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!  

whatfreshhellpodcast.com

Parenting
Comedy
Kids & Family
426
Fresh Take: Yael Schonbrun on "Work, Parent, Th...
Do you feel guilty that you're not at work when you're parenting and not parenting when you're at work? Dr. Yael Schonbrun, author of the new book WORK, PARENT, THRIVE, tells us how we can view work and family as connected rather than in competition.
29 min
427
When The World Moves Too Fast For Our Kids
Are our kids growing up more slowly than we did? Is that necessarily a bad thing? Can we encourage our late bloomers to pick up the pace?
35 min
428
Ask Amy: My Kid Asks for Help - and Then Gets M...
Does your kid ask for your help with homework, then snarl at you? Does your kid procrastinate and then panic, blaming you while he spirals? Is there a middle ground between letting a kid like this fail, or continuing the fight about doing the work?
7 min
429
Fresh Take: Wendi Aarons on Growing Older, Wise...
Think there’s an expiration date on dream-chasing? Think you’re too old to make bold choices? Wendi Aarons, author of I’M WEARING TUNICS NOW, tells us about second acts, self-acceptance, and celebrating what happens when we get older and wiser.
34 min
430
I Really Thought This Would Be a Bigger Part of...
What did you grow up believing would be a consistent presence in your adult life? Quicksand? Dinner parties? The Bermuda Triangle? Movies, TV, and certain bubble bath ads definitely led us astray when it came to the realities of adult life.
44 min
431
Ask Margaret: My 8-year-old Has Some Spicy Lang...
Does your child have a mouth you wouldn't want him to kiss you with? If your child is on a swearing streak at home, here are some tips for handling it.
7 min
432
Fresh Take: Chelsea Conaboy on "Mother Brain"
Society has held that maternal instinct kicks in as soon as a baby is born, and that women are wired to be superior caretakers. Chelsea Conaboy, author of MOTHER BRAIN, tells us that the parental brain is real- but far more complicated than we think.
26 min
433
Pivoting To What's Next
When it’s time to pivot, it’s easy to focus on what doors are closed. That’s when it’s important to remember that with one foot planted firmly in place, we still have 360 degrees of choice on where to head next. Here’s how we’ve pivoted in our lives.
41 min
434
Ask Amy: My Kid Is Really Hard on Himself
Does your kid like to punish himself whenever he performs poorly at something and insist that he's the worst at it? A listener struggles with her son's constant negativity when it comes to his own abilities.
5 min
435
Fresh Take: Hunter Clarke-Fields - Mindful Mama...
Have you ever lost it with your kids and then felt really guilty about it? So has Hunter Clarke-Fields, so she started a mindfulness practice, and then the “Mindful Mama” podcast, too. Now she’s sharing what she’s learned with moms everywhere.
35 min
436
Teaching Kids Patience
If patience is a virtue, it’s not one often practiced by preschoolers. There are reasons why very small children have a hard time waiting. Sometimes very big kids as well. As in grownups. Here’s why being patient matters, and how to introduce it.
39 min
437
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
438
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
439
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
440
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
441
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
442
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
443
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
444
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
445
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
446
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
447
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
448
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
449
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
450
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