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!
476
Ask Amy: How Do I Get Grandma to Limit Screen T...
Amy answers a question from a listener who wants her own mom to stop relying on screens when she's babysitting.
5 min
477
Fresh Take: Ericka Souter on How to Have a Kid ...
Do you have a social life outside of your kids? Are you nurturing your partnership? Are you overwhelmed just asking these questions? Journalist Ericka Souter discusses her new book, full of concrete solutions for creating a life outside of kids.
33 min
478
Pattern Breaking: When You Want to Do Things Di...
How do we find the strength to break harmful patterns from our own childhood with our kids? Why is it so hard? Do we truly have the ability to change? Amy and Margaret examine why we sometimes can’t help looking for pizza at a Chinese restaurant.
43 min
479
Ask Margaret: How Can I Keep My Kid Safe While ...
A listener who has very little familiarity with gaming wonders how to keep kids safe while playing online.
7 min
480
Fresh Take: Jill Smokler on Starting Over
Jill Smokler, founder of Scary Mommy, is back with "She's Got Issues," a multimedia platform and now podcast for Gen X women. She talks with Amy and Margaret about her new space for women to come together and share their stories.
30 min
481
Would You Rather...? (Mom Edition)
Poop or vomit? Kids' shows or kids' books forever? Long flight or long road trip with toddlers? The Hellions hit up our Facebook group with some pretty agonizing dilemmas - which will Amy and Margaret choose?
40 min
482
Ask Amy: Should Grade Schoolers Be Allowed to D...
How do we handle emerging romantic relationships between young kids. It's possible to either overreact or under react. In this episode Amy responds to a listener whose 8-year-old has received a beautiful Target-brand locket from an admirer.
4 min
483
Fresh Take: Kate Mangino on Increasing Gender E...
The Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women estimates that we will not achieve gender equality for 164 years. What gives? Kate Mangino, gender expert, discusses ways to make domestic partnerships truly equal.
30 min
484
When Your Kid Is Rejected
How do we allow our kids to feel rejection without going full-on lioness or attempting to prune their disappointment into a bonsai tree of neat and tidy life lessons? Sometimes helping our kids deal with rejection involves getting out of the way.
42 min
485
Ask Margaret: How Can I Get My Kid to Be Intere...
Margaret answers a question from a listener who is worried that her son does not have a wide range of interests.
7 min
486
Fresh Take: Gloria Riviera on the Childcare Crisis
Evidence of the childcare crisis in America is all around us, including inside our own homes. But why is the system so broken, and what can be done? Gloria Riviera, news correspondent and host of podcast "No One is Coming To Save Us" explains.
30 min
487
Best Of: The Small Things That Drive Moms Insane
Sometimes it’s the little things that make us the craziest: the plastic thingies on juice box straws. The never-ending “Mom?” with that question mark at the end. Here are all the teeny-tiny things about mom life that still manage to drive us insane.
49 min
488
Ask Amy: Tips for Flying with Little Ones
Flying with little ones this summer? We’ve got tips for what to pre-load on your phone, how to manage takeoff and landing discomfort, and how to decide whether you want to get on the plane first–or absolutely last.
5 min
489
Fresh Take: Kate Casey on Big Families and "Rea...
This week we brought in Kate Casey, host of the interview podcast "Reality Life with Kate Casey", to talk with Margaret about living with a big family, what the Kardashians are REALLY up to, and why America runs on true crime.
34 min
490
Dropping the Rope
What fight are you no longer willing to have? Is it making the bed? Eating what you cook? Matching pants with shirts every day? Sometimes the smartest thing you can do in your endless tug-of-war over small things is to drop the rope.
36 min
491
Ask Margaret: Can I Stop the Flow of Cheap Plas...
LEGOs. L.O.L. Dolls. Barbies. The plastic is coming from inside the house. Is it possible to ask family and friends to stop giving our children so many cheap plastic toys? Margaret, who is firmly anti-plastic herself, weighs the pros and cons.
4 min
492
Fresh Take: Amber Briggle on Supporting Trans Kids
Amber Briggle is an activist, speaker, and proud parent of her transgender son. In this episode, she discusses how to support trans kids in today’s political climate as well as her own journey parenting her son through his transition.
33 min
493
We Caught Our Spouses Being Awesome
Supporting us in our careers. Building sandboxes. Flossing. We love it when our partners knock it out of the park. We asked our listeners about times they caught their spouses being awesome, from big favors to small gestures.
44 min
494
Ask Amy: The Top Tip for Yelling Less
Are you exhausted by how many times you have to repeat what you say to your kids before they listen? Usually only when you finally yell? In this “Ask Amy” Amy explains her top stop-yelling tip, which comes from the world of dog training.
6 min
495
Fresh Take: Dr. Ibram X. Kendi on Raising Antir...
It can feel scary to discuss racism with our kids. But it’s the best way for us to protect them from its harms– and as Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, author of HOW TO RAISE AN ANTIRACIST, explains, kids can approach this work more easily than we might expect.
27 min
496
The Smallest Hills We'd Die On
The book is always better than the movie. Brunch is dumb. And wind chimes are mean. We asked you about the smallest hills you have died on—the issues you just won’t wave the white flag for no matter what. And we came across some fightin’ words.
39 min
497
Ask Margaret: Picky Eater Update!
Margaret gives an update on her famously picky eater. Does the kid who once rejected almost every food except pizza now eat a wider range of foods? Tune in to find out!
8 min
498
Fresh Take: Kate Swenson of "Finding Cooper's V...
Kate Swenson started “Finding Cooper’s Voice”while searching for answers after her son’s autism diagnosis. Her book FOREVER BOY is about Kate’s journey to acceptance, and how sharing her own family’s triumphs and challenges became a road to advocacy.
29 min
499
Brave Parenting in a Scary World
Brave parenting doesn’t mean acting like what’s happening in our world isn’t scary, or that we must present our kids with perfect solutions. It means meeting our kids where they are, discussing their feelings, then deciding together what to do next.
36 min
500
Ask Amy: How Can I Get Out of My Mom Funk?
When we’re overwhelmed by the 24/7/365 nature of parenting, we tend to blame ourselves for being in a “mom funk,” and look to attitude adjustment as the best solution. In response to this listener question Amy suggests that it’s the workload that might need adjusting, more than the mindset.
4 min