What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood | Parenting Tips From Funny Moms

Why do some moments feel enormous while others vanish from memory? Why do two people experience the same event and walk away with completely different interpretations? And why do we so often repeat stories about ourselves that keep us stuck?

In this episode, we explore narrative identity—the science-backed idea that who we are is shaped not just by what happens to us, but by the story we tell about what happens.

But small shifts in perspective can radically change those narratives. In this episode we unpack what it means to notice the script, question it, and rewrite it.

We also dive into the research showing that the ability to find agency and redemption in our stories is one of the strongest predictors of mental health.

Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:

Emory University blog: Changing the narrative of your self

Leo Babauta for ZenHabits.net: Mental Badassery: Becoming Aware of the Stories We Tell Ourselves

Listen to David Foster Wallace's commencement speech at Kenyon College.

Samantha Boardman for Psychology Today: Take Control of the Story You Tell About Yourself

Bruce Feiler for The New York Times: The Stories That Bind Us

What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables.

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/

What Fresh Hell podcast, 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, narrative identity, personal narratives, storytelling and identity, self story psychology, meaning making, memory and perception, how the brain creates meaning, cognitive bias, sense of self, psychology of storytelling, rewriting your story, mental health and narratives, agency and redemption, neuroscience of identity, parenting and mindset, family narratives, personal growth podcast, self awareness psychology, behavioral psychology, mindset shifts
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What do we do as parents when our kids aren't great at making friends, or their friends are outgrowing them, or we feel that their friends are a bad influence?

Sometimes, we're not supposed to do anything at all. Sometimes our kids really need our support. How can we tell the difference?

In this episode, Amy and Margaret discuss:

what might contribute to trouble making friends

the skills kids can develop to become better friends

what to do when you don't like your kid's friends

This episode was originally released on November 6, 2024.

Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:

Michelle Icard for CNN: ⁠Parents ‘should be seen and not heard’ when it comes to kids and their friendships⁠

Parenting.org: ⁠My Child Has No Friends⁠

Julia Morrill for Health Matters: ⁠How Parents Can Help Their Kids Make Friends⁠

Lexi Walters Wright for Understood.org: ⁠4 skills for making friends⁠

 Claire McCarthy for Harvard Health Publishing: ⁠Helping children make friends: What parents can do⁠

Kelsey Borresen for HuffPost: ⁠What To Do If You Don’t Like Your Kid’s Friend⁠

What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Margaret Ables and Amy Wilson.

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, rejection, kid rejection, friendships, kids friendships, kids friends, kids making friends, kids social skills
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Margaret talks with clinical psychologist Dr. Meredith Elkins, author of the new book PARENTING ANXIETY, about how anxiety really works—and how parents can stop unintentionally reinforcing it in themselves and their kids.

Dr. Elkins, a faculty member at Harvard Medical School and director of the McLean Anxiety Mastery Program, shares insights from her new book Parenting Anxiety: Breaking the Cycle of Worry and Raising Resilient Kids. Together, they unpack why anxiety isn’t something to eliminate, how avoidance makes fear stronger, and why modern “intensive parenting” may be increasing anxiety for both parents and children.

You’ll learn the three key markers that distinguish normal anxiety from an anxiety disorder (interference, distress, and duration), why psychological flexibility is one of the most important skills we can teach kids, and how cognitive behavioral therapy—especially exposure—helps people face fear instead of shrinking from it.

This conversation offers practical, compassionate tools for parents who want to support anxious kids without over-accommodating, and for anyone who wants to change their relationship with anxiety itself.

Here's where you can find Dr. Elkins:

https://www.meredithelkinsphd.com/

@drmeredithelkins on IG and FB

LinkedIn

Buy PARENTING ANXIETY: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9780593798812

What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables.

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/

What Fresh Hell podcast, 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, parenting anxiety, child anxiety, anxiety in children, anxiety disorders, psychological flexibility, cognitive behavioral therapy, CBT for anxiety, exposure therapy, intensive parenting, mental health for parents, anxiety coping skills, raising resilient kids, parenting mental health, postpartum anxiety, intrusive thoughts, anxiety management, Harvard psychologist, Meredith Elkins, anxiety treatment, family mental health
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From socks-and-slides footwear to mysteriously disappearing spoons and phone chargers, teens and tweens can really rack up the infractions. In this episode, Amy and Margaret break down the baffling behaviors that define life with older kids—tween and teen “crimes"—as reported by parents in the What Fresh Hell community.

Paradoxical and criminal behavior further includes having “nothing to wear” despite a full closet, hoarding personal money while freely spending that of your parents, and needing an immediate text response while ignoring all incoming messages.

Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:

Our episode "Teaching Kids About Money"

An embarrassed teen at school pickup

The speakers Margaret purchased for her teens' rooms

What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables.

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/

What Fresh Hell podcast, 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, tween parenting, teen parenting, parenting tweens and teens, teen behavior, tween behavior, funny parenting podcast, parenting humor, life with teenagers, teen habits parents hate, executive function teens, teen independence, parenting frustrations, What Fresh Hell podcast, raising teenagers, parenting community stories
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When we have a kid who just doesn't seem to fit in—or who is a loner, if a fairly content one—it can be hard for parents. But putting our own anxiety about it aside, and getting clear on the lagging skills and social cues that may not quite be in place, is the best way to help kids get on a better path. This episode is full of specific and useful advice!

Amy and Margaret discuss:

all the reasons kids can have trouble making (and keeping) friends

five "unwritten social rules" that some kids take longer to comprehend

how figuring out the specific issues at play can lead to the most useful solutions

This episode was originally released on May 29, 2024.

Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:

Jamie Howard, et. al for Child Mind Institute: ⁠Kids Who Need a Little Help to Make Friends⁠

The Sue Larkey podcast: ⁠Promoting Social Understanding – Social Scripts⁠

Gwen Dewar for Parenting Science: ⁠How to help kids make friends: 12 evidence-based tips⁠

Christine Comizio for U.S. News Health: ⁠Understanding Kids' Friendship Struggles: Common Causes and Solutions⁠

Lexi Walters Wright for Understood.org: ⁠5 “unwritten” social rules that some kids miss⁠

Andrew M.I. Lee for Understood.org: ⁠Why some kids have trouble making friends⁠

ADHD Dude: ⁠"How to Help Your ADHD Child Keep Friends"⁠

What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Margaret Ables and Amy Wilson.

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, friendships, making friends
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