Hands Off Parents

This week Steph and Abby welcome a very special guest, Abby's sister Rachael. She joins the ladies to discuss the tough topic of parenting through divorce and then as a step parent. Rachael gives her honest take on the challenges and how she has found success as a parent with children from two different marriages, as well as a step child adding to the mix. It's an insightful and eye opening conversation, with only one Brady Bunch joke.

Back by the popular demand of three people, Steph and Abby welcome their husbands again to the show to talk about holiday traditions. For four people, of which 3/4 are Jewish, they spend a lot of time talking about Christmas. We all discover some fun traditions that each family had and some that we want to incorporate into our new families. Some surprises: Surprise, Steph's husband, you guys are really celebrating Christmas. And some confessions: Eww, husband used to get so excited about Christmas he would throw up the night before. Wishing you and your family a very happy holiday whatever it may be. Shalom Y'all!

This week the ladies can't help but complain about the state of the world and the feeling that inevitable doom is upon them. But then, wait, it's the holidays and fun stuff is going on and presents! But then no, let's not forget that the world is ending and there's nothing to do about it. Oh, but daycare and work and life and dance lessons and... oh no, everything is terrible! But what are you getting your kids for the holidays?

This week, the ladies address a strongly worded email they received telling them to get their butts back into shape. They tackle this order with the strength of two moms, on little to no sleep, with crazed toddlers and the holiday season quickly approaching; which is to say, they ramble on about whatever the hell comes into their sleep-deprived brains. Mostly, they discuss this awesome email and what the hell people do for their children around the holidays. Send more emails. They work!

This week, Steph and Abby tried to take a Parenting Magazine quiz about discipline styles, but they weren't disciplined enough to deal with the results. Instead, they chat about day care nightmares, dog park disasters and ... well... disciplining their children. If you want to take the quiz, share your results with them on Facebook or Twitter.

Well, they tried. They tried to pretend that all was normal in the country and their biggest issues were with their kids eating nothing but pasta and cookies together in one bowl, but they just had to talk about it. Unlike most things in this world, they couldn't just pull a Frozen and "let it go." Yep. The election. It's tomorrow. Steph and Abby are scared. What's going to happen to the country? What have we all lost in the process? What have we gained? And furthermore, how do we discuss it with our children? How have you all been discussing this with your kids? Have you? Write them and tell them on Facebook.

Holy crap where have we been?! Steph and Abby return after a brief hiatus (illnesses, weddings, general disturbances in the force) to chat about helping each other, helping other parents, helping the country get past this election, and, mostly, helping their kids stop acting like psychos. It all comes back to the concept of the village--all parents need one, but they are few and far between. Speaking of help, the whole episode is filled with their kids acting like psychos! They need a good pat on the back, which you can do by Liking them on Facebook.

This week Steph and Abby discuss a growing trend of parents voicing their regrets about becoming parents. The trend has been featured in several national publications, recently in a Marie Claire article. Steph and Abby discuss how hard parenting is but can't honestly say they've ever felt regret about having kids. Having a second piece of cake the other night, yeah, they regret that. What about you? Any parenting regrets? Don't regret not liking them on Facebook.

This week Steph and Abby discuss the ever-dreaded birthday party! The season is upon them, as Abby has two within a week's time. So what's the deal with birthday parties? Do you need to invite the entire class? What happens if you don't and someone finds out? Are you a terrible parent? And (Abby wonders) what about when you have twins? Two presents? Ugh for everyone involved. Lastly, the ladies decide that if we are stuck dealing with all these birthday parties, at the very least let's all decide to do away with the goodie bag (unless it has beer in it).

This week, Steph and Abby welcome back (with open arms) their respective husbands! With so much parenting going on all the time, the two couples take a moment to try and reconnect (on a podcast with children screaming in the background). They challenge themselves by taking the very popular NY Times "The 36 Questions That Lead to Love" quiz and the results are ... well... listen and let them know! At the very least, you'll get a good laugh and at the very best, they hope, you might become motivated to reconnect with your own significant other.

Fresh from visits with their respective families, Steph and Abby discuss the pros and cons of having family nearby. Both ladies loved having their kids hang with family and watching all the cousins play, but how important is being around family, really? Is the desire to have family around a necessity for happy kids or not having them around a necessity for their sanity? It can go either way! They both love their respective families, BTW. Oh, and at some point Steph's kid poops in the potty all by herself.

This week Steph and Abby are thrilled to have special guest, personal trainer, author, and #DietAbolitionist, Sarah Hays Coomer. Sarah chats with the ladies about how to deal with picky-eating children by introducing everyday, small changes. The ladies throw a "mac and cheese only" diet at Sarah and she comes back swinging, with alternative pastas, sneak-in-healthy-​​stuff recipes and an all-around better approach to eating. Sarah also offers insights into how parents can incorporate these same types of changes into their own diets to get healthy without (really) trying. Steph and Abby walked away converts. Check out Sarah's new book, Lightness of Body and Mind: A Radical Approach to Weight and Wellness and her website www.strengthoutsidein.com.

Do you curse in front of your children? Steph and Abby do (natch), but they worry about the implications. This week they discuss a recent article that argues people who are a little sloppier and foul-mouthed are not all that bad, and, in fact, it indicates higher intelligence! So being messy and saying %#$ means you're smarter? But what does that say about your parenting style or how your children will grow up? Is allowing your kids to swear a part of a trend towards hands off parenting? The ladies chat about these topics with many four letter words sprinkled in. #$%ing like us on Facebook, will ya'? @handsoffparents

Is it that time already? It's the Hands Off Parents Back to School episode! Steph and Abby are joined by a very special guest: elementary school teacher and parent of two, Brooke Smith! Brooke shares with the ladies all of the darkest secrets from the depths of the teachers' lounge: What makes parents really, really annoying? How can we form better relationships with teachers? And seriously, how much are the teachers talking smack when we forget things like book covers and dressing our kids in matching socks? Brooke gives the ladies some very practical and hilarious insights on life as a teacher and parent, including what we can all do to make the back to school transition as neat as the hair on our kids' heads that we didn't comb at all.

This week Steph expresses a recent surge in her "mom-guilt." Is it because of her new business or because she's happy about her new business? The ladies discuss the contemporary concept of selfless parenting vs. selfish parenting: Does being a modern parent mean when you are doing your own thing, you are being selfish? Parent guilt is wide-spread, though, and after the break the ladies give (Lifehacker's) tips for getting rid of it and using it productively. Here's something that YOU should feel guilty about - not writing a (positive) review on iTunes. Just kidding, not really, no really, they love you. Write a review.

This week Steph and Abby talk about having fun. What does fun mean to them as parents and how was it different when they were young and carefree and out all night drinking shots of tequila with strangers at bars (because that was really fun!? Can parents even have fun anymore (without involving a babysitter) or do we all need to redefine what the word "fun" means, perhaps? It's possible to have a good time with your kids, right? Right? Research says that we all need to play - parents and children - and we all know laughing is good for the soul. But is parenthood "all joy and no fun?" They know, they know, this sounds soooo depressing - it's not - it's actually a very fun conversation (so they think).

This week Steph and Abby talk about the age-old question of whether or not to send your kid to Time Out. When your kid is being an a-hole, what else can you do? Abby's in, Steph's out. But is Time Out really bad for your child's development? Are "Time Ins" better in the long run? After the break, they consult the "experts" who argue in both directions. Some docs say a good old Time Out for age appropriate kids is fine, while others say that Time Outs might be screwing with your kid's brain elasticity? What?! Take a drink before you freak out about that, and let Abby and Steph know what you do to discipline your kids. And feel free to also discipline the ladies on iTunes but only with positive reinforcement.

This week Steph and Abby discuss a recent controversial photo of Victoria Beckham kissing her five-year-old daughter on the lips. Why is this controversial? Because the internet! The ladies love kissing their kids, so it’s hard to objectively weigh both sides of this debate. Are there any real emotional implications - for or against - this practice? Find out on today’s episode. And if you like kissing your kids as much as they do, post a photo on the Hands Off Parents Facebook wall of you kissing your kiddo right smack dab on the lips! Then, head over to iTunes and write a review of the podcast…please.

Feeling sad and hopeless about the devastating news of this past week, Steph and Abby talk candidly about race and raising race-conscious children with the lovely Nyala Wright Nolen, a black parent who offers up some encouraging advice on how ALL parents can take a more proactive approach to combating racism. They discuss how fear and anxiety around the topic actually perpetuates the issue and, as parents, we need to go into this battle head-on: in our schools, in our homes and in our daily lives. In the end, the three ladies decide that the "golden rule" is still the best one to follow and that it's our job as parents to raise kids who are not jerks. Cue Whitney Houston!!!

This week Steph and Abby discuss a new study that argues that American parents are the most miserable in the world. The ladies kinda get why this might be, and they discuss how workplace constraints take a toll. But is this a new phenomenon or are U.S. 'rents just particularly miserable people? In the second half of the show, Steph is joined by her amazing mother who is filling in for a sick Abby to continue discussing how parenting has changed over the years (mostly because of the INTERNET!). They discuss when the happiest times of parenthood occur and why. Abby might argue that the happiest times are when you are laid up sick in bed, forced to watch 5 hours of Orange Is the New Black while your kids are at school. Like us on Facebook!