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
676
The Mom That Covid Has Made Me
How has Covid affected you as a mom? Are you more socially anxious? Have you found the isolation sort of reassuring? Are you at your breaking point? Are you treasuring the extra time with your kids? Will any of this permanently change how you parent?
43 min
677
Ask Amy - My Kid Thinks There Are Monsters Unde...
How can we deal with the monsters-under-the-bed phase? For kids who still believe in magical things as fully possible, the best "protection" we can offer them from something scary but imaginary might be something equally unreal and totally wonderful.
5 min
678
Fresh Take: Ned Johnson on The Self-Driven Child
42 min
679
Your Life Begins Again When... (The Second Half...
We asked our listeners: when did your pre-parenting life of ease snap back into focus? Was it the day your kids take a shower solo? Navigated steps safely? Turned on the TV at 6:30 am on a Saturday? Better days are coming, parents.
44 min
680
Ask Margaret- My Kid Is Sneaking Food and Scree...
Margaret answers a question from a listener whose daughter has become sneaky about things that are supposed to be off-limits.
6 min
681
2020: What Was That?
We review the very problematic 2020: what we talked about this year, the impossibility of “solving” any of this, and how this podcast has become a time capsule of our “negativity bias,” worries, hopes– and above all, survival. We made it, mamas.
42 min
682
We Ask Each Other Burning Questions
After four years of doing this podcast, we know a lot about each other. In this episode, we ask each other the burning questions that remain.
42 min
683
Ask Amy- How Can I Help My Reluctant Pooper?
A listener asks how to help her toddler whose stool withholding has become painful and possibly chronic.
5 min
684
Extremely Achievable Holiday Traditions
This episode is full of super-easy ways to make the holiday season more fun without also being more expensive. These ideas are Christmas-based, although holiday lights and red flannel jammies probably have pagan roots anyhow, so come one come all!
45 min
685
Ask Margaret - When Your Parent-Teacher Confere...
Margaret talks about parent-teacher conferences and why it’s important to remember that you, as the parent, aren’t the one being graded.
7 min
686
Fresh Take: Susan Katz Miller on Interfaith Fam...
The holidays are already intense, but if your family is interfaith, it can ratchet up the pressure for perfection times two. Guest Susan Katz Miller, author of THE INTERFAITH FAMILY JOURNAL, tells us how to draw a “sacred circle” around what matters.
38 min
687
What's Your Mom Superpower?
Everyone needs an ‘Attaboy!’ every once in a while. When you’re a mom, you usually have to give it to yourself. Whether it’s super-scheduling prowess or the ability to soothe a bleeding toddler in 10 seconds, here are our listeners’ mom superpowers.
41 min
688
Fresh Take: Katherine May on "Wintering" and th...
Katherine May is the author of the new book WINTERING: THE POWER OF REST AND RETREAT IN DIFFICULT TIMES. May explains how the natural world prepares for and survives winter, and how we can apply those lessons to the metaphorical winters in our lives.
41 min
689
It Takes A Village (But We're Doing It Alone)
For the last 1.8 million years or so, children were raised village-style. But 2020 has meant a lot of us raising our kids without the usual help of grandparents or schools or caregivers or friends. Whatever community you can create right now counts.
42 min
690
Ask Amy- Can You Discipline a One-Year-Old?
A listener asks whether, and how, she can discipline a 1-year-old who pulls hair and throws food on the floor.
4 min
691
Super-Secret Amazing Things We Want You To Know...
Things that make life easier, things that keep kids improbably happily occupied, things you didn’t know you want but absolutely need to have: these are some super-secret awesome things that we (and our listeners) want to tell the world about.
42 min
692
Ask Margaret - My Child is Terrified of the Doc...
A listener asks how to help her preschooler be less frightened of trips to see the pediatrician.
6 min
693
Fresh Take: Ali Wentworth on Pandemic Family Su...
We talk to Ali Wentworth, host of the "Go Ask Ali" podcast, all about raising teens during a pandemic. Ali tells us about having Covid, how she and spouse George Stephanopoulos split the lockdown workload, and how she’s giving her kids room to grow.
41 min
694
Parenting as a Team
Parenting as a team is an ongoing challenge even when your relationship is pretty harmonious. But constantly matching headspaces with your co-parent isn’t the goal– for us, parenting as a team has often meant taking turns. Here’s how that works.
41 min
695
Ask Amy- My Toddler Is Waking Up Way Too Early
A listener asks how to get her early-rising toddler to sleep later in the mornings.
7 min
696
Fresh Take: Calysta Watson on "Food Memories" a...
Is there a path for reluctant home cooks to become joyful ones? How do we create “food memories” with our children and encourage healthy eating, even when dealing with food allergies and restrictions? Guest: Calysta Watson of Epicurean Therapy.
34 min
697
Actually, We've Changed Our Minds About That
There are quite a few things we’ve changed our minds about over our years as parents. From minivans to Minecraft, moms on phones to kindergarten dress codes, focus meds to front-yard holiday inflatables, in this episode we talk about them all.
43 min
698
Ask Margaret - All I Hear is "Me First!"
A listener has two little boys who clamor to be "first" in all things, from juice boxes to car-seat-buckling.
6 min
699
When To Be 'That Mom'
What does it mean to be ‘that mom’? How should we pick our battles? How do we enter tough conversations prepared for combat but ready to listen? Here’s when that we (and our listeners) went full mama bear, how we advocated, and why it was worth it.
43 min
700
Ask Amy - What's The Right Age To Get a Cell Ph...
A listener wonders if her 13-year-old son is old enough for a cell phone and the constant internet access it would grant him.
6 min