What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making Life Better, with Two Funny Moms

Fresh Take: Dr. Thomas Phelan on What Parents Should Know About Misophonia

Why do ordinary sounds like chewing, slurping, or pen-tapping trigger intense averse reactions in some people? And what does a parent do when it's her own kid screaming a

Why Our Friendships Stall (and How to Fix It)

Why does it feel harder than ever to get together with our friends? Why does every "we should hang out soon!" in a group text feel destined to peter out before it actuall

DEEP DIVE: How to Yell Less

This Deep Dive series is all about reducing the friction between ourselves and our kids when trying to communicate with them, whether it's yelling less, finding real reas

Fresh Take: Sona Movsesian on Being the "World's Worst Mom"

What if being a comedian is kind of great for most things, but not so much for parenthood? We talk with Sona Movsesian, co-host of Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend and author

Can We Make Youth Sports Fun Again?

Youth sports used to mean riding your bike to your friend's house to play Wiffle ball in the backyard, with a tree for second base. Eventually you'd head to the rec cente

DEEP DIVE: When Kids Fight You on Everything

This Deep Dive series is all about reducing the friction between ourselves and our kids when trying to communicate with them, whether it's yelling less, finding real reas

BEST OF: How to Make the Back-to-School Transition a Little Easier

Back-to-school season doesn’t have to be a chaotic scramble. In this "Best of" episode, Margaret and Amy share practical tips to help parents make the transition smoother

Overfunctioning

Overfunctioning is usually defined as taking on excess responsibility for other people’s feelings, issues, and tasks. And it's usually presumed to be tied to anxiety. IF

DEEP DIVE: Jennifer Wallace on Achievement Pressure

This "Deep Dive" series revisits a few of our past episodes on back-to-school challenges such as the morning rush, school projects which require lots of parental oversigh

Fresh Take: Dr. Stuart Slavin on The Pressures Causing Depression, Anxiety, and Burnout in Our Kids

What if the proven decline in the mental health of today's adolescents isn't just about phones and screen time? What if academic pressure and "achievement culture" is the

How Much Should We Share With Our Kids?

When is it useful for our kids to hear about our own life experiences—including situations caused by our own bad decision-making? When does it become oversharing, or ge

DEEP DIVE: Linda Flanagan on Taking Back Kids' Sports

This "Deep Dive" series revisits a few of our past episodes on back-to-school challenges such as the morning rush, school projects which require lots of parental oversigh

Fresh Take: Dr. Lucy McBride on Advocating for Yourself at the Doctor's Office

What does it really mean to become an active participant in the care of your own health? In this episode, Margaret talks with primary care physician Dr. Lucy McBride abou

Outsourcing the Workload: How to Hand Stuff Over

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!⁠ Feeling overwhelmed by everything that needs to get done? If you're the person who keeps track of the appointments, school forms,

DEEP DIVE: Are Our Kids Overscheduled?

This "Deep Dive" series revisits a few of our past episodes on back-to-school challenges such as the morning rush, school projects which require lots of parental oversigh

Fresh Take: Dr. Özgür Bolat on the Real Science of Motivating Kids

We think of rewarding kids as a surefire way to get the behavior we want. But what if rewards mainly serve to underline our children's intrinsic drive to succeed? Dr. Özg

Helping Our Kids Feel Seen

What happens when one child’s needs take up most of a family’s attention? Even when parents are doing their best, it can be easy for another child to quietly become the “

DEEP DIVE: When School Projects Become Parents' Projects (and How to Push Back)

This "Deep Dive" series revisits a few of our past episodes on back-to-school challenges such as the morning rush, school projects which require lots of parental oversigh

Fresh Take: Michael McLeod on ADHD and Executive Function

Kids (and adults) with ADHD don't actually have a deficit of attention. Today, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is more properly understood as a deficit of execut

People Must Be Pretending to Enjoy This

Are you certain that people are only pretending to enjoy cilantro? Or mah jongg? We asked our listeners to tell us the things they're convinced no one actually likes. Fro