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!
176
DEEP DIVE: Pushing Kids the Just-Right Amount
How do we know when to let our kids quit the sport they hate or skip a homework assignment? Will it be our fault they miss out on the Olympics or being president? Amy and Margaret discuss when they pushed (or didn't push) their kids and reflect on the outcomes.
37 min
177
Fresh Take: Emily Rubin Persons of Skip Coaching
Getting our kids ready to thrive independently is about more than academics or extracurricular achievements. Emily Rubin Persons, founder of Skip Coaching, explains how to help kids develop the skills they'll need.
40 min
178
Helping Kids Manage Their Friendships
When our kids aren't good at making friends, we feel their pain and want to help them. Here's what we can do to give our kids the skills they'll need to be good friends.
44 min
179
DEEP DIVE: Competition: How Much Is Good For Ou...
Most of us think the dad yelling through the fence at T-Ball is taking things too seriously. Others say participation trophies teach our kids that achievement is optional. How do we balance the eye of the tiger with just letting our kids play?
41 min
180
Fresh Take: Gabrielle Blair
We often get anxious when our kids deviate from what we've all been told is the one path to success and happiness. Gabrielle Blair, author of the new book THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT, explains how to help our kids become themselves.
33 min
181
Does Messy Matter?
Does it really matter if our homes are a mess? Do organized environments actually make us happier and our kids calmer? It may depend on your personal set point.
44 min
182
DEEP DIVE: When Your Kids Gets Rejected
How do we allow our kids to feel rejection, without going after the little punks who did it, or attempting to prune their disappointment into a bonsai tree of neat and tidy life lessons?
42 min
183
Fresh Take: Mark Bittman
How can we get our picky eaters to branch out or get kids to appreciate our getting dinner on the table every single night? Mark Bittman, author of the new book HOW TO COOK EVERYTHING: KIDS, explains how we can give kids more agency over their meals and strengthen our relationship with them in the process.
31 min
184
What Fresh Hell is Halloween?
Bespoke costumes, elaborate celebrations, and now THE SWITCH WITCH? How has Halloween gone from simple and spooky to insanely stressful and expensive? Here's how Halloween has evolved over the years and where we go from here.
48 min
185
DEEP DIVE: Letting Kids Make Mistakes
There are benefits to our kids' making mistakes, even when it’s hard. Maybe especially when it’s hard. We discuss how the brain learns from a mistake, the benefits of a “growth mindset,” and how we can make our homes mistake-friendly environments.
43 min
186
Fresh Take: Brit Barron
Is the upcoming election, and the thought of Thanksgiving dinner with your relatives right after it, seriously stressing you out? Brit Barron, author of DO YOU STILL TALK TO GRANDMA?, explains why she believes in maintaining contact even when we disagree.
38 min
187
Is Parental Stress Getting Worse?
Last month the Surgeon General declared the mental health of parents an "urgent public health issue." Are parents more stressed out than ever? If so, what can we do about it?
43 min
188
DEEP DIVE: Best Advice We'd Give Our Younger Se...
Youth is wasted on the young. We wasted our youth taking the wrong classes in college and layering imaginary agendas onto other people's dopey behavior. Here's the best advice we (and our listeners) learned from doing things the wrong way.
41 min
189
Fresh Take: Dr. Tovah Klein on Raising Resilien...
"Resilience" is something we're told our kids should possess—but what does it really mean, and how can we help our kids to be more resilient? Dr. Tovah Klein, author of the new book RAISING RESILIENCE, explains why our own resilience might be where the work starts.
38 min
190
Are We Still Doing Manners?
Which manners are important for functioning in polite society, and which social customs are best left behind? Here's how to discern what manners still matter for kids.
40 min
191
DEEP DIVE: That's No Longer Interesting To Me
Life can get better when you stop caring. Whether it’s celebrity culture, making our kids dress appropriately for the weather, rinsing rice, or checking the scale in the morning, here are things that are no longer interesting to us and our listeners.
38 min
192
Fresh Take: The Lazy Genius on Compassionate Ti...
Kendra Adachi, better known as "The Lazy Genius," has a plan for time management—one that takes out the part where we feel bad about ourselves. Kendra tells us about her new book, THE PLAN.
42 min
193
Is This Battle Worth Fighting?
There's always something to fight about in our households. But which battles are worth fighting for long-term benefits, and which can be let go for the sake of parental peace and child development?
39 min
194
DEEP DIVE: Yep, That Was So Me
What's your "wow, that was so me” story? What is something you did as a kid (or your little one did ) that exemplifies exactly who you/they are now? We discuss some of our listeners’ favorite memories, plus a few of our own.
38 min
195
Fresh Take: Dan Wuori on "The Daycare Myth"
Why do we believe daycare is fundamentally different than education? Dr. Dan Wuori, author of the new book THE DAYCARE MYTH, explains why this line of thinking is harmful to children, their caregivers, and the country as a whole.
33 min
196
8 Ways to Make Better Decisions
In this episode, we’ll explore some age-old principles that can help us make better decisions. These principles, often referred to as “razors,” can cut through the clutter of complexity and help us see the forest for the trees.
44 min
197
DEEP DIVE: I've Figured Something Out...
Have you ever figured out a thing and thought: EVERYONE must know about this? Here are some things some of us have really figured out: how to always know what’s for dinner, how to pack for a trip just once, and how to clean a messy room in 10 minutes.
42 min
198
Fresh Take: Eli Harwood on Raising Securely Att...
Why is it important for our kids to establish a secure attachment with us? Eli Harwood, author of the new book RAISING SECURELY ATTACHED KIDS, offers practical tips and strategies for fostering stronger relationships with our kids.
37 min
199
Helping Kids Deal with Disappointment
Disappointment is simply a fact of life, but we naturally want to soothe our children when they're in pain. So how can we teach them to move through these uncomfortable feelings in a healthy way? Here are some helpful parenting strategies.
41 min
200
DEEP DIVE: I Really Thought This Would Be a Big...
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.
43 min