

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood | Parenting Tips From Funny Moms
Margaret Ables and Amy Wilson
When you're a parent, every day brings a "fresh hell" to deal with. In other words, there's always something. Think of us as your funny mom friends who are here to remind you: you're not alone, and it won't always be this hard.We're Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables, both busy moms of three kids, but with completely different parenting styles. Margaret is a laid-back to the max; Amy never met a spreadsheet or an organizational system she didn't like.In each episode of "What Fresh Hell" we offer lots of laughs, but also practical advice, parenting strategies, and tips to empower you in your role as a mom. We explore self-help techniques, as well as ways to prioritize your own needs, combat stress, and despite the invisible workload we all deal with, find joy amidst the chaos of motherhood.If you've ever wondered "why is my kid..." then one of us has probably been there, and we're here to tell you what we've learned along the way.We unpack the behaviors and developmental stages of toddlers, tweens, and teenagers, providing insights into their actions and equipping you with effective parenting strategies.We offer our best parenting tips and skills we've learned. We debate the techniques and studies that are everywhere for parents these days, and get to the bottom of what works best to raise happy, healthy, fairly well-behaved kids, while fostering a positive parent-child relationship.If you're the default parent in your household, whether you're a busy mom juggling multiple pickups and dropoffs, or a first-time parent seeking guidance, this podcast is your trusted resource. Join our community of supportive mom friends laughing in the face of motherhood! whatfreshhellpodcast.com
Episodes
Mentioned books

7 snips
Mar 29, 2024 • 31min
Fresh Take: Dr. Gabor Maté and Dr. Gordon Neufeld on Maintaining Healthy Connection with Our Kids
Dr. Gabor Maté and Dr. Gordon Neufeld discuss the importance of maintaining strong attachments with our children, challenges of peer orientation, and how parents can reattach and remain vital role models. They emphasize the lifelong impact of parent-child relationships, the role of parents in shaping children's lives, and provide resources for further insight.

Mar 27, 2024 • 40min
Making the "Invisible Workload" Visible
Discussing the 'invisible workload' of motherhood, Allison Daminger and Rose Hackman dive into cognitive and emotional labor. They explore pushing back on 'weaponized incompetence' and the difference between tasks and outcomes. The importance of voicing invisible labor in front of kids is highlighted, along with suggested resources like 'Fair Play' by Eve Rodsky.

Mar 25, 2024 • 42min
DEEP DIVE: Teaching Kids Patience
We're doing a "Deep Dive" into our past episodes about "getting our kids to...," from listening to what we say the first time, to talking to us about what matters most to them. Find the rest of the episodes in this deep dive series in this Spotify playlist.If a three-year-old can't wait thirty seconds more for dinner, will she grow up to be an impatient adult? Is there anything we can do to teach our kids patience– and should we?Impatience is completely normal in kids (not to mention grownups), but there are ways to help our children develop this skill. It's worth the effort– not to make our kids more compliant and quiet in church, but because patience and overall happiness, as it turns out, are highly correlated.In this episode, Amy and Margaret discuss:
Why impatience is developmentally appropriate- and when kids are ready to become more patient
The infamous "marshmallow experiment"
How to model patience for our kids (and find a little more happiness ourselves)
Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:
Steve Calechman for Greater Good Magazine: "How to Help Your Kids Be a Little More Patient"
Angel E Navidad for SimplyPsychology: "Marshmallow Test Experiment and Delayed Gratification"
Scholastic Parents: "Teaching Patience"
Sign up for the What Fresh Hell newsletter! Once a month you’ll get our favorite recent episodes, plus links to other things to read and watch and listen to, and upcoming special events: http://eepurl.com/h8ze3zWe love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, patience for kids Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mar 22, 2024 • 38min
Fresh Take: Kelley Coleman on Parenting a Disabled Child
How can we get our disabled children the support to which they are entitled? How do we find the confidence that we're adequate enough to provide what they need? Kelley Coleman, parent of a disabled child and author of the new book EVERYTHING NO ONE TELLS YOU ABOUT PARENTING A DISABLED CHILD, provides practical advice and templates for navigating systems and accessing services.Kelley and Amy discuss:
Kelley's personal story of parenting her disabled son and the challenges she's faced
the frustrating experience of "reinventing the wheel" for each parent of a disabled child
why the language of disability matters—and why it was the first thing Kelley had to learn
why the best place to get real, practical information is often from other parents—until we become the informed parents
Here's where you can find Kelley:
https://www.kelleycoleman.com
@hellokelleycoleman on IG
Buy EVERYTHING NO ONE TELLS YOU ABOUT PARENTING A DISABLED CHILD: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9780306831706
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, teenager, tween, child development, parent child relationship, default parent, child with disability, disabled child, parenting disabled child, parenting disability, special needs, disability protections, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mar 20, 2024 • 44min
When One Family Member's Moods Are Running the House
What do we do when one of our kid's moods is affecting everyone else in the house? Whether it's anxiety, frustration, rigidity, or plain old temper tantrums, understanding where it's coming from is the first step. But even when we don't allow emotions to be an excuse poor behavior, that misbehavior can happen anyhow—and walking on eggshells is no way to teach the dysregulated person better emotional skills.In this episode, we discuss:
the sometimes hidden needs of the other kids in the house
why "fair" is not the same thing as "equal"
the single most important factor for positive family well-being
Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:
Our episode "When One of Our Kids Is Taking All Our Bandwidth"
Nicole Schwarz for imperfectfamilies.com: When The Siblings of a Difficult Child Feel Ignored
Leigh Anderson for Lifehacker: What to Do If Your Child's Behavior Is Ruining Your Relationship With Your Partner
Pamela Li for Parenting for Bain: Emotional Regulation in Children | A Complete Guide
Jane Indergaard for ADHD Newsstand: It's Never About Me: The Hidden Needs of Siblings
Sign up for What Fresh Hell Plus on Supporting Cast to get all episodes ad-free, plus monthly bonus episodes. Supporting Cast works right where you already listen! Go to whatfreshhell.supportingcast.fm to subscribe in two taps for just $4.99 a month, or $39.99 a year.We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, kids' moods, mood dysregulation, dysregulated, dysregulated kids, dysregulated teen, moody kids, moody teens, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mar 18, 2024 • 51min
DEEP DIVE: Getting Your Kids To Talk To You
We're doing a "Deep Dive" into our past episodes about "getting our kids to...," from listening to what we say the first time, to talking to us about what matters most to them. Find the rest of the episodes in this deep dive series in this Spotify playlist.Getting your kid to talk to you is never easy (unless you’re standing with car keys in hand, front door ajar, 15 minutes late for an appointment). Here are some parenting strategies that work to get kids talking at every age.Based upon empirical evidence, “How was school today?” is the most annoying question a mom could ever ask. So why bother trying? Because Jennifer Kolari, author of Connected Parenting: How to Raise a Great Kid, says getting our kids to open up is part of our job description:It’s our job as parents to help our kids sort through and process the things that happen to them during the day. “They don’t have the higher-order thinking to do it on their own yet.In this episode we lay out what gets our kids to talk– at every age and stage.Margaret says you have to “talk the talk that arrives.”But Amy comes at it armed with research; if her ninth-grader wants to talk NBA draft, she’s ready to lean in.Both of us plan to work on what Marie Roker Jones calls “listening with the intent to understand.” Here’s links to some research and hilarious takes on this topic that we mention in this episode:
Alice Bradley for Lifehacker Offspring: Stop Asking Your Kid About Their Day
Marie Roker-Jones for Good Men Project: 10 Ways to Get Your Son to Open Up and Talk to You
Clare Gagne for Today’s Parent: Age-By-Age Guide To Getting Your Kid To Talk
Liz Evans for Huffington Post: 25 Ways to Ask Your Kids ‘So How Was School Today?’ Without Asking Them ‘So How Was School Today?’
The Ungame
…and some perfect viewing for you and your teenager: Maddie Corman’s wonderful short film How Was Your Day?
How do you get your kids to open up? Let us know!We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, talking to your kids, talking to my kid, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mar 15, 2024 • 33min
Fresh Take: Simone Davies and Junnifa Uzodike on the Montessori Child
How can we make the parent-child relationship peaceful and enjoyable? Simone Davies and Junnifa Uzodike, authors of THE MONTESSORI CHILD, explain Montessori parenting strategies and why they're useful for raising independent children.Simone Davies hosts the blog The Montessori Notebook, and Junnifa Uzodike sits on the executive board of the International Montessori Association and runs a school in Abuja, Nigeria.Simone, Junnifa, and Margaret discuss:
The core tenets of the Montessori parenting philosophy
What it means to be a parental guide to our children
How Montessori parenting differs from other parenting styles
Here's where you can find Simone and Junnifa:
@themontessorinotebook
@montessori_nduoma
Buy THE MONTESSORI CHILD: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9781523512416
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, montessori school, montessori parenting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mar 13, 2024 • 42min
Getting Unstuck (with Blaire and Molly from "Unsticking It")
Is creativity the domain of artists and artists alone? How do we get unstuck when we haven't picked up a paintbrush in decades? Blaire Brooks and Molly Lloyd, former hosts of "Toddler Purgatory" and now co-hosts of "Unsticking It," discuss why creativity is accessible to and crucial for everyone, no matter who they are.Blaire, Molly, Amy, and Margaret discuss:
How to disentangle yourself from the "hamster wheel" of everyday life
How famous artists have found inspiration for their great works
The overlap between creativity and motherhood
Here's where you can find Blaire and Molly:
Listen to Unsticking It with Blaire and Molly
@unsticking_it_podcast on IG
Watch Molly in her State Farm commercial with Ludacris!
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, creativity, creative rut, creative inspiration, artist, artistic inspiration Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mar 11, 2024 • 42min
DEEP DIVE: Getting Kids to Cooperate
We're doing a "Deep Dive" into our past episodes about "getting our kids to...," from listening to what we say the first time, to talking to us about what matters most to them. Find the rest of the episodes in this deep dive series in this Spotify playlist.How do we get our kids to listen to us and do as we ask, without too many tears on either side? Here are some parenting tips for encouraging cooperation in kids (and modeling it ourselves.)Our listener Alison asked:I would love some insight into engaging the cooperation of my two boys, 5 and almost 3 years old. At what age is it reasonable to expect them to put away their toys, stay seated for meals, get in the bath without mind games, and get ready for bed in less than 60 minutes? They are capable, but rarely willing, and 8 out of 10 times it's an ordeal. We have routines, we announce transitions in advance, we give them choices and even try to make it fun, but I feel like I am either haranguing them constantly or seething with resentment or both. Do I just accept this is the season of my life? Is cooperation 2 out of 10 times a victory? Getting kids who are younger than three to "do their share" without a lot of coaxing and singing and clapping is pretty tough. Then when they're about six, kids' "fairness radar" kicks in, and they're much less focused on loading the dishwasher than on complaining about who is not currently helping. So there are roadblocks to kids' cooperation, to be sure, and in this episode we discuss:
whether "whistling while they work" might be too much to ask
how "connecting before directing" works for older kids
how we can model cooperation and hope our kids get the hint. (It's worth a shot.)
Here are links to some other writing and books that we discuss in this episode:
Our Fresh Take with Michaeleen Doucleff
Cameron Kleimo for Motherly: How to get your kids to listen—without yelling
Shelley Phillips for Lifehack: 6 Secrets to Getting Kids to Cooperate
Terry Orlick: Cooperative Games and Sports
Frank McCourt: Angela's Ashes
Lemony Snicket: A Series of Unfortunate Events
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mar 8, 2024 • 41min
Fresh Take: Gwenna Laithland, "Momma Cusses"
What is the happy parenting medium between raising our kids with zero boundaries, and yelling until we're blue in the face? Gwenna Laithland is creator of the wildly popular @mommacusses on TikTok and Instagram, and author of the new book Momma Cusses: A Field Guide to Responsive Parenting & Trying Not to Be the Reason Your Kid Needs Therapy. Gwenna explains in this interview how she eventually found her way to what she calls "responsive parenting." We also discuss:
why there's no such thing as a "parenting expert"
how responsive parenting helps parents become more intentional, empathetic, and emotionally available
how helping kids regulate their emotions has to start with our modeling how to regulate our own .
Here's where you can find Momma Cusses:
@mommacusses on TikTok and Instagram
@thismommacusses on Facebook
Pleasant Peasant Media on YouTube
buy the MOMMA CUSSES book! https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9781250882660
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, gentle parenting, responsive parenting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices