The holidays bring joy, chaos, and complicated family dynamics. This episode tackles the real challenges parents face during the season: balancing traditions with your own family's needs, managing expectations from extended family, and deciding which holiday customs matter most to you. From religious observance to gift-giving philosophies, we explore how to create meaningful celebrations while setting boundaries that work for your household.

Questions We Discussed

• How do you balance your own family traditions with extended family expectations during the holidays?
• What happens when grandparents have different ideas about gifts and celebrations than you do?
• How can parents navigate religious holidays when family members have varying levels of observance or belief?
• Should you maintain childhood traditions that no longer align with your values or beliefs?
• What's the best approach to setting boundaries around holiday visits and activities?
• How do you handle the pressure to create "perfect" holiday experiences for your kids?
• When is it okay to skip certain holiday traditions or obligations entirely?
• How can you communicate your parenting choices to family without causing conflict?

What does it mean to truly let go as a parent? In this episode, Matthew, Mandy, and Pete explore the delicate balance between protecting our children and giving them the freedom to grow. From toddler autonomy to teenagers navigating independence, the hosts share personal stories and practical wisdom about when to hold on and when to step back.

Questions We Discussed

• How do we balance keeping kids safe while letting them take necessary risks? The hosts examine the tension between protection and independence, from playground injuries to teenage decision-making.
• What role does failure play in helping children develop resilience? Matthew, Mandy, and Pete discuss why allowing kids to experience disappointment and setbacks is essential for growth.
• How can parents support their children's autonomy without abandoning guidance? The conversation explores the difference between stepping back and checking out, emphasizing presence without control.
• When should parents intervene in their children's challenges versus letting them problem-solve independently? From friendship conflicts to academic struggles, the hosts share their approaches to knowing when to help.
• How do our own childhood experiences shape our parenting decisions about independence? Each host reflects on how their upbringing influences their comfort level with letting go.

Additional Topics

• The "invisible string" concept: staying connected while allowing distance
• Age-appropriate independence and how expectations shift from toddlerhood through adolescence
• Managing parental anxiety when children take risks
• The difference between natural consequences and punitive consequences
• Building trust as the foundation for letting go

The first month of parenthood is a crash course in bodily fluids, sleep deprivation, and existential wonder. Matthew checks in three weeks after bringing baby home, while Mandy navigates teenage driving, and Pete reflects on his adult child saving a life. The conversation spans burping cloths, feeding anxieties, and the Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam—repairing the world one person at a time.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What happens when every piece of fabric becomes an emergency burping cloth?
• How do you know when your baby is actually hungry versus just comforted by feeding?
• Why does teaching a teenager to drive feel like an emotional milestone for parents?
• Can you really mess up your baby in the first few weeks, or is anxiety your brain's default setting?
• What credit can parents take when their adult children do extraordinary things?
• When will teenagers naturally start keeping their rooms clean, and why?

After weeks of careful planning, Matthew's baby arrived in the middle of the night—at a completely different hospital than expected.

In this episode, Matthew shares their unfiltered birth story: the telltale signs Mary initially dismissed, the frantic drive across town, and their first days as a brand-new parent navigating meconium diapers and jaundice.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How do you know when labor is actually starting vs. false alarms?
• What happens when the hospital you planned for is full and you get diverted?
• Why did we choose to find out the baby's sex beforehand?
• What's it really like doing your first diaper changes on a newborn?
• How do you handle the unexpected physical realities of newborn care (meconium, jaundice, temperature regulation)?
• What does it feel like to transition from "future parent" to "current parent"?

Matthew's just days away from becoming a parent, while Mandy and Pete navigate the complex world of sharing beloved films and shows with their teens. From handling commercials and consent messaging in Bluey to the heartbreak of watching your kid zone out during your favorite childhood classic, this episode tackles the emotional minefield of introducing kids to the media you love—and accepting when they just don't care.

Questions we discussed:

• When should you start intentionally watching shows and movies with your children?
• How do streaming services change parenting by eliminating commercial messaging?
• Watching problematic favorites (like John Hughes movies)
• Why do kids reject movies their parents love, and how should you handle it?
• How does context and first-viewing experience shape our relationship with movies?

Bonus PSA: No popcorn for kids under five—it's a choking hazard.

What happens when your carefully crafted birth plan collides with medical reality—and your family's overwhelming enthusiasm? This episode explores the gap between Hollywood's dramatic 10-minute labor scenes and the actual days-long delivery process, while navigating the beautiful chaos of well-meaning relatives who can't contain their excitement.

Matthew, Mandy, and Pete tackle the complexities of modern childbirth: How do you balance trusting medical professionals while still advocating for your preferences? What's it really like compared to what we see in movies? And how do you manage family support that becomes more overwhelming than helpful?

In This Episode:

Matthew reflects on the performative pressure to be the "perfect supportive partner" and introduces the "circles of care" model—where support flows inward while emotional processing happens with people further from the center. Pete shares how his performance anxiety vanished the moment actual labor began.

The conversation also covers the medicalization of childbirth and political pressures around birth choices, post-birth food cravings you dream about for months, coordination tools like MealTrain for postpartum support, traveling with babies while managing family expectations, and the realities of C-sections versus natural birth.

Plus, the hosts address a listener question about managing an 18-year-old camp counselor's inappropriate texts to a 14-year-old camper.

Whether you're weeks away from delivery or years from considering kids, this episode captures the beautiful chaos of preparing for parenthood. Sometimes the best-laid birth plans are just the starting point for the real adventure.

Navigating screen time as a parent feels like walking through a minefield – every choice comes with judgment, guilt, and conflicting expert advice. In this candid conversation, hosts Matthew Fox and Mandy Kaplan sit down with voice actor and dad Will Collier to tackle the daily battles of raising kids in our screen-saturated world.

Topics Covered

• When should parents start worrying about their own screen habits around babies and toddlers?
• What's the difference between "good" and "bad" screen time? We examine the spectrum from educational content like Wild Kratts to algorithm-driven platforms like TikTok.
• How do you handle screen time in a community where every family has different rules? The conversation revealed the judgment and awkwardness that comes with navigating other parents' choices – from kids watching violent movies at age 4 to families who use screens as 24/7 babysitters. Finding your own boundaries while respecting community relationships requires constant negotiation.

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Expectant parent Matthew Fox and seasoned parents Mandy Kaplan and Pete Wright dive deep into one of parenting's most personal decisions: naming your child. From family traditions to social media pressures, this episode explores how modern parents navigate the complex world of baby naming while sharing candid stories about their own experiences.

Topics Covered

• Is baby clothing just an expensive marketing trap? Matthew discovers the harsh reality of baby clothing sizes and seasonal mismatches, while Mandy delivers hard truths about those adorable (but useless) baby sneakers that become mere projectiles for developing motor skills.
• How do you actually choose a name that will last a lifetime?
• Should you tell people your baby name choices before the birth?
• How do cultural and religious traditions influence naming decisions? Matthew shares how his Jewish and Southern family backgrounds created different expectations for honoring relatives, while the group discusses the power dynamics and confidence that come with certain names.
• Can you really predict which names will become popular? Pete explains how their choice of "Sophia" seemed unique until it became one of the most popular names of the 2000s, proving that predicting naming trends is nearly impossible.