episodes

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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!

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.

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 …

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 …

Ever felt like things are going pretty well but happiness is missing from your parenting and relationships? In this “Best Of” episode, Dr. Lynyetta Willis discusses "stable misery" and explains how we can create more joyful harmony in our lives.

Mom rage engenders debilitating shame. Where did it come from? Are we actually the worst parent who’s ever parented? But mom rage has common triggers and a predictable path along which it builds- which also means there are things we …

When the unthinkable happens, how are we supposed to explain it to our children? What do we say, when are they old enough, how do we answer their questions without making them more frightened? In this episode recorded in July …

Are you an Amy or a Margaret? AKA: are you an introvert or an extrovert? Turns out, you can enjoy socializing but still be an introvert or require some alone time but still be an extrovert. And there are ways …

What is with the turn-on-a-dime switch from the sweet, demure kid we had yesterday to the demon who woke up today? Is something really wrong or is this a phase? Here’s how to help your kids through the inevitable “red …

We’ve all left dishes by the sink. Either that, or we’ve yelled at our partner for doing so. In this episode, Matthew Fray explains how leaving dishes by the sink caused his marriage to implode—hint: it wasn’t just about the …

What unwelcome surprises have you experienced on your parenting journey? We asked our listeners to tell us what they didn’t expect when they first started out, and they listed everything from torturous theme days to baby headbutts.

We all have relatives who demand big bear hugs when saying goodbye. That may all be well and good for some kids, but what if our kids just aren’t huggers? Margaret discusses how to protect kids’ autonomy while keeping the …

When anxiety is part of family systems, our well-meaning attempts to assuage kids can instead serve to further reinforce it. Psychologist Lynn Lyons and Robin Hutson, co-hosts of the podcast Flusterclux, explain what actually works for anxiety.