What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making Life Better, with Two Funny Moms - TopPodcast.com

View Top 200 Chart

Back to Rankings Page

What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making Life Better, with Two Funny Moms — Government & Organizations
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:

The Parents Had a Point Feb 28, 2024

Show notes

Were the concerns of Nemo's father actually pretty reasonable? Was Mrs. Doubtfire the bad guy? Were Baby's parents in Dirty Dancing... actually kind of right?

We asked our listeners which movies and TV shows they perceive differently as parents, plus a few of our own. We also discuss:

which child actor Margaret scarily resembles
the weirdest Disney movie of all time, in terms of it ostensibly being aimed at children
the one thing that could save every Disney princess problem in five minutes

Read the original thread in our Facebook group!

mom friends, funny moms, Disney movies, family movies, family programming

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

DEEP DIVE: Why Are Our Kids Such Total Opposites? Feb 26, 2024

Show notes

We're doing a "Deep Dive" into our past episodes on birth order and how it can shape both kids' personalities and their relationships with their siblings. Find the rest of the episodes in this deep dive series in this Spotify playlist.

It’s not your imagination: kids raised in the same family really do push in opposite directions– and we mean POLAR opposites, especially for closely-spaced or same-sex siblings. But why the de-identification? And how is it even possible for kids reared in the same environment to be so completely different?

In this episode we discuss:

the three theories social scientists have about this phenomenon
why siblings may “evolve” like Darwin’s finches
how “the shy one” in a given family may not be that shy at all- except compared to that outgoing sibling
what parents need to watch out for in terms of leaning in to these (sometimes oversimplified) categories

Here’s links to the fascinating research, and stuff that it reminded us of, discussed in this episode:

Alix Spiegel for NPR: Siblings Share Genes, But Rarely Personalities
NYT: Each Sibling Experiences a Different Family
Dr. Robert Plomin and Dr Denise Daniels: Why are Children in the Same Family So Different From One Another?
Dr. Frank Sullaway: Why Siblings Are Like Darwin’s Finches: Birth Order, Sibling Competition, and Adaptive Divergence within the Family
Dr. Robert Plomin and Dr. Judy Dunn: Why Are Siblings So Different? The Significance of Differences in Sibling Experiences Within the Family
Science Daily: Parents’ Comparisons Make Siblings Different
Dr. Alexander Jensen and Dr. Susan McHale: What makes siblings different? The development of sibling differences in academic achievement and interests.
Amy’s yin-and-yang sons, born on the Chinese days of Greatest Heat (Dashu) and Deepest Snow (Daxue)
the hilarious book Hyperbole and a Half, with its “Hot Sauce” reminder of what happens when we lean too hard into what we maybe only *think* are our children’s defining characteristics
and our own episode discussing birth order and how it shapes our kids’ personalities.

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, middle child, birth order, siblings

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fresh Take: Charles Duhigg on Supercommunicators Feb 23, 2024

Show notes

How can we make our kids - and ourselves - feel truly listened to in our day-to-day conversations? Charles Duhigg, author of the new book SUPERCOMMUNICATORS, explains how to create meaningful connection in the parent/child relationship.

Charles Duhigg is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better. He is a staff writer at The New Yorker and was previously a reporter at the New York Times.

Charles and Margaret discuss:

The three types of conversations and why the distinction among them is important
How we can connect with others when we have deep personal disagreements
How our communication skills are connected to our happiness

Here's where you can find Charles:

https://www.charlesduhigg.com/
Instagram: @charlesduhigg
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesduhigg
FB: @CharlesDuhigg
Buy SUPERCOMMUNICATORS: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9780593243916

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,

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Power of "Not Yet" Feb 21, 2024

Show notes

When we worry about our kids being behind on reaching milestones, that's natural. When we fear it's proof of our own terrible parenting, that's our anxiety taking over. Here's how to reframe kids' development in a way that lessens our mom guilt and feelings of failure: the power of "not yet"

Amy and Margaret discuss:

Why we feel so anxious when our kids aren't developing the way we think they should
How we can show our kids that we believe in them—and why that helps us too
Why humans learn more from mistakes than from things we get right

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

Sarina Natkin: The Power of Not Right Now
Leo The Late Bloomer by Robert Kraus
TED Talk Tuesday: The Power of Yet
Our episode "Growth Mindset"
Carol Dweck at TEDxNorrkoping: The power of believing that you can improve
Neuroscience News: Mindful Mistakes: How Brains Learn from Errors

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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

DEEP DIVE: Middle Kids Feb 19, 2024

Show notes

This is one of our deep dives on how kids are shaped by their siblings. Find the rest of the episodes in this deep dive series in this Spotify playlist.

Most people believe middle children are prone to feeling insecure and left out because they get less attention. Their primary emotional state? Jealousy of siblings. Studies show that we think these problems are real and inescapable. A City College of New York study found participants were most likely to use words like “overlooked” to describe middle children— while completely unlikely to use the word “spoiled.”

Psychologist Dr. Alfred Adler first proposed a “middle child syndrome” in the 1920s, and ever since, most of us have assumed the Jan-Brady worst. But Dr. Adler also believed that middle children’s place in the birth order made them “uniquely poised to succeed.” Are we getting it wrong? Are there lifelong benefits for kids who grow up neither the pressured oldest nor the coddled youngest?

In this episode we discuss:

“middleborns” vs “classic middles"
the negativity of the “middle child syndrome,” and whether or not it bears out
why middle children are more independent and open-minded
why middle children have a greater appetite for risk
how the “ambient neglect” a middle child sometimes receives can be an incredible gift

Writer Adam Sternbergh, himself a middle, says that "being a middle child is not something you aspire to; it’s something that happens to you.” While that may be true, it also turns out that we should perhaps all be jealous of them. Being a middle kid can be secretly great.

Here's links to research and other writing on the topic discussed in this episode:

Adam Sternbergh for The Cut: The Extinction of the Middle Child
Dr. Catherine Salmon: The Secret Power of Middle Children: How Middleborns Can Harness Their Unexpected and Remarkable Abilities
Lindsay Dodgson for Business Insider: 'Middle child syndrome' doesn't actually exist — but it still might come with some surprising psychological advantages
Risk-taking middle-borns: A study on birth-order and risk preferences
Abi Berwager Schreier for Romper: Do Middle Children Really Have More Issues? Jan Brady Wasn't The Only One
Alphaparent: Optimum Family Size Facts

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, middle child, siblings, middle kid

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fresh Take: Dr. Kevin Simon on What Parents Need to Know About Kids and Substance Use Feb 16, 2024

Show notes

How can we prevent our kids from developing substance use disorders? Dr. Kevin Simon is an Attending Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Addiction Medicine Specialist at Boston Children's Hospital and an instructor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. In this interview, Dr. Simon explains

The different ways that kids use substances, and why they use
What puts kids at higher use for developing addiction
Why the "just a sip at home" strategy isn't a good idea
What to watch for in order to intervene sooner

Here's where you can find Dr. Simon:

https://www.kevinsimonmd.com/publications
@DrKMSimon on IG, X, and LinkedIn

Here links to a few resources mentioned in the episode:

Felice J Freyer for the Boston Globe: "Boston's New Mental Health Czar Lays Out His Goals"

"This Is Your Brain on Drugs" PSA

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, teen substance use disorder, teen addiction, teen substance abuse, teen mental health, teen mental illness, teen drug addiction, teen drug abuse, teen alcoholism

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I Love My Family But... Feb 14, 2024

Show notes

What words, phrases, or annoying habits do you wish your family would just quit once and for all? Here's what our funny mom friends had to say.

Amy and Margaret discuss:

What rules work in Margaret's house
What behaviors cause them to "catch a bit of an attitude"
Which tropical islands they would run away to if given the chance

Read the original thread on Facebook here

Listen to Molly and Blaire's new podcast Unsticking It!

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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

DEEP DIVE: Birth Order: Can We Fight It? Feb 12, 2024

Show notes

We're doing a "Deep Dive" into our past episodes on birth order and how it can shape both kids' personalities and their relationships with their siblings. Find the rest of the episodes in this deep dive series in this Spotify playlist.

Is birth order a thing to fight back against? Is there a way to make the older child less stressed, and the baby maybe a little *more* motivated? And is it a problem if our own birth order has shaped who we are as adults and how we parent?

We think the answer is: not really. These stereotypes are so ingrained because the effects of birth order are real. But that's not to say the things that result are all negative, or completely determinative, or that your middle kid is doomed to a life of unhappiness just because she was unlucky enough to get a younger sibling.

Still, awareness of the effects of birth order seems important, if only to catch ourselves when we're inadvertently reinforcing those roles. That's when we can give the youngest a little more responsibility, the oldest a little less– and let the middle kid pick what’s for dinner once in a while.

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, middle child, birth order, siblings

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fresh Take: Kelly Corrigan on Letting Big Kids Go Feb 09, 2024

Show notes

What does it mean to parent grown children? How can we embrace those changing relationships? Kelly Corrigan, host of "Kelly Corrigan Wonders", four-time New York Times bestselling author, and the host of PBS’ long-form interview show Tell Me More, talks with Amy about the process of letting our big kids go.

Kelly and Amy discuss:

why the thing our older kids might most want to hear from us is, simply, "I know"
why mothers and fathers might get different versions of the same stories from their kids
Kelly's top advice for younger parents

Here's where you can find Kelly:

https://www.kellycorrigan.com/
@kellycorrigan on IG
Listen to Kelly's podcast "Kelly Corrigan Wonders"

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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How Is It Still Winter? Stuff for Kids to Do When They're Stuck Inside Feb 07, 2024

Show notes

Need some new indoor activities for kids? Are you completely out of ways to keep your little ones busy while winter's cold and icky weather continues to drag on? Bundling up and going outside is worth the trouble, when you can make it happen—but when you can't, here's how to make those long and boring days inside more fun.

Amy and Margaret discuss:

The "third quarter phenomenon"
How to change things up to create new experiences out of old toys for kids
Listener tips for keeping kids occupied on cold, rainy, or snowy days

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

Elmo checks in on all of us this week: Elmo on Twitter / X
Watch this interview with Elmo and his dad Louie on TODAY
Nathan Smith and Gro Mjeldheim Sandal for Astronautics: "The third-quarter phenomenon: the psychology of time in space"

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, activities for kids, fun activities for kids, winter activities for kids, indoor activities for kids

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Related Podcasts