What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face...
When you're a parent, every day brings a "fresh hell" to deal with. In other words, there's always something. Think of us as your funny mom friends who are here to remind you: you're not alone, and it won't always be this hard.
We're Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables, both busy moms of three kids, but with completely different parenting styles. Margaret is a laid-back to the max; Amy never met a spreadsheet or an organizational system she didn't like.
In each episode of "What Fresh Hell" we offer lots of laughs, but also practical advice, parenting strategies, and tips to empower you in your role as a mom. We explore self-help techniques, as well as ways to prioritize your own needs, combat stress, and despite the invisible workload we all deal with, find joy amidst the chaos of motherhood.
If you've ever wondered "why is my kid..." then one of us has probably been there, and we're here to tell you what we've learned along the way.
We unpack the behaviors and developmental stages of toddlers, tweens, and teenagers, providing insights into their actions and equipping you with effective parenting strategies.
We offer our best parenting tips and skills we've learned. We debate the techniques and studies that are everywhere for parents these days, and get to the bottom of what works best to raise happy, healthy, fairly well-behaved kids, while fostering a positive parent-child relationship.
If you're the default parent in your household, whether you're a busy mom juggling multiple pickups and dropoffs, or a first-time parent seeking guidance, this podcast is your trusted resource. Join our community of supportive mom friends laughing in the face of motherhood!
401
Ask Margaret: My Kid Loves to Push the Limits
Is your kid great at finding loopholes in the rules you set? Like, "Law and Order" good? A listener wrote in to ask about her child's wise guy streak.
7 min
402
Fresh Take: Laura Vanderkam on "Tranquility By ...
Feel like you work all day and still get nothing done? Time management expert Laura Vanderkam, author of "Tranquility By Tuesday," shares nine simple rules for creating the time we want for the truly important things in our busy lives.
32 min
403
What Kind of Mom-ster?
When were you the mom-ster in your household? Leaving out cups? Forbidding video games on a school night? Here are our most harrowing tales of mom misbehavior, as reported by the people we live with.
43 min
404
Ask Amy: My Kid Has a Not-So-Secret Admirer
Does your child receive unwanted attention from another child that they just can't shake? Here's how to help your child establish healthy boundaries with other kids.
5 min
405
Fresh Take: Carla Naumburg Says You Are Not a S...
Think you're the only garbage parent on the face of the Earth? So does every other parent on the face of the Earth. Dr. Carla Naumburg, author of You Are Not a Sh*tty Parent, shares ways to practice self-compassion, even on our darkest days.
34 min
406
Teachers are Awesome and This Is Why
We love our kids' teachers! We asked our listeners about the teachers in their kids' lives who have gone above and beyond the call of duty, and the answers came flooding in.
38 min
407
Ask Margaret: Planning a Family RV Trip
Have you ever thought about doing an RV trip with your family? If not you might be saner than Margaret - who did one with her three kids, but if so - here are all of Margaret's know-before-you-go tips.
7 min
408
Fresh Take: Dr. Stuart Shanker on Self-Reg
How can we teach our kids self-regulation? And how is it different from self-control? Dr. Stuart Shanker, author of “Reframed: Self-Reg for a Just Society,” takes us through his five-step process for helping kids regulate themselves.
34 min
409
The Most Important Things We've Learned (So Far)
What have we learned in the six years since we started the What Fresh Hell podcast? Here are the most important things we've learned from our experts, from each other, and from our listeners.
39 min
410
Ask Amy: How Do I Get My Tweens to Bed?
Is bedtime a nightly chore, even with your older kids? Does it drag on for far too long? Here are some ways to move things along.
5 min
411
Fresh Take: Helena Andrews-Dyer on Learning Fro...
What can we learn from mothers across racial and cultural divides, and how can we make authentic connections with them? Award-winning journalist Helena Andrews-Dyer asks these questions and more in her new book “The Mamas."
31 min
412
Is It Sometimes Easier When Our Spouses Aren't ...
Is it easier to run the house when our spouses are out of town? A good number of our listeners said yes. Can we embrace that feeling, instead of feeling guilty?
36 min
413
Ask Margaret: My Kid Won't Stop Spitting
A listener struggles with her three-year-old's endless spitting. Margaret explains how to counter the instinct to react like a jack-in-the-box.
7 min
414
Fresh Take: Penelope Leach on "Your Baby and Ch...
Penelope Leach has been guiding and reassuring parents for more than 40 years. Her classic childcare guide YOUR BABY AND CHILD is out now in a fully revised and updated edition. Penelope tells us what’s changed in child-rearing– and what hasn’t.
26 min
415
Why Isn't This a Thing? (Part Two)
We’re back with things that don’t exist but definitely should, from dishwasher-safe waffle makers to uninterrupted showers. This ep is full of $1,000,000 ideas… and OK, some $100 ideas too. But we deserve a world in which all these things are things.
42 min
416
Ask Amy: How Do I Get My Little Guy to Open Up?
How do we get our kids to open up to us about their days at school? When our kids say “nothing” happened, are we supposed to push harder, or let them just sit there? Here’s how to get kids talking– plus when it might be more productive to let it go.
6 min
417
Fresh Take: Donna Jackson Nakazawa on Helping O...
Stress affects the female brain very differently from the male brain, especially at puberty. Donna Jackson Nakazawa tells us about the increased rates of anxiety and depression in girls–and what we can do about it– in her new book GIRLS ON THE BRINK.
29 min
418
What We're Reading, Watching, and Listening to ...
What do lustful elves, Lizzo, and Jeopardy all have in common? They're on Amy and Margaret's reading/watching/listening list this fall. So get your Kindle, plug in your headphones, and retrieve the remote from wherever the kids (or spouse) have stashed it.
39 min
419
Ask Margaret: My Son Doesn't Have Any Close Fri...
If your kid has lots of acquaintances but no close friends, is something amiss? Is it time to pull out the conversation cue cards on the playground? Margaret explores different reasons that kids may not have close friends.
6 min
420
Fresh Take: Dr. Becky Kennedy on Being "Good In...
Dr. Becky Kennedy, host of the "Good Inside with Dr. Becky" podcast and @drbeckyatgoodinside on Instagram, tells us how the “Good Inside” approach can reshape how we view both ourselves as parents and our children,and about her new book GOOD INSIDE.
29 min
421
Should We Pay Our Kids to Clean Their Rooms?
Do your kids have chore charts? Do they help out anyhow, if not? Do they get paid an allowance? And does that allowance have anything to do with the doing of chores? We see these issues pretty differently. In this episode we discuss best solutions.
43 min
422
Ask Amy: My Spouse Goes Out with Friends...and ...
Does your parenting partner have a social life while you stay home? Has it been ages since you’ve seen your pals? Does it feel easier not to go out then to come home to a huge mess? Here’s how to find the time in your life to be more than mom.
6 min
423
Fresh Take: Linda Flanagan on Taking Back Kids'...
Is your 6th grader’s travel lacrosse schedule taking over your life? Are you spending $20K a year on youth hockey? Linda Flanagan’s new book is TAKE BACK THE GAME, and in this episode she explains how youth sports have been warped by money and mania.
31 min
424
What Fresh Hell Is Back to School?
School supplies. Pre-season sports. Parent portals. Uniform pants that don’t fit the night before the first day. Back to school means the return of so many fun activities for kids, and so many fresh hells for parents. Here are a few of our favorites.
36 min
425
Ask Margaret: What Should Kids DO After School?
Bring out your whiteboards! A listener asks for advice about afterschool routines for her two boys, and Margaret recommends writing down tasks, some unstructured time, and "feeding your beasts."
6 min