One Bad Mother

Biz and Theresa wonder if we're putting too much or too little weight on our kids' actual ages. Every time our older kids reach a new age, it seems younger than we imagined it would be, and our younger kids -- no matter how old they get -- always seem little compared to our big kids. When we set limits and expectations based on our kids' ages, it always somehow feels totally arbitrary! Plus, Biz a...

In honor of Mother’s Day, Biz and Theresa wonder whether we have inadvertently allowed ourselves to become doormats! When we hear our partners tell our kids, "Don't talk to your mother that way," why are we surprised? It's nice to know someone has our backs, but...maybe we should also have our own backs! How do we practice patience while also standing up to our kids when they cross the line? How d...

Biz and Theresa are beginning to think our kids are trying to tell use something…like, to shut up. Perhaps the face grabbing, mouth covering and screaming, “No talking, Mama!” is a clue. Is expecting our children to not interrupt reasonable right now or should we be focusing more on the long game? Plus, Biz adjusts her attitude, there is a baby on Theresa’s plane, and Heather MacLean joins to talk...

Biz and Theresa talk about how it feels when our kids get in trouble at school. Everyone is definitely thinking we're doing a bad job as parents, right? Plus, life finds a way for Biz, Theresa tells us how it's going with three, and we talk with comedian Joe Sib about his parenting podcast and his new comedy album Nowhere Near The Top . Twitter: @JoeSib Nowhere Near The Top album: https://www.nowh...

Every family has its own way of doing things and, now that our kids are old enough to compare our homes to their friends', suddenly there's a whole list of ways in which we, our kids' parents, ARE MONSTERS. Plus, Biz paves the way for weekend fun and Theresa visits a real forest. And we talk with writer Nefertiti Austin about her experience adopting children as a single woman of color.   In refere...

This week on One Bad Mother, Biz and Theresa ponder the stereotype of mothers….not the ethereal, magical vessel image…its the hunched, broken, shell of a person image. Is it avoidable? Is it too late? Or is there some place in between the deep end and the impossible vision of self put upon perfection? We hope that place has snacks. Plus Biz lives her parenting dream, Theresa gives us a window into...

This week on One Bad Mother, Biz and Theresa wonder why stepping foot into elementary school can churn up our own personal anxiety about making friends as adults with other parents. Is it all in our minds or should we just hang out behind the cafeteria and start smoking? Plus Biz gives up the bottle, Theresa takes up the bottle and Kiera Butler, a senior editor at Mother Jones joins to talk about...

This week on One Bad Mother, in honor of the #MaxFunDrive, Theresa is BACK, with Baby Curtis, and we talk about the miracle of childbirth. The third times the charm! Plus we are joined by Jancee Dunn, to talk about her new book which works through the issues many couples have after a baby shows up in their life. Turns out, there maybe should have been some pre-baby talk about how stuff was going t...

This week on One Bad Mother, in honor MaxFunDrive, Biz travels to the past to talk to to still pregnant Theresa about how much they should care about how their kid’s express themselves through their clothes. The answer turns out to be “not a lot” but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a bumpy road to get there and acceptance that the road will go on forever….with more bumps. Plus Corin Tucker joins us to...

This week on One Bad Mother, Tempest DuJour joins Biz as co-host to answer the question "What do you mean they don’t want to be your friend baby girl?” What are we supposed to do as parents if our kids feel like they don’t have friends? I mean besides threaten those kids who dare not like our children. That probably qualifies as getting “too involved.” But what is enough involvement and how bitter...

This week on One Bad Mother, Books! They can be really helpful! Gwen Glazer, the recommendations librarian from the NYC public Library and co-host of the podcast The Librarian Is In, joins as our cohost and we explore how books can help us prepare our kids from the simplest of milestones to some of the harder issues. Gwen brings us suggestions for books about refugees and immigration for our kids...

This week on One Bad Mother, Biz is joined by guest host Nicole Blades to wonder if we HAVE to like our kid's friends. Plus Nicole admits to the goldfish swap, Biz feels beat up and we talk to Theresa who questions the sustainability of parenting. Thank you to all our listeners who support the show as monthly members of MaximumFun.org . Our sponsors this week are LOLA  and Lyft . For 60% off your...

This week on One Bad Mother, Living arrangements! Guest host John Roderick joins to talk about the rather non-traditional family set up he shares with the mother of his child, plus we check in with Theresa who is still on maternity leave and Biz isn’t sure long weekends are all they are cracked up to be. John Roderick http://www.johnroderick.com Twitter: @johnroderick Thank you to all our listener...

This week on One Bad Mother, while Theresa is out on family leave, Biz is joined by her husband Stefan Lawrence to talk about the language of love. Or maybe its the language of Swedish and the love part comes from staying married while one parent speaks only English and the other only Swedish to the kids. Does it get frustrating? Does it take patience? Does it take commitment? Yes…and Stefan finds...

This week on One Bad Mother, Theresa has had a baby! Yay! Biz is joined by guest host Britt Erickson and they wonder why kid’s have such a problem with what we know to be true and instead cling to their alternative facts…and why are they so stubborn about it? Its the kids being stubborn right? Not us…right? Plus we are joined by Meg Collins of Lucie’s List to talk about the importance of being hon...

Biz and Theresa talk candy! Is there such a thing as too much candy and really, for whom are we asking? Between school celebrations, holidays, and parties, there seems to be a never-ending flow of candy into our lives. Do we try to control the candy or just use candy to control our kids? If it gets us out the door quickly, we’ll choose the latter! Plus, we talk about dinner time and picky eaters w...

Biz and Theresa take a walk in a winter wonderland of HORRORS! Is there something special about the winter weather that makes it seem harder to parent? Or is it being trapped inside more? Maybe its all the holidays, snow days, and sick days that make it seem impossible to get anything done? Or maybe Biz and Theresa are just displacing our own parenting ennui on a season. Plus, Biz pulls the plug o...

Biz and Theresa talk about gender identity and our kids this week as Theresa shares some news about her five-year-old. Our awesome guest is Gender Spectrum 's Lisa Kenney, who co-authored the book The Transgender Teen . Lisa walks us through some common misconceptions about gender identity and helps us learn language that can be useful around discussions of gender. Plus, Biz discovers how the litt...

Biz and Theresa explore what’s in the bags we carry around all day…you know, besides the emotional weight of self-identity and parenting. That aside, it's probably wipes and Band-Aids….and tiny koalas. Plus, Biz gets a wake-up call, Theresa is still pregnant, and we talk to Kristen Howerton of Rage Against The Minivan about transracial adoption and her awesome blog. Kristen Howerton: Rage Against...

Biz and Theresa revisit their resolutions from last year and are reminded that resolutions are bullshit! Seriously. Let's resolve to talk about cake or anything else next year. Plus, Biz recovers from the holidays, Theresa reminds us of her favorite gift, and we talk to Professor of Cognitive Sciences Barbara Sarnecka about her fascinating recent study on how moral judgments affect the way we perc...

It's our holiday gift to ourselves and to you: The First Ever HOLIDAY Genius-Fail Spectacular, With Rants! This week we celebrate the holidays with you and all of your amazing calls. It seems like just the thing to get us through this last push of the holidays. We'll see you #HidingInTheBathroom! Thank you to all our listeners who support the show as monthly members of MaximumFun.org . Our sponsor...

Biz and Theresa wonder if we're doing it wrong when it comes to responding to poor behavior. Should we be accommodating of difficult behavior when it's obviously just some kind of developmental stage? Or, by letting things slide, are we creating a world of Veruca Salts? Is it okay to just not enlist in some battles? Plus, Biz experiences the power of The Target Shout-Out and Theresa stresses about...

Biz and Theresa say, "facts schmacts!” Of course sugar makes kids hyper! Who cares if science says otherwise? Of course drool plus fever means teething! No matter that your kid has all her teeth- IT'S TEETHING! Astrology? Ha! Your attempts to deny its accuracy just prove you are a (insert your sign here). Okay, okay, all joking aside, science really is the best. We explore the difference between t...

Biz and Theresa think back to what life was like when we were just passengers in the cars of life and are fairly certain there was no way we were distracting to our parents. We then impress each other with our feats of managing small children while driving…who knew you could open granola bars and pitch them over your head perfectly to land in your toddler’s mouth? Plus, Biz fears the new year and...

The holidays are here! Biz and Theresa head into the festive season wondering: if we say what concerns us and ask for help and the opportunity to actually enjoy at least some of it... maybe we actually will? If that doesn’t work, there's always #HidingInTheBathroom. Plus, Biz says goodbye to the ant and the stroller, Theresa is faced again with one of the great questions of the universe, and we ta...