episodes

When a kid is spending a lot of time alone and seems disconnected from peers, it is tempting for us to swoop in and try to solve the problem. But the better approach is to offer perspective and support to your teen, and be a “safe landing spot.”

We asked you to tell us your spouses’ most unacceptable- and also extremely minor- infractions. Whether it’s turning off the AC, creating a Sock Mountain, or pausing Netflix to point out plot holes, these husband (and wife) crimes deserve justice.

Are you a rule breaker or a rule follower? Are you married to your opposite? In this episode we discuss how these two kinds of people bump up against each other– especially in our own families– and how we try to find a little balance.

Is your kid *trying* to make you hate her? More likely, she’s in a developmentally appropriate “disequilibrium” phase. Knowing your formerly calm, happy, loving child will come back soon can really help.

Christina Hillsberg is a former CIA spy. She’s also a mom of five. Her book LICENSE TO PARENT: How My Career as a Spy Helped Me Raise Resourceful, Self-Sufficient Kids is a practical guide for using key spy tactics to teach kids important life skills.

Here are the mom lies that totally worked on our kids– or worked on us *as* kids. Whether it's the ice cream truck's “all gone” jingle, the "just sleeping” goldfish, or the broccoli factory field trip for kids who act up, these are our favorite fibs.

Many of us have peeled shrieking children’s arms from around our necks, handed them off to preschool teachers, then headed back to our cars for a good cry. Here’s how to make dropoffs a little easier– while taking comfort that this phase won't last.

Annie Murphy Paul is the author of "The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain.” In this interview, Annie explains how we can tap the intelligence that exists beyond our brains– in our bodies, our surroundings, and our relationships.

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?

Ashley Brown is the founder of Routine and Things, a business equipping women to live their happiest lives one routine at a time. We discuss Ashley's five areas of focus for routines, why planning routines *is* a routine, and how we can create our own pathways to happier, less stressful lives as mo…

As the *third* school year affected by the pandemic begins, yep, we are frustrated. We thought this would be over by now. But the Delta variant had other plans. Here's how we're currently managing risk for the unvaccinated kids– and vaccinated teens and grownups– in our lives. The enemy is the viru…

Kids love their birthdays for lots of reasons, but let’s be honest: it’s mostly the gifts. Parents love the gifts a lot less. Buying presents for other kids' parties is a hassle, and having your own kids get a pile of plastic for each birthday isn't great either. Is there a polite way to say “no gi…

Amanda Knox explains how she held on to the hope that was available in her saddest times, what she learned about the loneliness of personal struggle, and how we can help others who are feeling lost in labyrinths of their own, even from the outside.

When we first hear about highly sensitive kids– or sensory seekers– it can provide a profound connecting of dots for things that might have baffled us in the past, and a path to effectively address the otherwise confusing behaviors that might ensue.

Most parents have been on both sides: trying to make friend connections on behalf of a kid who is feeling left out, and hearing "but he's so ANNOYING!" from that same child, feeling suddenly fed up with a friend they used to like fine. Here’s how to handle.

Lenore Skenazy is the author of FREE-RANGE KIDS and president of Let Grow, a nonprofit promoting childhood independence. We discuss the crucial role of free play with kids of all ages in our kids’ development, and how to foster that free-range play.

Why are some things hard for us but not our partners or our friends? Do we make things harder than they need to be? Or are some things, like picking up the phone and talking to a stranger to order pizza, just stupidly difficult for everyone?

Does keeping track of our kids' hygiene have to be another thing on our list of stuff to worry about? Setting rules and parameters around how and when your kids need to groom themselves is better than daily fights about whether they’ve taken a shower.

Nikki Weiner explains what’s changed in the college admissions landscape. Is test-optional here to stay? Why are schools suddenly so much harder to get into? What makes an application stand out? How can a student and her parent get through this together?

The news is hard for anyone to escape these days– even our kids, who might see a stray notification on our phones or overhear a TV that was left on. A lot of us struggle with what to tell our kids, how much, and when. Here’s how to get those conversations started.

All kids lose stuff sometimes. Some kids lose stuff all the time. Sometimes it's ADHD or general inattention. Sometimes it's just a slower development of executive function. No matter what, it's frustrating (and expensive). What's a parent to do?

Heidi Murkoff is the author of the legendary What to Expect When You’re Expecting. She’s also the creator of the What to Expect Project, a nonprofit dedicated to helping all mothers expect healthy pregnancies, safe deliveries, and healthy babies.

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.

We love the freedom of summer, but with it comes the familiar complaint of "We're bored!” The simplest solution to kid boredom may be to do less. Structure the day with basic categories of activities, but leave lots of free time for “kids' choice.”