episodes

Is there one person in your family who keeps everyone in touch, who maintains the traditions, who keeps things going? And is that person you? That is the work of kinkeeping.

Margaret Quinlan and Bethany Johnson are co-authors of You’re Doing it Wrong! Mothering, Media and Medical Expertise, which investigates the history of mothering advice from the 1800s to now. Turns out, perfectionism in motherhood is an old dictate.

Whistling inside? No baseball caps at dinner? No showers during a lightning storm? What odd rules of life did Amy and Margaret once cling to?

How do we relieve ourselves of the pressure to make every summer day Pinterest-worthy for our children, especially when all we do is break up fights and tell them no? Amy helps a listener combat her end-of-summer scaries.

How can we move away from the harmful parenting techniques we experienced when parenting our own children? Chazz Lewis, host of the podcast "Learning Curve with Mr. Chazz," gives us practical tips for tough parenting moments.

Is your house full of bickering siblings? Is it really all about competition for parental attention? If sibling rivalry is taking over in your house, here's how to foster more cooperation and navigate the conflict.

Miss Rachel on an eternal loop, or Baby Shark? Long flight with toddlers, or long road trip? It's the Mom Edition of the time-honored game WOULD YOU RATHER?

What does it mean to be a dad in today's world, and how has the role of fathers changed over time? Lucas Mann, author of ATTACHMENTS: ESSAYS ON FATHERHOOD AND OTHER PERFORMANCES, tells us about his experiences and his writing …

What's the absolutely dumbest thing that you fully believed as a child? We asked our listeners, and share some of their—and our—most deeply held misbeliefs.

Why is it that when we are struggling, other people feel the need to put a silver lining on all of our rain clouds? In this episode we unearth the psychology behind toxic positivity, and how focusing on staying positive …

What are the important differences, both obvious and hidden, in the way we raise boys and the way we raise girls? Ruth Whippman, author of the new book BOYMOM, explains where modern parenting advice for raising boys often misses the …

Is your kid being bullied? Should you as the parent get involved? Will that only make things worse? It's easy to feel helpless at these times. Getting clear about what's happening can help.

Ah, summer! Time for relaxing. Just as soon as we get through the end-of-year craziness and sign each of our kids up for ten camps.

“Other countries have social safety nets. The U.S. has women.” Sociologist Jessica Calarco, author of the new book HOLDING IT TOGETHER: How Women Became America's Safety Net, explains how we can start changing that narrative.

Traveling with siblings and in-laws and parents and cousins can be an incredible experience. It can also lead to unexpected conflict. Here's what to agree upon ahead of time.

Why do all mothers feel like failures sometimes? Is it the 24/7 job description? The high stakes of nurturing small humans? A culture which tells us no matter how hard we try, there’s another mom doing it better? All of …

Historian Sarah Gristwood studied 400 years of women's diaries and found many common threads. Her book SECRET VOICES highlights the stories that women have traditionally kept to themselves, and why those stories matter.

How can we help kids who aren't great at making friends—who don't pick up on the subtle social rules that make friendships work? Here's how to teach kids to make—and keep—peer connections.

We tend to hold our Bad Mom Moments close, deeply certain no other mother has ever temporarily forgotten her baby in the Target LEGO aisle. Spoiler alert– you’re not alone. Guest: Arianna Bradford, author of SHAME ON YOU: BIG TRUTHS …

How can working women attain wage equity in a modern workplace that is stacked against them? Naomi Cahn and June Carbone, authors of FAIR SHAKE: WOMEN AND THE FIGHT TO BUILD A JUST ECONOMY, discuss the factors that contribute to …

When should kids be able to walk to school by themselves? What about have a smartphone? We hash out what we think the best ages are for certain activities and privileges—and how our answers now may differ from when we …

JoAnn Crohn is the creator of “No Guilt Mom” and a former middle-school teacher. She believes that some of the behavioral control strategies she learned in teacher training can be counterproductive, and especially at home. Here’s what to try instead.

How can step-parents smoothly transition into being part of their new families? What happens when the kids are not on board with having a new parent? Cameron Normand, founder of Stepfamily Solutions, tells us what she's learned.

Is it really our "maternal gatekeeping" and too-high standards that are preventing a more equitable distribution of household tasks? We discuss the minimum standard of care and how that can be determined.