episodes

Joe "Mr. D" Dombrowski is a professional comedian. He also teaches kindergarten. Joe tells us all the fresh hells of this school year from a teacher's point of view, what our kids might need to relearn, and why humor is any teacher’s best friend.

What’s your mom rock-bottom? The moment when you thought I’m just going to head for the border and start a new life? We asked you all for the worst mom moments you were actually willing to share in open court. Here they are- plus a few of our own.

We think of "play" as something that kids should do naturally (and together). But play is something that needs to be modeled and encouraged. Here's how.

Janice Johnson Dias is a professor of sociology whose work focuses on the mental and physical health of girls, Black girls in particular. We discuss change-making, joy, and her book PARENT LIKE IT MATTERS: HOW TO RAISE JOYFUL, CHANGE-MAKING GIRLS.

There are benefits to our kids making mistakes, even when it’s hard. Maybe especially when it’s hard. We discuss how the brain learns from a mistake, the benefits of a “growth mindset,” and how we can make our homes mistake-friendly environments.

When it comes to child's play, the more self-directed and "fun" it is, the bigger of a mess it will probably make. But we don’t have to choose between our children’s unbridled creativity and our own sanity. Here’s how to encourage team mess cleanup.

Michelle Icard, author of FOURTEEN TALKS BY AGE FOURTEEN, says while tweens have begun "the necessary and difficult work of pulling away," they're still at an age where what we say has enormous impact. Here’s how to have those tough conversations.

Kids shouldn’t have to hold our emotions for us, but is it OK for them to witness our sadness or loneliness? When is shower-crying the better bet, and when are our negative emotions safe for us to express? Can it be a good thing for our kids to see?

A listener asks how to get on the same page as her nanny when it comes to disciplining her child.

What are some little things we can lean on right now to create more joy and meaning for our families? We asked for ideas, and we’re talking LITTLE. Preferably free. Not exhausting. Super fun. Lifetime of memories. Here are some of our favorites.

When is a teen happily isolated– or at least content– and when is it something a parent should be concerned about, particularly during the pandemic?

As we come up on the one-year anniversary of a crisis we thought would take a couple of weeks, let's face it: all of us moms are falling apart. How’s it going at our houses? Not great. But here’s what is helping us survive and getting us through.

How much input should we have on our kids' choices of friends? What happens when we don't like the friends our kid is choosing?

The best way to handle our children’s anger is to equip them with the tools to handle it themselves. Whether your kid is 4 or 14, here’s how to stand outside the storm and get your calm back a little sooner. Get the full transcript: bit.ly/WFHanger.

Boundaries aren’t just for relationships that have already been damaged. Healthy boundaries with our partners, friends, and extended family are what make long-term relationships possible. Here’s how to set boundaries early and often.

A toddler's "only mommy" phase is just that. It's temporary. But it's a struggle for Mom nonetheless, even if her toddler's devotion is adorable. Here's how to get through it.

Parents shouldn’t be the architects of their children’s lives. Or the builders. Dr. Harold Koplewicz, author of THE SCAFFOLD EFFECT: Raising Resilient, Self-Reliant and Secure Kids in an Age of Anxiety, tells us how best to support our kids’ growth.

This pandemic situation has not been great. But there are things we have been freed from and are hereby declaring we’ll never do, or wear, or worry about again. Here’s what we (and our listeners) are, with great determination, never going back to.

A listener asks how to help a child asking anxious questions after his classmate's parent died.

Dr. Christine Koh creates content to help people live better and happier. She also grew up with adverse childhood experiences. We discuss the CDC ACEs framework for understanding early adversity, and how to go on and build happy families of our own.

Having the same fight doesn’t mean your relationship is broken. But it is totally annoying. Here are the modes of negativity that are at work when we repeat the same conflicts- and what we can do to break the cycle, whether it’s our partners or kids.

A parent asks for advice on dealing with a clingy 9-year-old. Amy suggests rewarding small shows of independence with praise, and offering quality time during your child’s preferred activity in return for accepting some time apart without complaint.

Dr. Edward Hallowell, co-author of ADHD 2.0: New Science and Essential Strategies for Thriving with Distraction--From Childhood Through Adulthood, explains the growing understanding of ADHD- and offers new hacks for brains with “variable attention.”

We often express righteous anger at all the completely infuriating and totally trivial things that other people, usually related to us, do to annoy us. Today we look inward– and admit the things we do that are so irksome that we even annoy OURSELVES.