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What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making Life Better, with Two Funny Moms

When you’re a parent, every day brings a “fresh hell” to deal with. In other words, there’s always something. Think of us as your funny mom friends who are here to remind you: you’re not alone, and it won’t always be this hard.
We’re Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables, both busy moms of three kids, but with completely different parenting styles. Margaret is a laid-back to the max; Amy never met a spreadsheet or an organizational system she didn’t like.
In each episode of “What Fresh Hell” we offer lots of laughs, but also practical advice, parenting strategies, and tips to empower you in your role as a mom. We explore self-help techniques, as well as ways to prioritize your own needs, combat stress, and despite the invisible workload we all deal with, find joy amidst the chaos of motherhood.
If you’ve ever wondered “why is my kid…” then one of us has probably been there, and we’re here to tell you what we’ve learned along the way.
We unpack the behaviors and developmental stages of toddlers, tweens, and teenagers, providing insights into their actions and equipping you with effective parenting strategies.
We offer our best parenting tips and skills we’ve learned. We debate the techniques and studies that are everywhere for parents these days, and get to the bottom of what works best to raise happy, healthy, fairly well-behaved kids, while fostering a positive parent-child relationship.
If you’re the default parent in your household, whether you’re a busy mom juggling multiple pickups and dropoffs, or a first-time parent seeking guidance, this podcast is your trusted resource. Join our community of supportive mom friends laughing in the face of motherhood!
whatfreshhellpodcast.com

Copyright: Copyright © 2016-2023 What Fresh Hell, LLC

Latest Episodes:

What Fresh Hell Is Mother's Day? May 08, 2024

Show notes

Is one morning of runny eggs and burnt toast really fair payback for 364 days of work? Does "Mother's Day" have to mean packing the kids for a two-hour drive to see your mom and/or mother-in-law? Why does Mother's Day often feel like it's more trouble than it's worth?

Margaret and Amy discuss:

Anna Jarvis and the rather tragic origins of Mother's Day
"minor Mother's Day" vs "major Mother's Day," and how to deliver that message
How to ask for—and get—the Mother's Day that feels right for you

Margaret mentions"The Lanyard" by Billy Collins in this episode.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/

Mother's Day, making mom feel special mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, toddler, baby, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, mothers day, mother's day gift ideas

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DEEP DIVE: Ditching Mom Guilt May 06, 2024

Show notes

This month, we're doing a deep dive series into mom guilt—why it's so pervasive and what we can do about it. You can find the playlist with all of the episodes in the series here.

"Mom guilt" is shorthand for what we think are two pretty different things:

the universal, low-grade feelings of inadequacy that our soccer snacks aren't as good as Monica's
the intense, deeply personal shame that we are definitely the only horrible parent who has ever allowed their baby to roll off the changing table

Yes, we take on these feelings of guilt and shame—but society is pretty quick to hand them to us. In this episode we discuss

why there isn't such a thing as "dad guilt"
why mom guilt might serve as a sort of magical thinking
if we can at least skip the feeling guilty about HAVING mom guilt part

Here are links to some studies and other writing on this topic that we discuss in this episode:

Lara Bazelon for The Atlantic: The End of Mom Guilt
Amy Paturel for The Washington Post: Why we feel 'mom guilt'—and how to stop
Fresh Take: Dana Dorfman on When Worry Works
Fresh Take: Carla Naumburg on Why You Are Not a Sh*tty Parent
Fresh Take: Sara Petersen on "Momfluencers"
Fresh Take: Susan Linn on How 'Big Tech' Targets Our Kids
Batram-Zantvoort, Stephanie et al, Frontiers in Global Women's Health: "Maternal self-conception and mental wellbeing..."

Subscribe to our newsletter! Once a month you’ll get our favorite recent episodes, plus links to other things to read and watch and listen to, and upcoming special events: http://eepurl.com/h8ze3z

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/

mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent,

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Fresh Take: Dr. Alok Kanojia on Parenting a Healthy Gamer May 03, 2024

Show notes

How can we tear our kids away from the increasingly addictive video games they can't get enough of? Dr. Alok Kanojia, author of the book HOW TO RAISE A HEALTHY GAMER, explains how to talk to kids about their video game addiction.

Dr. Kanojia is a former gaming addict and a Harvard-trained psychiatrist who has developed evidence-based programs that helped tens of thousands of gamers overcome their addiction.

Margaret and Dr. Kanojia discuss:

Signs that someone is addicted to something and why gaming can fill a void
How to talk to your gamer about healthy habits
Enforcing boundaries around gaming and dealing with resistance to those boundaries

Here's where you can find Dr. Kanojia:

Follow Dr.K's podcast HealthyGamerGG https://open.spotify.com/show/6VaJwyS2KXxiXqR77jqzmP
Check out Dr.K's Book, How to Raise a Healthy Gamer https://bit.ly/4c8BNkr
Healthy Gamer Website https://www.healthygamer.gg/
Instagram: @healthygamergg
X: @dralokkanjia
YouTube: @healthy gamer GG
TikTok: @healthygamer.gg

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/

mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, toddler, baby, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, gaming, gaming addiction, video games, video game addiction, kids gaming addiction

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How To Deal With Picky Eaters May 01, 2024

Show notes

Follow us on YouTube!

Are you worried your picky eater will never eat a vegetable as long as they live? Here are some parenting tips for picky eaters—and some updates on Amy and Margaret's own picky eaters since recording our very first episode 8 years ago! (It's good news.)

Amy and Margaret discuss:

Why it's helpful to make food the least interesting thing at the dinner table
How to maintain your own sanity around mealtimes by meeting kids where they are
Why dinnertime is actually the worst time of day to get kids to try new foods
How pairing and "food chaining" can help expand your picky eaters' palates

Here is a link to one of the resources mentioned in the episode:

Benioff Childrens Hospitals: Picky Eaters

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/

manifest reality, positive thinking, toxic positivity, magical thinking, mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities,

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DEEP DIVE: Parenting as a Team Apr 29, 2024

Show notes

Parenting as a team is an ongoing challenge– even when your relationship with your co-parent is usually harmonious. But matching headspaces with your co-parent about a problem your family, or one of your children, is dealing with doesn't have to be the goal.

Parenting as a team can often mean taking turns, whether it's with the pancake-flipping, the hard talks with teenagers, or the 3 am worried Googling of ICD-10 diagnoses. In this episode we talk about what’s worked for us in moments of disagreement or struggle with our spouses, and how we found common ground.

If getting through the pandemic meant zooming in, just getting to the next lamppost, parenting as a team means zooming way out. If you know you're on the same page about the adults you want your children to become, it's a little easier to chill out about how they’ll get there.

Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:

Amy and Margaret discuss their "Pre-Cana" experiences in the Catholic Church, and the usefulness of the Engaged Encounter program in particular. To find out more: engagedencounter.com

Buy WHAT CHILDREN LEARN FROM THEIR PARENTS' MARRIAGES: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9780060929305

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/

mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, household equity, household equality, gender household equality, gender household equity

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Fresh Take: Chelsey Goodan on How Parents Underestimate Their Teenage Girls Apr 26, 2024

Show notes

Why are stereotypes of teenage girls rarely flattering? And what important traits are we not acknowledging in these young women? Chelsey Goodan, author of the new book UNDERESTIMATED: The Wisdom and Power of Teenage Girls, explains what teenage girls really want and need from us.

Chelsey and Amy discuss:

The generational shift towards a culture of support and empowerment among young girls today
The significance of offering agency to young girls in shaping their identities and futures
What teenage girls want from their parents more than anything else

Here's where you can find Chelsey:

https://www.chelseygoodan.com
@chelseygoodan on IG and X
Buy UNDERSTIMATED: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9781668032688
https://www.democrashe.org/
https://www.acalltomen.org/about/

Amy also mentions our Fresh Take with Judith Warner in this episode: https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/fresh-take-judith-warner-on-what-grownups-get-wrong-about-middle-school/

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/

mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, teenage girl, female empowerment, feminism, mentorship for teens, gender equity

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What Can We Add? What Can We Take Away? Apr 24, 2024

Show notes

The human tendency to solve problems by adding something is called "additive solution bias." However, sometimes a problem is more quickly and effectively solved by taking something away.

In this episode we talk about how "additive solution bias" can play out in our parenting strategies, and how we can become more aware of the times when what we actually need to do is take something away.

Amy and Margaret discuss:

Why our brains are wired to solve problems by adding things
How additive solution bias increases along with the size of the problem we're attempting to solve
Why removing something, or doing less, isn't automatically easier

Sign up for What Fresh Hell Plus on Supporting Cast to get all episodes ad-free, plus monthly bonus episodes. Supporting Cast works right where you already listen! Go to whatfreshhell.supportingcast.fm to subscribe in two taps for just $4.99 a month, or $39.99 a year.

Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:

Diana Kwon for Scientific American: "Our Brain Typically Overlooks This Brilliant Problem-Solving Strategy"
Gabrielle S. Adams, et. al for Nature: "People systematically overlook subtractive changes"
Less is more: Why our brains struggle to subtract
Anthony Sanni: Additive Bias—and how it could be affecting your productivity
Braess's paradox
Rachel Fairbank for Lifehacker: "Why You Should 'Subtract' From Your Parenting"
SUBTRACT by Leidy Klotz
Our Fresh Take with Amanda Montell
Our Fresh Take with Yael Schonbrun
THE SENSORY CHILD GETS ORGANIZED by Carolyn Dalgliesh

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/

mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent

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DEEP DIVE: Kate Mangino on Increasing Gender Equity Apr 22, 2024

Show notes

This month, we're doing a deep dive series into the division of household labor—why it's often unbalanced, and what we can do about it. You can find the playlist with all of the episodes in the series here.

Kate Mangino, PhD, is a gender expert and professional facilitator who has been working internationally for nearly 20 years. She is the author of the new book Equal Partners: Improving Gender Equity at Home, an informed guide about how readers can rewrite harmful gender norms and create greater household equity.

Here's where you can find Kate:

https://www.katemangino.com
@ManginoKate on X
Buy EQUAL PARTNERS: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9781250276117

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/

mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, household equity, household equality, gender household equality, gender household equity

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Fresh Take: Amanda Montell and the Age of Magical Overthinking Apr 19, 2024

Show notes

Cognitive biases are self-deceptive thought patterns we all use to make sense of the world. In a world that makes less and less sense, Amanda Montell argues, humans have become more irrational than ever. In her new book THE AGE OF MAGICAL OVERTHINKING, Montell explains how our brains' coping mechanisms have become overloaded—and how to slow down our panic responses when the world becomes too overwhelming.

Amanda, Amy, and Margaret discuss:

How magical overthinking has manifested from the modern age of mass information overload and an epidemic of loneliness
The types of cognitive biases that comprise magical overthinking, such as the sunk cost fallacy, the halo effect, and proportionality bias
Strategies to combat the negative effects of magical overthinking

Here's where you can find Amanda:

https://amandamontell.com/
@amanda_montell on IG
Buy THE AGE OF MAGICAL OVERTHINKING: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9781668007976
Listen to the "Sounds Like a Cult" podcast

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/

manifest reality, positive thinking, toxic positivity, magical thinking, mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities,

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Do We Share Too Much About Our Kids Online? Apr 17, 2024

Show notes

We all know what extreme "oversharenting" is when we see it. It's the gray areas that get harder. When we post about our kid's adventures in potty training, are we supposed to think twice?

What will happen when our kids are old enough to want to curate their own internet presence?

How concerned should we be about the privacy we may have given away without thinking?

Amy and Margaret discuss:

the digital footprint and the "right to be forgotten"
what to check in your privacy settings
when to start asking kids for permission before you post
the benefits we gain from sharing about our families online

Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:

Zoya Garg, Elmer Gomez and Luciana Yael Petrzela for the NY Times:"If You Didn't 'Sharent,' Did You Even Parent?"
Sean Coughlan for the BBC: "'Sharenting' puts young at risk of online fraud"
Fortesa Latifi for Cosmopolitan: "What’s the Price of a Childhood Turned Into Content?"
Fortesa Latifi for Cosmopolitan: "'We’re Never Doing This Again': What It Took for These Parenting Influencers to Pull Their Kids Offline"
Paula Cocozza for The Guardian: "‘I was so embarrassed I cried’: do parents share too much online?"
Amy Webb for Slate: "We Post Nothing About Our Daughter Online"
Jennifer Valentino-DeVries and Michael H. Keller for the NY Times: "A Marketplace of Girl Influencers Managed by Moms and Stalked by Men"
Megan Francis: When Your “Worst-Mom Moment” Becomes A Viral Meme (And How The “Surfboard Kid” Became A Man)

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/

mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent,

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