Podcast - Tantrum‪!‬ Tantrum

Fiction writer Patti Callahan Henry tells a story cataloguing the ways she's screwed up as a mom, and how these moments become stitched, along with others, into the tapestry of the experience of parenthood, or what she calls "the daily-ness that changes everything."

Katy and Alison talk about their own screw-ups, what being the best parent we can be actually means in that space of "the daily-ness," and that weird moment of catching a glimpse of at your growing kid and thinking, "Wait. Who are you, again?"
Have a thought about this week's show? Let us know about it. Or, leave a message with your parenting moment of glory, failure or insight at 678-379-3748.

We rarely talk about it, and yet it happens to so many of us, and often when it does, it wounds. In this episode, Soniah Kamal tells about a miscarriage that hit her hard. Alison and Kate talk about why, exactly, there is such a cultural taboo about the m-word. Also in this episode, the great manners our toddlers learn…from other people.
Soniah's essay, called "The Face of Miscarriage," appeared in a slightly different form in the New York Times.

Note: This episode contains explicit detail about miscarriage. It's definitely not for kids, and if such material really bothers you, this may be a good episode to skip.

In this episode, Megan Sexton tells a story about families on the cusp of change, and road-trip hotels from hell.
Speaking of cusps, Kate and Alison talk about how parenting has divvied their lives sharply into before and after.
Have a thought about this week's show? Let us know about it. Or, leave a message with your parenting moment of glory, failure or insight at 678-379-3748.

In this episode, Susan Rebecca White tells a story of raising her kid to raise hell in an unfair world. Her story includes perhaps the world's greatest mother-in-law, with the world's greatest line: "That man don't have a heart; he has a thumping gizzard."
Also, Kate and Alison talk about organic paint at day-cares, and the unfairness implicit in that world.
Have a thought about this week's show? Let us know about it. Or, leave a message with your parenting moment of glory, failure or insight at 678-379-3748.

Bedtime rituals. Friend or foe? In this episode, Kate Tuttle tells the story of how her child's preferred bedtime routine grew and grew, from a simple tune involving a mockingbird, to a complicated performance involving a cornucopia of unlikely child's toys…and one sanctimonious bunny. Also, Kate and Alison explain just where the hell they've been. They're sorry and they've missed you so much. Really. Mom always comes back, and here they are. Finally, Alison tells us why she'll never, ever, EVER sing "You Are My Sunshine" to her own daughter. Like, ever. Have a thought about this week's show? Let us know about it. Or, leave a message with your parenting moment of glory, failure or insight at 678-379-3748.

Kids and religion. A lapsed Southern Baptist takes his Jewish wife and kids to breakfast with a not-so-lapsed family friend. In this episode's hilarious story, Jack Walsh navigates how complicated it can get talking with your kids about religion, not to mention, listening to what they have to say. Also, Kate and Alison talk about their own choices and conundrums when it comes to faith and their kids--and just what the heck a godparent does, anyway. Have a thought about this week's show? Let us know about it. Or, leave a message with your parenting moment of glory, failure or insight at 678-379-3748.