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Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast — Kids & Family
Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast

Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast is a show that’s for imperfect parents by imperfect parents. Hosted by humorist and imperfect parent of three Chris Cate, every episode breaks down a topic that causes parents to break down, such as putting kids to bed, potty training, the terrible twos, homework, family communication, clothing, discipline, cleaning up, cooking for kids, etc.

The mission of the show is to help parents laugh when they want to cry. By the end of each topic breakdown, parents will hopefully realize they aren’t alone in their struggles and that the craziness all parents go through is actually quite funny when it’s looked at in the right light.

Longtime listeners will know the show began as The ParentNormal Podcast. For nearly 100 episodes, it featured celebrity interviews, parenting fails and even a few skits. All of those episodes are still available, but the best is yet to come.

Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast is diving deeper than ever into the crazy realities of parenthood with more stories and hilarious confessions from real parents all over the world.

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 36 Interview with BuzzFeed Parents Editor Mike Spohr May 31, 2016

Show notes

Mike Spohr, editor of BuzzFeed Parents, is this week's featured guest. If you're a writer or even if you're just an aspiring writer, you are really going to enjoy this conversation.

Mike and I talk about the characteristics of a viral article and what it means to go viral. We talk about some of Mike's favorite articles for BuzzFeed Parents and what kind of articles parents tend to gravitate towards. We also discuss Mike's own family blog and what it takes to build an online fan base of readers.

Ep. 35 Interview with author Mary Elizabeth Williams about the challenges of parenting through cancer May 17, 2016

Show notes

Mary Elizabeth Williams was diagnosed with a rapidly fatal form of cancer while her kids were only 6 and 10 years old. In this episode, we talk about how she responded to her diagnosis and how she told her kids. We also talk about new treatments and what advice she has for parents struggling with a terminal illness.

Mary Elizabeth's story has a happy ending. She is healthy and has a new book that tells her complete story titled A Series of Catastrophes and Miracles: A True Story of Love, Science and Cancer. But there are many parents with young children who still don't know how their story will end. If you want to help them in some way, Mary Elizabeth suggests donating to Gilda's Club, which provided tremendous support to her and her family. As Mary Elizabeth puts it, cancer is not a one person disease. It impacts everyone in your life.

Ep. 34 Interview with Arianna Huffington, co-founder of the Huffington Post and author of The Sleep Revolution May 12, 2016

Show notes

Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor in chief of the Huffington Post, is my featured guest this week. Arianna is a mom who has been on Time Magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world and Forbes' list of the world's 100 most powerful women.

Arianna has just released a new book called The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time. In the book, she describes the crucial role that sleep plays in our every waking moment—and how we can harness its power to improve every aspect of our lives.

One of my favorite subjects happens to be sleep, even though I'm usually talking about how little sleep I get, so it was great to talk to Arianna and learn what advice she has for parents who struggle to find the time to sleep.

Ep. 33 Interview with Adam Mansbach, author of Go the F**k to Sleep, a #1 New York Times Bestseller May 03, 2016

Show notes

Adam Mansbach, author of #1 New York Times Bestseller Go the F**k to Sleep and You Have to F**king Eat, is the featured guest this week.

If you've never heard of these books, you must not have an internet connection. Go the F**k to Sleep has been translated into 40 languages and Time Magazine named it the "Thing of the Year." Even though the book came out a few years ago, it is still on the New York Times Bestseller List. If you search YouTube, you'll find it hilariously narrated by people like Samuel L. Jackson and Jennifer Garner.

Ep. 32 Interview with Mike Sacks, Vanity Fair Editor, Comedy Writer and Podcaster Apr 28, 2016

Show notes

Mike Sacks, a comedy writer, podcaster and editor at Vanity Fair, is this week's featured guest.

Mike has published two books that I consider to be required reading for anyone who loves great comedy writing:

Ep. 31 Interview with Karen Alpert, NYT bestselling author of I Heart My Little A-Holes and I Want My Epidural Back Apr 19, 2016

Show notes

Karen Alpert is the New York Times bestselling author of I Heart My Little A-Holes: A bunch of holy-crap moments no one ever told you about parenting. Her new book is I Want My Epidural Back: Adventures in Mediocre Parenting and it's already getting rave reviews.

In this week's episode, I talk to Karen about how she became such an open book about parenting, how she launched a kickstarter to complete her first book and what her writing process is like to be able to do everything she accomplishes. We also talk about her new book and she lists some of her favorite authors.

Ep. 30 Interview with Rosie Pope, star of the Bravo TV Show Pregnant in Heels Apr 14, 2016

Show notes

Rosie Pope, star of Bravo's Pregnant in Heels, is the featured guest this week. In addition to her work on Pregnant in Heels, a show in which Rosie guided soon-to-be mothers and fathers through the joys and perils of preparing for parenthood, Rosie is the author of Mommy IQ: The Complete Guide to Pregnancy. She is also a contributing editor at Parents Magazine and the creative force behind MomPrep, her prenatal, postpardum and parenting education studio and Rosie Pope Maternity and Rosie Pope Baby, her maternity and baby clothing and accessories lines.

In this episode, we talk about what was it like for Rosie to be going through her own pregnancy while helping other new moms, all while on national television. She also shares how she got started helping other parents, what concerns she hears the most from new parents and what advice she has for them.

Ep. 29 Interview with Fowl Language Webcomic Creator Brian Gordon Apr 06, 2016

Show notes

Fowl Language webcomic creator Brian Gordon is the guest this week. He has a brand new book out called Fowl Language: Welcome to Parenting, which is full of cartoons that perfectly poke fun at the daily struggles parents face.

In this episode, we talk about how much of Brian's comics are based on his real life, how he makes his cartoons, how his site grew in popularity and much more.

Ep. 28 Interview with Charlie Capen, Co-creator of How to Be a Dad Apr 01, 2016

Show notes

This week's guest is Charlie Capen, co-creator of the How to Be a Dad website and co-author of The Guide to Baby Sleep Positions: Survival Tips for Co-Sleeping Parents.

In our conversation, we'll talk about how his website How to Be a Dad was started and grew into a site and community with a worldwide audience. We will also talk about the dad stereotype that's often portrayed in the media and why that perspective needs to change.

Ep. 27 Spring Breakdown with ParentNormal News and Mail Mar 15, 2016

Show notes

It's the week of Spring Break for our family, so the theme of this episode, naturally, is Spring Break-down. In the episode, I'll cover what's in the ParentNormal News about spring breakdowns. I'll also touch on springbreakdowns in the ParentNormal Mailbag segment while also covering other calendar events this week like Daylight Savings Time and St. Patrick's Day.

ParentNormal Questions Answered in this Episode:

Do you have any parenting tips for St. Patrick's Day?
How do you survive the daylight savings time change with kids when every parent knows that keeping kids on a schedule is so important?
Am I the only parent who feels like they are being mocked when they hear the term "spring break?" Isn't there a better name that doesn't imply spring break is actually a break for parents?

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