episodes

When should we get our kids phones? And is “delay as long as possible” an option? Catherine Pearlman, author of the book First Phone, tells us how kids can become wiser about the responsibilities of social media, digital consent, and internet safety.

Our brains are wired for story. That doesn’t mean that the stories we tell ourselves are always accurate–or that the alternative stories others may have are necessarily wrong. Here’s how to identify–and change–the stories we tell ourselves.

This week Amy tackles the question, "When should I start letting my kids have sleepovers?"

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.

Babysitters in all of the stores! Penumbras on our cars! One charger to rule them all! We asked our listeners what they wished WAS a thing, and they came up with some million-dollar ideas that Amy and Margaret definitely intend to steal.

It is important for parents to model body acceptance and intuitive eating for our kids, which can mean changing our own scripts as well.

Anya Kamenetz, author of The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Children's Lives, and Where We Go Now, says the US got pandemic schooling “more wrong” than other wealthy countries. Anya explains how and why decisions were made that put children last.

After several years of doing this podcast, we know a lot about each other. In this episode, we ask each other the burning questions that remain.

Amy answers a question from a listener who wants her own mom to stop relying on screens when she's babysitting.

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.

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.

A listener who has very little familiarity with gaming wonders how to keep kids safe while playing online.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

Margaret answers a question from a listener who is worried that her son does not have a wide range of interests.

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.

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.

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 crime.

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.

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.