Blog Archives

Roundabout Roundup: Edmund Unravels, Imprint App, and “Taylor Swift” by Walker Hayes

6/30/2023

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.

Attendance Is Mandatory (Maybe)

6/29/2023

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.

Gift-Giving and Social Media

6/28/2023

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.

What We’re Watching: Primo “The Carnival” and “The Candy Bar” and Brothers and Sisters “Feast of Epiphany”

6/27/2023

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 romantic partner. These people will never learn. Next: S2 E11, "The Missionary Imposition" (groan).

When Kids Have Endless Energy

6/26/2023

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.

Speed-Round Sunday: Terrible Parenting Advice

6/25/2023

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!

Second-Listen Saturday: Watching Our Kids' Weight and Our Own

6/24/2023

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.

Roundabout Roundup: Raffia Earrings, Dog Bandana, and Girl Scout Thin Mints Pretzels

6/23/2023

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.

Quitting Time

6/22/2023

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.

Anti-Dopamine Parenting

6/21/2023

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 attention for a solid hour.