Parenting is a Joke

In this episode, Ophira talks with author and storyteller Katy (Katharine) Strange about the tangled realities of raising tweens while untangling a past shaped by evangelical culture. Katy shares how moving 17 times as a kid primed her for reading a room—and for assuming friendships were optional until she realized she wasn’t relocating again. She talks about letting her 13-year-old navigate Seattle’s public transit with “mixed results,” including surprise solo detours through the city, and about trying to teach her kids religion only to have her son declare he’s an existentialist who’d rather stay home and play Halo. Katy also opens up about stepping away from the church, wrestling with belief through therapy, and finding her way back to spiritual curiosity while writing her debut novel Manly Man of God, which pulls from her upbringing in Christian fundamentalism—with zero Cologne-drenched megachurch teenagers harmed in the process. And in the final moments, Ophira asks Katy about her son’s readiness for confirmation, prompting Katy to admit that he took one look at her lesson plan and said, “I don’t believe in any of this—I’m an atheist,” before returning to his video game. 📍November Shows are in Philadelphia, PA, Boston, MA, Westchester, NY, Guadalajara, Mexico! Follow Katy Strange: https://www.instagram.com/realstrangekaty/ See Ophira LIVE: https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com/events/ SUBSCRIBE so you never miss O thing: https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com/sign-up Follow PIAJ:  https://www.instagram.com/parentingisajoke/ https://parentingisajoke.substack.com/   Follow Ophira: https://www.instagram.com/ophirae/ https://www.facebook.com/OphiraEisenberg/ https://www.tiktok.com/@ophiranyc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this snack-sized conversation, Ophira Eisenberg talks with author and newly certified parenting coach Kerri Smith-Maher about how years of teaching writing, her daughter’s struggles, her own sobriety journey, and a crash course in perimenopause all pushed her toward parent coaching. Kerri explains how a psychologist friend steered her away from graduate school and toward certification at the Jai Institute, where she dove into nervous system science, attachment theory, and the iceberg model of behavior. She shares why Dr. Becky Kennedy’s Good Inside is her go-to recommendation, how a family DBT course helped them decode behavior “under the surface,” and why the real breakthrough in her house came when she learned to regulate herself instead of rushing to fix her daughter’s reactions. Kerri also describes how Tara Brach’s Radical Acceptance finally taught her to “pause” by practicing it during calm moments—helped along by an iPhone alarm labeled “pause” three times a day. The episode ends with Kerri revealing that her best creative work happens only after caffeine, dog-walking, and a strict morning writing window, a habit she built during her daughter’s three-morning-a-week nursery school era. 📍November Shows are in Philadelphia, PA, Boston, MA, Westchester, NY, Guadalajara, Mexico! Follow Kerri Maheri: https://www.instagram.com/kerrimaherwriter/ To learn more about her coaching: https://www.instagram.com/thewellresourcedparent/ See Ophira LIVE: https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com/events/ SUBSCRIBE so you never miss O thing: https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com/sign-up Follow PIAJ:  https://www.instagram.com/parentingisajoke/ https://parentingisajoke.substack.com/   Follow Ophira: https://www.instagram.com/ophirae/ https://www.facebook.com/OphiraEisenberg/ https://www.tiktok.com/@ophiranyc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Ophira Eisenberg talks with author and parent coach Kerri Maher (aka. Kerri Smith–Maher and also Kerri Majors) about the many names she has published under, the publishing-industry lunch where her team rejected both “Smith” and “Pasqualetti” for SEO reasons, and why she ultimately adopted her grandmother’s maiden name as her pen name. Kerri recalls handwriting her first unfinished novel on her dad’s yellow legal pads—an early story about a girl and her blind best friend—before sharing how childhood surgeries and months of immobility pushed her toward reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and imagining her way into writing. She and Ophira compare their kids’ school experiences, including Kerri’s daughter moving to an all-girls high school after a discussion about the “confidence gap,” and they trade notes on raising book-loving but highly specific readers. Kerri also explains how she discovered the Jane Collective through an NPR segment, pitched “the Jane novel” long before Dobbs, and watched the publishing world suddenly accelerate its enthusiasm for a feminist protest story. The conversation wraps with Kerri admitting her daughter refuses to read her novels and Ophira celebrating that Kerri’s kid once described Spirit Airlines as an airline that “steals your spirit.” 📍November Shows are in Philadelphia, PA, Boston, MA, Westchester, NY, Guadalajara, Mexico! Follow Kerri Maher: https://www.instagram.com/kerrimaherwriter/ To learn more about her coaching: https://www.instagram.com/thewellresourcedparent/ See Ophira LIVE: https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com/events/ SUBSCRIBE so you never miss O thing: https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com/sign-up Follow PIAJ:  https://www.instagram.com/parentingisajoke/ https://parentingisajoke.substack.com/   Follow Ophira: https://www.instagram.com/ophirae/ https://www.facebook.com/OphiraEisenberg/ https://www.tiktok.com/@ophiranycLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Comedian Julia Scotti joins Ophira Eisenberg to talk about the long, winding path that brought her back to stand-up after transitioning and a decade away from comedy. Julia reflects on raising three children amid multiple marriages and constant touring, her fear of repeating her own fractured childhood, and the painful 14-year estrangement from her kids after she came out as transgender. She recalls coming out mid-set at a blue-collar Pennsylvania club and later to 13 million people on America’s Got Talent, joking that she wanted to be judged “on the act, not the anatomy.” Julia also describes how teaching special education students during that period filled the hole left by her kids’ absence—including a harrowing day during 9/11 when she nearly took her own life. The conversation touches on old stand-up footage where she mocked trans people before understanding her identity, her love of Louis Prima singalongs with her son, and the two corny jokes she first told him from his crib. The episode ends on a warm note as Julia admits she “unleashed the Kraken” by raising another comedy lover. 📍November Shows are in Philadelphia, PA, Boston, MA, Westchester, NY and November 9th new Standup Special Taping at The Comedy Cellar in NY! Details at https://www.ophiraeisenberg.comCome to the Taping at the Comedy Cellar on Sun Nov 9th! 5pm: https://www.comedycellar.com/reservations-newyork/?showid=1762725600 7pm: https://www.comedycellar.com/reservations-newyork/?showid=1762732860 Follow Julia Scotti : https://www.instagram.com/juliasscotticomedy See Ophira LIVE: https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com/events/ SUBSCRIBE so you never miss O thing: https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com/sign-up Follow PIAJ:  https://www.instagram.com/parentingisajoke/ https://parentingisajoke.substack.com/   Follow Ophira: https://www.instagram.com/ophirae/ https://www.facebook.com/OphiraEisenberg/ https://www.tiktok.com/@ophiranyc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://www.instagram.com/marylynnrajskub/?hl=en Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Andy Richter, a beloved comedian and TV personality known for his work with Conan O'Brien, shares insights on parenting his three children across two generations. He hilariously contrasts his latchkey childhood with his older kids' overprotected upbringing. Andy reveals how his youngest daughter runs the household, shares his experiences with family ties to Disneyland, and joyfully reflects on how his current happiness has transformed his parenting. He also discusses balancing honesty in comedy with respect for his children's privacy.

In this Parenting Is a Joke snack episode, Ophira Eisenberg chats again with Kate Auletta, Editor-in-Chief of Scary Mommy and Romper, about her years as a journalist and the surprising turns that led her from travel writing to parenting media. Kate recalls running HuffPost’s “How to Raise a Kid” conference in 2017—pulling together experts to talk about money, race, sex, and digital literacy right as the Trump era began—and how it felt like a bright moment of optimism and connection before online discourse hardened. She and Ophira laugh about trolls who argue over sunscreen recipes and how parenting pieces, no matter how harmless, seem to ignite fury. Kate shares that her most viral post, written during the early pandemic, was simply a plea for parents to “give yourself grace,” while health content still draws the fiercest backlash. The conversation shifts to travel—her love for St. Barts (despite how un–kid-friendly it proved), the Costa Rican jungle cot that scarred her for life, and a vomit-filled night at a roadside hotel near the Basketball Hall of Fame. She swears by headphone adapters as her most vital travel gear, while her husband lugs an entire backpack of snacks. The episode ends, fittingly, with her dog Franklin barking in the background, signaling that even editors-in-chief can’t escape the soundscape of parenting. 📍November Shows are in Philadelphia, PA, Boston, MA, Westchester, NY and November 9th new Standup Special Taping at The Comedy Cellar in NY! Details at https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com Come to the Taping at the Comedy Cellar on Sun Nov 9th! 5pm: https://www.comedycellar.com/reservations-newyork/?showid=1762725600 7pm: https://www.comedycellar.com/reservations-newyork/?showid=1762732860 Follow Kate Auletta : https://www.instagram.com/spottedbykate/ See Ophira LIVE: https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com/events/ SUBSCRIBE so you never miss O thing: https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com/sign-up Follow PIAJ:  https://www.instagram.com/parentingisajoke/ https://parentingisajoke.substack.com/   Follow Ophira: https://www.instagram.com/ophirae/ https://www.facebook.com/OphiraEisenberg/ https://www.tiktok.com/@ophiranyc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://www.instagram.com/marylynnrajskub/?hl=en Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Parenting is a Joke, Ophira talks with Kate Auletta, Editor-in-Chief of Scary Mommy and Romper, about raising two sons in the suburbs after growing up as a “true East Side” New Yorker. Kate shares how her mornings start with Picture Day chaos, a barking dog, and kids who quiz her about world politics before breakfast. She describes her nine-year-old as a relentless question machine and her older son as a newly minted golf enthusiast—“a full-on suburb kid.” The conversation covers everything from navigating kids’ sports and body image to Kate’s viral essay about keeping a “naked house,” which she defends as a way to model body confidence and normalcy. She also recalls how explaining the meaning of “69” abruptly ended her sons’ giggle fits and how she recently schooled her tween on SEO after he assumed Google’s top search result meant “best.” The two moms bond over C-section scars, endless school breaks, and the unspoken exhaustion of early mornings. The episode ends on Kate’s wry admission that she’s still clinging to the pool on Labor Day, refusing to surrender summer to Maysember. 📍November Shows are in Philadelphia, PA, Boston, MA, Westchester, NY and November 9th new Standup Special Taping at The Comedy Cellar in NY! Details at https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com Come to the Taping at the Comedy Cellar on Sun Nov 9th! 5pm: https://www.comedycellar.com/reservations-newyork/?showid=1762725600 7pm: https://www.comedycellar.com/reservations-newyork/?showid=1762732860 Follow Kate Auletta : https://www.instagram.com/spottedbykate/ See Ophira LIVE: https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com/events/ SUBSCRIBE so you never miss O thing: https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com/sign-up Follow PIAJ:  https://www.instagram.com/parentingisajoke/ https://parentingisajoke.substack.com/   Follow Ophira: https://www.instagram.com/ophirae/ https://www.facebook.com/OphiraEisenberg/ https://www.tiktok.com/@ophiranyc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://www.instagram.com/marylynnrajskub/?hl=en Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this Halloween “snack” episode, Ophira Eisenberg reconnects with horror writer and fellow Brooklyn parent Brooke Mackenzie to dig deeper into her psychic and supernatural experiences. Brooke explains that she once asked “the powers that be” to remove her ability to see ghosts through deep meditation—but kept one lingering gift: premonition dreams that sometimes predict people’s deaths, a trait she says runs in her family. She recalls her one-year-old daughter giggling at an empty rocking chair and saying “Papa,” suggesting that the connection might continue in the next generation. The two trade stories about Halloween costumes and stolen stoop decorations before diving into Brooke’s past involvement with Wicca, her vast crystal collection (so large her husband gives her a “quota”), and how she uses crystals for rituals—including fertility and protection rituals aided by quartz, selenite, and Herkimer diamonds. Brooke describes working as a tutor, balancing motherhood with writing horror, and how she still fears demons, exorcisms, and her own mortality. She swears she’ll never touch a Ouija board again after one terrifying encounter that ended with a shop owner insisting it be stored in a freezer. The conversation wraps on a lighter note about pillowcase trick-or-treating and Brooke’s hopes to publish children’s books someday—just maybe with a crystal or two close by for good juju. 📍October Shows are in Bozeman, MT, WI, MN, MO and November 9th new Standup Special Taping at The Comedy Cellar in NY! Details at https://www.ophiraeisenberg.comCome to the Taping at the Comedy Cellar on Sun Nov 9th! 5pm: https://www.comedycellar.com/reservations-newyork/?showid=1762725600 7pm: https://www.comedycellar.com/reservations-newyork/?showid=1762732860 Follow Brooke MacKenzie : https://www.instagram.com/mackbrookepro/ See Ophira LIVE: https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com/events/ SUBSCRIBE so you never miss O thing: https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com/sign-up Follow PIAJ:  https://www.instagram.com/parentingisajoke/ https://parentingisajoke.substack.com/   Follow Ophira: https://www.instagram.com/ophirae/ https://www.facebook.com/OphiraEisenberg/ https://www.tiktok.com/@ophiranyc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://www.instagram.com/marylynnrajskub/?hl=en Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this Halloween-timed episode, Ophira Eisenberg talks with Brooklyn-based horror author and poet Brooke Mackenzie, who balances writing ghost stories with parenting her five-year-old daughter. Brooke describes her haunted Minnesota childhood home—once owned by a member of the Pillsbury family—complete with a female ghost in the basement and a handsy spirit in an old pony shed. She recounts asking “the powers that be” in college to take away her ability to see ghosts after too many eerie encounters at Sarah Lawrence. Ophira and Brooke trade jokes about “geriatric motherhood,” with Brooke explaining how she had her daughter at 40 after infertility struggles and found calm in later-in-life parenting. She also shares how the pandemic sent her family from Manhattan to a haunted mountain town in Northern California, where she wrote much of her horror fiction. Brooke reveals that her story “The Elevator Game”—inspired by the real-life Eliza Lam mystery—launched her career at 39 and led to her collections Ghost Games and The Scary ABC Diary. They discuss the rise of women in horror, how horror offers catharsis and justice, and how motherhood made her writing darker and more body-focused (“once you’ve had every fluid on you…”). The episode ends with Ophira laughing about diaper blowout memories while Brooke jokes that she now spends more time on beta-fish forums than parenting. 📍October Shows are in Bozeman, MT, WI, MN, MO and November 9th new Standup Special Taping at The Comedy Cellar in NY! Details at https://www.ophiraeisenberg.comCome to the Taping at the Comedy Cellar on Sun Nov 9th! 5pm: https://www.comedycellar.com/reservations-newyork/?showid=1762725600 7pm: https://www.comedycellar.com/reservations-newyork/?showid=1762732860 Follow Brooke MacKenzie : https://www.instagram.com/mackbrookepro/ See Ophira LIVE: https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com/events/ SUBSCRIBE so you never miss O thing: https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com/sign-up Follow PIAJ:  https://www.instagram.com/parentingisajoke/ https://parentingisajoke.substack.com/   Follow Ophira: https://www.instagram.com/ophirae/ https://www.facebook.com/OphiraEisenberg/ https://www.tiktok.com/@ophiranyc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://www.instagram.com/marylynnrajskub/?hl=en Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Actor and comedian Mary Lynn Rajskub joins Ophira Eisenberg to talk about raising her now 18-year-old son while continuing to perform stand-up, act, and write. She recalls being visibly pregnant during her last season on 24, with body doubles and stunts ruined when her belly showed up in the shot. She describes her early comedy experiments with Girls’ Guitar Club—two stand-ups who couldn’t play guitar but turned awkward banter into an act—and later channeled pregnancy and motherhood into her one-woman show Mary Lynn Spreads Her Legs, notorious for a review praising its “mean-spirited” riffs on infanticide and colicky babies. Rajskub laughs about her son’s indifference to her career (“he’s never been to a show”) and his generation’s distance from the service-industry jobs she once held, like mixing ranch dressing at Denny’s or lining up greeting cards as a “Hallmark girl.” She admits that leaving home for late-night sets always felt like dragging herself away from the reward of parental wind-down time, and she jokes about young comics inviting her to midnight podcasts when her bedtime is closer to 8:30. The episode ends with Rajskub savoring the absurd “power” she once felt being trusted to stir ranch dressing at Denny’s—a comic foreshadowing of chasing a laugh on stage. 📍October Shows are in Bozeman, MT, WI, MN, MO and in November new Standup Special Taping at The Comedy Cellar in NY! Details at https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com Come to the Taping at the Comedy Cellar on Sun Nov 9th! 5pm: https://www.comedycellar.com/reservations-newyork/?showid=1762725600 7pm: https://www.comedycellar.com/reservations-newyork/?showid=1762732860 Follow Marylynn Rajskub: https://www.instagram.com/marylynnrajskub/ See Ophira LIVE: https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com/events/ SUBSCRIBE so you never miss O thing: https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com/sign-up Follow PIAJ:  https://www.instagram.com/parentingisajoke/ https://parentingisajoke.substack.com/   Follow Ophira: https://www.instagram.com/ophirae/ https://www.facebook.com/OphiraEisenberg/ https://www.tiktok.com/@ophiranyc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://www.instagram.com/marylynnrajskub/?hl=en Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices