dreams: On Parents Transferring Their Unfulfilled Ambitions onto Their Child

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

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mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, resilience, grit, self-esteem

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How can we help our kids prepare to move from a structured high school/ home environment to the less structured and more independent college environment? It starts earlier than you think! Emily Rubin Persons, founder of SKIP Coaching, explains how to help kids build the skills they need from a young age. Emily is a certified ADHD Coach who works with students and adults to build their executive skills and learn to do things in a way that works for their brain.

Here's where you can find Emily:

• www.skipcoaching.com
• @SKIPcoaching on IG
• @EmilyRubinPersons on LinkedIn

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/

mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, college, college readiness, learning styles, ADHD, ADHD learning styles, college education, college students, learning differences

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What do we do as parents when our kids aren't great at making friends, or their friends are outgrowing them, or we feel that their friends are a bad influence?

Sometimes, we're not supposed to do anything at all. Sometimes our kids really need our support. How can we tell the difference?

In this episode, Amy and Margaret discuss:

• what might contribute to trouble making friends
• the skills kids can develop to become better friends
• what to do when you don't like your kid's friends

Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:

• Michelle Icard for CNN: Parents ‘should be seen and not heard’ when it comes to kids and their friendships
• Parenting.org: My Child Has No Friends
• Julia Morrill for Health Matters: How Parents Can Help Their Kids Make Friends
• Lexi Walters Wright for Understood.org: 4 skills for making friends
•  Claire McCarthy for Harvard Health Publishing: Helping children make friends: What parents can do
• Kelsey Borresen for HuffPost: What To Do If You Don’t Like Your Kid’s Friend

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

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mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, rejection, kid rejection, friendships, kids friendships, kids friends, kids making friends, kids social skills

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This month's Deep Dive series is all about helping our kids through hardships like making mistakes, getting rejected, and facing competition. Listen to the whole playlist on Spotify.

Does competition have benefits? What level of competition is healthy for our kids? Many of us agree that the stereotypical dad yelling through the fence at T-Ball is taking things a little too seriously. But others say that participation trophies teach our kids to be lazy and therefore represent the ultimate downfall of our civilization. How do we balance the eye of the tiger with just letting our kids play?

In this episode we get to the bottom of why some people are more competitive than others, what the right age is for kids to start learning the lessons of losing, and how competition (when it's done right) can actually teach cooperation and self-regulation.

Here are links to some writing on the topic that we discuss in this episode:

• 'Shirtless Tongan' Pita Taufatofua makes Olympic history
• Evolution of competitiveness: Scientists explain diversity in competitiveness
• Byron Heath on Kerri Strug

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

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mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, resilience, grit, self-esteem, rejection, kid rejection, competition, kids sports

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As moms, we're often given tons of societal pressure on how we have to give our kids all the right things—then told to "chill out" when it comes to the worrying part. Gabrielle Blair, author of the new book THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT, is here to tell us that adulthood doesn't look like it used to, and that there are many paths to the success and happiness that all our kids deserve.

Gabrielle Blair is the the founder of DesignMom.com and the author of the New York Times blockbuster bestseller Ejaculate Responsibly.

Gabrielle, Amy, and Margaret discuss:

• How the idea of the "reliable path to success" is actually harmful for a lot of parents and kids
• Simple (and free/cheap) ways to use your home to create the family life you want
• Why Gabrielle disagrees with the "you only get 18 summers" rhetoric that permeates parenting circles

Here's where you can find Gabrielle:

• designmom.com
• @designmom on IG
• #thekidsareallright #thekidsareallrightbook
• Buy THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9781523526505

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

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mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, parental stress, kids stress

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