Parenting Out Loud

A deep dive into the Beckham family fallout and where caring ends and control begins. A chat about maternal power, mental load and public sympathy shifts. They unpack Mattel's Autistic Barbie launch and the politics of full-fat school milk. Quick takes on privacy slips, encrypted family chats, a GP suspension and a stack of fun recommendations to try.

Are you an intensive millennial parent who feels stressed and burnt out? This week, we introduce the “Click Test,” which Amelia claims will change parenting for the better. Meanwhile, Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell are taking an unconventional approach — why they are raising their children to be "intentionally disrespectful".  Plus, Monz had a park fight with a man who told her to "get some f***ing control" because her kids were being, well, kids. We debate society's growing intolerance for children in public and ask 'Who's The Asshole?' And finally, we’re checking on our parents. Why are the older generation spending half their waking hours staring at screens, and why are they the most vulnerable group for online scams? Our Recommendations: 💍 Stacey is obsessed with a charm necklace from Gimme. 💸 Monz recommends the K18 Airwash Dry Shampoo. 🛍️ Amelia is loving her free calendar from the chemist, which helps her and her kids to visualise their holiday plans. Support independent women's media What To Listen To Next:  Don't miss an episode of Parenting Out Loud Connect your subscription to Apple Podcasts  What to read:  There's a new parenting trend, and it's basically the excuse we've been waiting for. 'Other people's parenting nearly ruined my holiday. So now I'm a half-arsed parent.' 'I've finally cracked the code to screen time, and it only took this one thing.' CLARE STEPHENS: A rude stranger, a note from a neighbour and the age of utter intolerance. It's time we stopped putting ourselves first. MOVE by Mamamia is the app that helps you fit movement into your every day. Whether you have 10 minutes, or 45, we've got the workout that fits your time, space and body. Get $20 off an annual subscription until the end of January when you use code PARENTING at checkout. Start your free trial today. GET IN TOUCH: Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au  Join our Facebook group Mamamia Family to talk about the show. Follow us on Instagram @mamamia_family CREDITS: Hosts: Monique Bowley, Stacey Hicks & Amelia Lester Group Executive Producer: Ruth Devine Executive Producer: Sasha Tannock Senior/Audio Producer: Leah Porges Junior Content Producer: Tessa KotowiczBecome a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Parenting comes with big ideas, cultural moments and the occasional guilty pleasure, and this week we’re unpacking all three. Are fancy lollies the new Labubus? Stacey thinks this might be another sign adults are craving whimsy. Plus, Amelia has declared Bluey’s dad Bandit a certified DILF, and we dig into why hot dads are suddenly everywhere. And finally, Monz asks the hard question: has kids sport officially got out of control? Between fees, uniforms and weekend travel, is the cost of competition the newest victim of cozzie livs? Our Recommendations: 🚘 Stacey recommends the Kmart portable folding lap desk for just $13, a road trip game-changer with a built-in storage lid. ✋ Monz wants you to try a specific greeting when you bump into other mums on a walk or run — a free, instant mood booster! (Guess which host is rolling her eyes)  👜 Amelia is loving the Project Ten Beach Bag; a recycled plastic tote from a small Geelong business, which is perfect for Summer! Support independent women's media What To Listen To Next:  Don't miss an episode of Parenting Out Loud Connect your subscription to Apple Podcasts What to read:  Why grown adults are obsessed with toothy little monsters called Labubus. The rise of the teddy bear adult. 'The 'boring' parent is the unsung hero': 5 things Bluey has taught me about parenting. Good dads get more sex. It's official. And not even a little bit surprising. 10 realities of kids’ sport that every parent understands. GET IN TOUCH: Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au  Join our Facebook group Mamamia Family to talk about the show. Follow us on Instagram @mamamia_family CREDITS: Hosts: Monique Bowley, Stacey Hicks & Amelia Lester Group Executive Producer: Ruth Devine Executive Producer: Sasha Tannock Senior/Audio Producer: Leah Porges Junior Content Producer: Tessa KotowiczBecome a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Friends, do you too have a box of keepsakes? Perhaps teeny tiny socks, some pre-school era artworks, maybe even some old baby teeth or twenty? Well your parents might have been a collector and we pitch that perhaps there’s some truth to this form of maximalism.  Plus, are we rushing kids out of childhood? Experts are saying that to delay delay delay when it comes to kids’ first years of school but there are some serious things missing from that theory which we’re going to talk about.  And, why we might just need to reverse the parent/child hierarchy and force our kids to fit into our schedules. Monz, Stacey and Amelia make the argument that our friend catch ups and our schedules are JUST as important as Timmy’s 3 hour soccer practice.  Our Recommendations: 💌 Stacey recommends a Meghan-esque parenting hack to capture the moments you might otherwise forget.  📚 Amelia recommends The Crucial Years to help guide those tricky conversations about sex and puberty with your kids. 💄 Monz is all about the lanoplips 12 hr overnight lip mask. Support independent women's media What To Listen To Next:  Don't miss an episode of Parenting Out Loud Connect your subscription to Apple Podcasts What to read:  'I'm being told to delay my son's start at school, so I went and got the facts.' Meghan Markle writes a letter every night. They won't be opened for years. Exactly how much it costs to put kids through school in 2025. 'I got a small pay rise at work. Our childcare fees are now crippling us.' 'I've cracked the childcare code during the school holidays (and no, it's not vacation care).' Does it still take a village to raise a child? We asked 20 mums. 'Say goodbye to your Saturday mornings!' 7 parents and an expert on kids' extracurriculars. GET IN TOUCH: Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au  Join our Facebook group Mamamia Family to talk about the show. Follow us on Instagram @mamamia_family CREDITS: Hosts: Monique Bowley, Stacey Hicks & Amelia Lester Group Executive Producer: Ruth Devine Executive Producer: Sasha Tannock Senior/Audio Producer: Leah Porges Junior Content Producer: Tessa KotowiczBecome a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happy Holidays Parents! Are you having fun, are you a bit sweaty, dehydrated? Well don’t be, because today we're going to talk about: The mental health pyramid for both kids and adults that is both genius and incredibly simple. Plus, should you be able to choose who you sit next to on a flight and if so, would you ever sit next to a stranger’s baby again? And, do you have shameful little secrets? For some it’s Diet Coke, others the Real Housewives… Amelia it’s a rather quaint delicacy. We talk about the silly habits that get us through the motherhood trenches.  Our Recommendations: 🎒 Stacey recommends a car hack that will stop you foraging for all your sh*t and ensure you're never out of tampons again.  📺 Amelia is all for ABC Cartoon Live Stream. Sometimes newer just isn’t better.  🥬 Monz has got the best food hack you’ll ever hear, the Too Good To Go App is Uber Eats for restaurants/cafes fighting food waste. Want $30 assorted things from Bakers Delight for $10 - this is the place. Support independent women's media What To Listen To Next:  Don't miss an episode of Parenting Out Loud Connect your subscription to Apple Podcasts What to read:  HOLLY WAINWRIGHT: The details that make Nicole and Keith's split kind of about us. The 5 'rules' for reclining your seat on a plane. The ripple effect of mental illness no one warned us about, and what actually helps. In defence of Diet Coke. GET IN TOUCH: Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au  Join our Facebook group Mamamia Family to talk about the show. Follow us on Instagram @mamamia_family CREDITS: Hosts: Monique Bowley, Stacey Hicks & Amelia Lester Group Executive Producer: Ruth Devine Executive Producer: Sasha Tannock Senior/Audio Producer: Leah Porges Junior Content Producer: Tessa KotowiczBecome a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Christmas rush has officially brought a new generational conflict: Grandparenting on Eggshells. We unpack the tension between teaching kids bodily autonomy and avoiding the Grandma guilt trip. Plus, where did all the weird kids go? Monique Bowley, Amelia Lester and Stacey Hicks blame late-stage capitalism, social media surveillance, and a collective fear of deviance for the new conformity epidemic. And, we've had a few epiphanies this week. Between sending your kids on an errand and rewatching a Christmas classic, we're realising just how much the mental load has increased for parents.  Our Recommendations: ☕ Amelia is all about sending kids to get a coffee. Empowering your little ones with a simple errand. 🍰 Stacey recommends making a fruit cake; it's showy, it's healthy and it's waaay easier than actually baking. 📺 Monz wants you to rewatch Home Alone as an adult. Support independent women's media What To Listen To Next:  Don't miss an episode of Parenting Out Loud Gentle Parenting Just Got Flipped Off & This Season's Ultimate Flex Is This Our “Seatbelt Moment” & The Royal Christmas Spiral A Wicked Elephant In The Room & The Science Behind The Perfect Age Gap The Exact Reason We Stopped Getting Naked The Rise Of Trad Sons & Sheet Masks For 3 Year Olds The Group Chat Is Out Of Control & Unpacking The Exhaustion Economy Connect your subscription to Apple Podcasts  What to read:  Baby names, and the trap millennial women are falling into. 'Apparently, all kids need to hear these four words. Turns out, so do I.' 'Every parent has an ‘I Don’t’ list at Christmas time. Here’s exactly what’s on mine.' Conspiracies, real spiders and potato snow: 25 things you might not know about Home Alone. GET IN TOUCH: Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au  Join our Facebook group Mamamia Family to talk about the show. Follow us on Instagram @mamamia_family CREDITS: Hosts: Monique Bowley, Stacey Hicks & Amelia Lester Group Executive Producer: Ruth Devine Executive Producer: Sasha Tannock Senior/Audio Producer: Leah Porges Junior Content Producer: Tessa KotowiczBecome a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is it better to give every toy or just your presence? The debate ignites as Millennial parents split into Maximalist and Minimalist camps. Gentle parenting faces backlash after a viral critique, prompting discussions on boundaries in parenting. Celebrity mom gossip heats up with Ashley Tisdale's exit from a toxic group, stirring curiosity about hidden PTA secrets. Plus, a rundown of gifting etiquette and a new five-item framework emerges to combat holiday clutter. Don't miss quirky recommendations, from jumping challenges to revisiting nostalgic drinks!

Uh-oh. The Wiggles are in hot water after popping up in a video with some 'unusual' lyrics — and it’s forcing us to ask what we really expect from children’s entertainers. We’re also calling out the new under-16 social media laws as this generation’s 'seatbelt moment': a long-overdue, system-wide safeguard for kids’ developing brains. Plus, the problem with nostalgia. The 'last time' TikTok trend might look wholesome, but it could be quietly distracting us from the moments we’re actually living. And finally: how does your family decorate for Christmas? We’re diving into a certain Royal Family’s festive… enthusiasm. 👀 Our Recommendations: 💅 Stacey is obsessed with Sally Hansen instant nail polish remover.   🎨 Monz recommends the Cricut machine. 🥦 Amelia recommends 'crunch plates' to get the kids munching. What To Listen To Next:  Don't miss an episode of Parenting Out Loud A Wicked Elephant In The Room & The Science Behind The Perfect Age Gap The Exact Reason We Stopped Getting Naked The Rise Of Trad Sons & Sheet Masks For 3 Year Olds The Group Chat Is Out Of Control & Unpacking The Exhaustion Economy The Favourite Child Taboo & Why Jennifer Lawrence's Honesty Hit So Hard Picnic Table Politics & The Era Of Tiny Spies The Scariest Truth about Halloween & A Nepo Baby Debate Connect your subscription to Apple Podcasts  What to read:  We break down everything you need to know about Australia's under-16 social media ban. Details on how Australia's social media ban for under-16s will work are finally becoming clear. 'The 6 answers I needed about the social media age restriction that's coming.' 'What's your favourite nostalgic Christmas tradition? Your answer tells me everything.' GET IN TOUCH: Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au  Join our Facebook group Mamamia Family to talk about the show. Follow us on Instagram @mamamia_family CREDITS: Hosts: Monique Bowley, Stacey Hicks & Amelia Lester Group Executive Producer: Ruth Devine Executive Producer: Sasha Tannock Senior/Audio Producer: Leah Porges Junior Content Producer: Tessa KotowiczBecome a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Science has finally established the perfect age gap for siblings, but who is this helping? One of our hosts hates it more than others.  And it's the Wicked elephant in the room: Hollywood's return to extreme thinness is prompting us to question what's being modelled to our sons and daughters.Also, the rising trend of kindymoons. What are they? Who's taking them and why? We discuss. Plus, we deep-dive into the multi-billion dollar trend of matching Christmas pyjamas and whether this consumer identity is really for the kids, or just for the 'gram. Monique, Stacey and Amelia share where they stand.  Our Recommendations: 📺 Stacey wants you to watch The Celebrity Traitors UK on Tenplay. 🎄 Monz recommends the Lions Christmas Fruit Cake. 🎨 Amelia is obsessed with Posca Paint Markers. For help and support for eating disorders, contact the Butterfly Foundation’s National Support line and online service on 1800 ED HOPE (1800 33 4673). $21 off - Mamamia’s massive Black Friday Deal.Get an all access pass to Mamamia for just $48. Enjoy $21 off a yearly subscription, ends 1 December 2025! What To Listen To Next:  Don't miss an episode of Parenting Out Loud The Exact Reason We Stopped Getting Naked The Rise Of Trad Sons & Sheet Masks For 3 Year Olds The Group Chat Is Out Of Control & Unpacking The Exhaustion Economy The Favourite Child Taboo & Why Jennifer Lawrence's Honesty Hit So Hard Picnic Table Politics & The Era Of Tiny Spies The Scariest Truth about Halloween & A Nepo Baby Debate Connect your subscription to Apple Podcasts  What to read:  ‘I was exhausted by parenting alone. Now my best mate and her two kids live with me.’ 'My mum friends whispered their summer plans like secrets. Then I realised what we were doing.' A brutally honest review of the new Wicked movie. Okay, it's time we talk about the thing we're all too scared to talk about. 'This is the worst reality show I've ever watched. I never want it to end.' GET IN TOUCH: Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au  Join our Facebook group Mamamia Family to talk about the show. Follow us on Instagram @mamamia_family CREDITS: Hosts: Monique Bowley, Stacey Hicks & Amelia Lester Group Executive Producer: Ruth Devine Executive Producer: Sasha Tannock Senior/Audio Producer: Leah Porges Junior Content Producer: Tessa KotowiczBecome a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The new trend of 'underconsumption core' is taking on Black Friday, but is this thrifty, anti-consumerist vibe even achievable for parents who are the ultimate victims of the 'stuff' economy? Special guest host Luca Lavigne joins Stacey Hicks and Monique Bowley to unpack. Plus, casual nudity is slowly disappearing from the public pool and gym change rooms but what does this mean for our kids? Welcome to the era of physical prudes but emotional nudists.  And, we're stumbling into Spotify Wrapped season, the annual moment of profound parental shame. We unpack the need for a 'Parent Incognito Mode' that censors results because nobody wants their friends seeing 9,000 hours of Chicken Boonana or KPop Demon Hunters. Our Recommendations: 👕 Stacey wants you to try a clever laundry hack. 💸 Monz recommends the instagram account Two Broke Chicks for all the Black Friday deals.  🛍️ Luca is obsessed with the app Shopback to get some money back on the purchases you're planning.  And an extra recommendation, to watch Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy on Netflix.  Support independent women's media What To Listen To Next:  Don't miss an episode of Parenting Out Loud The Rise Of Trad Sons & Sheet Masks For 3 Year Olds The Group Chat Is Out Of Control & Unpacking The Exhaustion Economy The Favourite Child Taboo & Why Jennifer Lawrence's Honesty Hit So Hard Picnic Table Politics & The Era Of Tiny Spies The Scariest Truth about Halloween & A Nepo Baby Debate The Royal Who Flipped The Script On Dads & The Unholy Truth About 'The Squeeze' So That's Why Magicians Are Back & The Eldest Daughter Theory Connect your subscription to Apple Podcasts  What to read:  Spotify Wrapped is here. Here's what you need to know. 'K-Pop Demon Hunters is breaking records on Netflix. Here's why I'm obsessed with it.' As Black Friday sales kick off, these are the dodgy sales tactics to look out for. 'I’m teaching my daughter to love her body. But I hate my own.' GET IN TOUCH: Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au  Join our Facebook group Mamamia Family to talk about the show. Follow us on Instagram @mamamia_family CREDITS: Hosts: Monique Bowley, Stacey Hicks & Luca Lavigne Group Executive Producer: Ruth Devine Executive Producer: Sasha Tannock Senior/Audio Producer: Leah Porges Junior Content Producer: Tessa KotowiczBecome a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.