

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

Apr 12, 2024 • 35min
Fresh Take: Diane Boden, "Minimalist Moms"
Is it even possible to declutter your home for more than one minute at a time when you've got kids? Diane Boden, host of the Minimalist Moms podcast, offers parenting tips for cutting down on possessions in a manageable way.Diane Boden is the host of the Minimalist Moms Podcast and author of Minimalist Moms: Living and Parenting with Simplicity. She lives in Ohio with her husband and three kids.Diane, Margaret, and Amy discuss:
What minimalism can mean for different people
Simple steps for starting the decluttering process—and some more radical strategies too
How to reconcile different set points for clutter between parenting partners
How to deal with family members who love giving gifts
Here's where you can find Diane:
minimalistmomspodcast.com
@minimalistmomspodcast on all socials
Buy MINIMALIST MOMS: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9781642505092
Listen to the Minimalist Moms podcast
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, minimalism, decluttering Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 10, 2024 • 47min
How Involved Should We Be with Our Kids' Schools?
How do we help our kids succeed in school without becoming the dreaded "snowplow" parents? Here are some parenting tips for advocating for your child at school when necessary, while also empowering our kids to navigate their own learning.Amy and Margaret discuss:
How school environments have changed in the last few decades
Best practices for helping kids of different ages manage homework
How to start a productive conversation with your child's educators about concerns you may have
Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:
Jenny Anderson for TIME Magazine: "Many American Parents Have No Idea How Their Kids Are Doing in School"
Carrie Bauer, et. al, for Slate: Help Me Help My Kid
Libby Stanford for Education Week: "Does Parent Involvement Really Help Students? Here’s What the Research Says"
U.S. Department of Education: "Raise the Bar: Resources for Parents and Families"
Cara Goodwin for KQED's Mind/Shift: "How important is homework, and how much should parents help?"
See our interview with Jennifer Breheny Wallace - author of Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic — and What We Can Do About It
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, academic achievement, school achievement, homework Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 8, 2024 • 41min
DEEP DIVE: Matthew Fray on Strengthening Our Relationships
This month, we're doing a deep dive series into the division of household labor—why it's often unbalanced, and what we can do about it. You can find the playlist with all of the episodes in the series here. Matthew Fray is a relationship coach who leans on the lessons of his failed marriage to help others avoid making the same mistakes that he did. He's a 43-year-old single father who is best known for his viral blog post "She Divorced Me Because I Left Dishes by the Sink." Fray is the author of the new book "This is How Your Marriage Ends: A Hopeful Approach to Saving Relationships." Matthew gives us wonderful, poignant insights into how to validate our partners, find out their true needs, and re-establish trust when we've lost it.In this episode, Matthew, Margaret, and Amy discuss:
Why we may not realize we're betraying our partner's trust
Matthew's hierarchy of needs in relationships
Why couples always have the same fight
Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:
Maslow's hierarchy of needs
Matthew's recent article in The Atlantic
Our episode with Eve Rodsky on changing the invisible workload
Here's where you can find Matthew:
matthewfray.com
Buy Matthew's book: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9780063072251
FB: @matthewfrayMBTTTR
IG: @frayrelationships
Twitter: @MBTTTR
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, emotional labor, marriage, partnerships, divorce Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 5, 2024 • 36min
Fresh Take: Amy Shoenthal on "The Setback Cycle"
If setbacks are so common, especially in the trenches of motherhood, how can we learn useful lessons from them? Amy Shoenthal, author of the new book THE SETBACK CYCLE, offers a framework for navigating setbacks and becoming stronger because of them.Amy Shoenthal is a journalist, marketing consultant and a contributor to Forbes Women and Harvard Business Review.Shoenthal and Margaret discuss:
Why our brains learn more from setbacks than successes and why people who have setbacks are better at problem solving
Shoenthal's four-phase framework for navigating setbacks
The "motherhood penalty" that women in the workforce experience
Here's where you can find Amy Shoenthal:
www.thesetbackcycle.com
@amysho on Instagram and Twitter
https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyshoenthal/
Buy THE SETBACK CYCLE: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9798888451687
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, setback, resilience Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 3, 2024 • 41min
Our Lowest-Stake Conspiracy Theories
We asked our listeners to tell us their lowest-stakes conspiracy theories, and as usual, you all really came through! Whether it's gum with flavor that goes extinct in thirty seconds or less, or printers that indicate the need for new ink well ahead of schedule, here are all the extremely minor daily occurrences that just may have sinister planning behind them. We're just asking questions here.Amy mentions this I THINK YOU SHOULD LEAVE sketch in this episode: "That's a Chunky" sketchSign 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, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 1, 2024 • 43min
DEEP DIVE: When Our Partners Just Don't Get It
This month, we're doing a deep dive series into the division of household labor—why it's often unbalanced, and what we can do about it. You can find the playlist with all of the episodes in the series here. Why does it feel like I do all the work around here? Why can't my partner take on a little more? Why does a dad get to go on Good Morning America for DOING HIS DAUGHTER'S HAIR TWICE A WEEK??There is evidence that having kids reduces marital harmony. And for a woman, the birth of a child often means taking on a second shift while her partner's routine may barely be interrupted. So how can we find labor divisions that work for everyone?In this episode, Margaret and Amy discuss:
What the science says about relationships post-children
Signs that a partnership is operating unsustainably
Tips for how to start the conversation about dividing up parenting responsibilities
Here are links to some of the resources we mention:
The Infamous "Husband Crimes" episode
What Happens to a Marriage After Having Children?
Fighting Constantly After Baby? Read This.
9 Signs That a Relationship Just Can't Be Saved
And a bonus from the Husband Crimes archives: Kurt Vonnegut's attempt at gender equity
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, household equity, household equality, gender household equality, gender household equity Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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


