Parenting Roundabout

An article about a mom who's taken up skateboarding to share that activity with her kids got us obsessing about how far we would (or, more likely, would not) go to get that quality time. Mentioned: The Finland Ice Marathon .

The blowback from a TikTok video prompted us to complain about people who can't understand why a parent might tiptoe into their child's room once in a while and tidy up a little bit. Just a little!

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, Primo 's first season (of many, we hope!) comes to an end with two sweet love stories and plenty of silly uncle shenanigans. Of course, there are always shenanigans with the Walker family on Brothers and Sisters, and this episode is no exception (although at least Nora had the sense to go on a date without her family in tow). Next: S2 E12, "Compromises....

Terri's home is dog-less no more. Welcome, Layla! (Mentioned: Petfinder , which is a helpful way to look longingly at prospective pets in near-to-you shelters.)

On Speed-Round Sunday, we share a mini episode from our past for your weekend listening pleasure. ​ Find out which of us describes her child's interior design as "Hoarders-themed," and which one had to censor her kid's posters with a Sharpie.

On Second-Listen Saturday, we share moments from past episodes for your weekend listening pleasure. This discussion is from September 2019. Nicole is reeling from a string of unexpected, untimely bills, giving us a reason to complain about unnecessary emergency-room visits, overly thorough car mechanics, and other surprise hits to our budgets.

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup: Catherine shouts out Edmund Unravels by Andrew Kolb, a children's book with an unlikely hero. Nicole's learning new things with the Imprint app , and Terri's fandoms unite in the song " Taylor Swift " by Walker Hayes. ​ Thanks as always to Jon Morin for our fun in-and-out music, which you hear on every episode.

An article in which a mom claimed to "never" force her kids to attend family events got us obsessing about the precarious balancing act of good manners, familial duty, and kids' autonomy.

After noticing an uptick of requests for gifts on social media (and car windows), we mildly complain about this practice, which is really just the millennial version of sending out formal announcements for life events.

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, we're still charmed by Primo (performances, relationships, plots―all of it!) and already sad about the fact that there are only two episodes left in this season: E7, "The Recruitment Fair," and E8, "What?" It's status quo, too, on Brothers and Sisters , as a family dinner turns into a litany of secrets revealed in front of an unsuspecting potential roma...

We reached way back into the mental archives to talk about how to manage a parent-child energy-level mismatch. Godspeed, parents of little ones! Mentioned: Last week's shout-out of an icy activity.

On Speed-Round Sunday, we share a mini episode from our past for your weekend listening pleasure. ​ Parents (and therapists) from past generations have passed on some truly crummy wisdom. We've totally gotten over resenting them for it, sure!

On Second-Listen Saturday, we share moments from past episodes for your weekend listening pleasure. This discussion is from September 2019. ​ ​ We follow up last week's food fight chat with more on WW (formerly known as WeightWatchers): How it works (or doesn't) for us, how it could be improved, and how in the world they thought " WW for kids " was a good idea.

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup: Nicole found some fun earrings that are perfect for Palm Springs. Terri found an unusual use for a doggie bandana . And Catherine found a special treat at Costco: Girl Scout Thin Mints Pretzels . Also mentioned: more neckwear, from Coolibar . ​ Thanks as always to Jon Morin for our fun in-and-out music, which you hear on every episode.

It's a fact of parenting life: Kids try things, and they quit things. With the benefit of hindsight, we obsessed about all the trying and quitting our kids have done over the years, and how they feel about it now.

An article on NPR caught our eye with the promising title " Anti-dopamine parenting can curb a kid's craving for screens or sweets ." (Can it also curb an adult's craving, we wondered?) The advice within is quite reasonable, but we still managed to complain about how when our kids were little, we didn't even have screens for them to crave. Mentioned: A screen-free activity that held a toddler's at...

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, Primo continues to delight with its lived-in family situations, charming characters, and funny jokes. Next: S1 E5, "The Carnival," and E6, "The Candy Bar." Brothers and Sisters ' Walker clan also has plenty of family situations, but they're more outlandish than lived-in, and a precious few characters are charming. Nevertheless, we persist, and move on t...

We are super proud of our kids' big accomplishments, like earning diplomas and degrees. But we're also very proud of the little things, like showing up for a roommate, being a good sport, and sending a thank-you note.

On Speed-Round Sunday, we share a mini episode from our past for your weekend listening pleasure. ​ After discussing our inadequacies as pet parents, we moved on to talk about another thing we're not that great at.

On Second-Listen Saturday, we share moments from past episodes for your weekend listening pleasure. This discussion is from September 2019. ​ ​We try to set our kids up for success, one storage bin and phone alarm at a time. But they don't always appreciate (or, let's face it: notice) our efforts.

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup: Catherine's singing the praises of Biofreeze patches for your aches and pains, while Nicole's back with another comfy shoe: The Flexy flats from Naturalizer (mentioned: this basketball game played in pumps TV commercial ... which was actually for a different brand. Sorry, Easy Spirit!). Terri's shopping for religious items at Autom and recommends it for your reli...

An episode of Ted Lasso that highlighted all the ways parents might damage their kids (as in the Philip Larkin poem Mae quotes, " This Be the Verse ") got us obsessing about what our kids might say to us about their upbringing, and the beefs we still have with our own parents.

A fracas over fish got us complaining about dumb fights with family members: What they're really about, and why they aren't as effective as the tantrums our own moms threw.

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, we found that Primo deserves all the paise it's been getting, and we're looking forward to watching the rest of season 1. Next: S1 E3, "The Ride Home," and E4, "The Game Champ." On Brothers and Sisters , we can't say we're looking forward to the many episodes to come, exactly, but at least this one bought the A-list guest stars. Next: S2 E9, "Holy Matri...

With graduation behind us and warm weather here, we talk about our summer projects, from big (new job! College move-in prep!) to just-the-right size (traveling to Trenton, New Jersey and drinking plenty of water).