Parenting, apparently

Pok Pok
  • 3.8 (17)
  • Parenting
  • Updated Weekly

Parenthood doesn't come with instructions, and neither does building a company. Melissa and Esther are figuring out both on opposite sides of the world, as friends and founders of award-winning kids’ media brand Pok Pok. Since 2021, running Pok Pok has been a front-row seat to the inner world of parents: the real wins that don’t make it to Instagram, as well as the unspoken fears and questions that everyone is waiting for someone else to say first.  Parenting, apparently, is a space to come together and take the pressure off parenthood by celebrating the fact that there is no “right” way of doing it. Each episode is a reminder that you’re not supposed to have all the answers, but that the way to get closer to them is by getting curious. Whether Melissa and Esther are sharing their own “WTF” moments, reflecting in real time, or passing the mic to guests from the community, you’re invited to come get curious about your own parenting journey. We may not have a manual for this thing, but we do have the creative freedom to make our own along the way. Follow us on Instagram! Watch us on Youtube! And check out Pok Pok! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 1d ago ·  Video

    Your kid has 8 senses, not 5! With Laura Petix

    Melissa and Esther welcome back pediatric occupational therapist Laura Petix (the pod’s first return guest!) who arrives with a new book: The Sensory Code, out October 6. They start where her book does, with the nervous system budget. Everyone wakes up with a certain amount in the tank, and every ordinary thing costs something. Socks might cost Laura a dollar and cost her sensory-sensitive daughter five, which is how a kid ends up at zero, or into the negative, by the end of a school day. Laura explains how parents can better navigate their day with small sensory strategies. Laura outlines the three senses nobody learned in school: vestibular, proprioception, and interoception, which she calls the missing link to emotional regulation. It's why a kid can be genuinely unable to notice they're hungry until they’re home from school. Then Melissa asks a question many parents wonder: at what point is supporting your kid actually coddling them? Laura's answer is surprising. It's a warm conversation about what's going on underneath the behaviour, and why knowing about it makes everyone in the house easier to live with. Get Laura's new book: https://theotbutterfly.com/thesensorycode/ Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently, a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Your kid has 8 senses, not 5! With Laura Petix

  2. Sep 3 ·  Video

    Rethinking What School Offers Kids

    In this episode of “Parenting, apparently,” Esther and Melissa rethink what school really offers kids. From exploring the differences between the Belgian and Canadian education systems to imagining what they would change as school principals, they dig into homework, academic pressure, and what kids actually need from school to thrive. Is it better to hold kids back as often as Belgian schools, or push them through like those in Canada? Is homework as important as hobbies after a long school day? Is it better to have the diversity and life experience of public school or the extra support of a private institution? Drawing on their personal experiences as kids in school and as parents now navigating these systems, they unpack what they think is supporting kids, and what needs to be retired. It’s a thoughtful conversation about education, childhood, and how school shapes us, while questioning how much children learn within the walls of a classroom versus everything they learn outside of it. Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently, a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Rethinking What School Offers Kids

  3. Aug 27 ·  Video

    Surviving Your First Back-to-School Season

    It’s back-to-school season, and Melissa’s son is starting kindergarten for the first time, while Esther is six years in with her two boys. Together, they chat about the practical and emotional realities of getting the family ready for a new school year. Melissa shares how she’s preparing for the transition (including her very real dilemma of whether she needs multiple lunchboxes), while Esther explains just how wildly different her boys’ lunch preferences are—one basically requests a charcuterie board—and helps Melissa get realistic about her planning. They talk about the logistics of dropping kids off in different directions, dividing the workload with their partners, and surprising differences between schools in Toronto and Belgium from early exams to whether teachers can hug students. Between rants about abolishing homework and stricter rules in North American schools to discovering bizarre Belgian snacks, it’s a funny, honest conversation about surviving back-to-school season and getting mentally ready for everything that comes with it! Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently, a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Surviving Your First Back-to-School Season

  4. Aug 20 ·  Video

    The Motherhood Penalty: Our Take as Moms & Employers

    In this episode of “Parenting, apparently”, Melissa and Esther unpack the “motherhood penalty”: the bias mothers can face in hiring, pay, promotions, and how their boundaries are perceived at work. The conversation was inspired by a recent interview Melissa had with a candidate for a role at Pok Pok. It was a mother who arrived on the call with her two-month-old on her lap, nursing on and off throughout the interview, and (correctly) assumed it wouldn’t be a problem. For Melissa, it became an unexpectedly emotional moment of trust in a world where being a mom at work can come with real consequences. Melissa and Esther reflect on their own experiences as moms and founders, including Melissa hiding her pregnancy while raising Pok Pok’s seed round. They also explore the hard question of: would you hire someone who’s seven months pregnant when your company needs help now? They also discuss the privilege of budgeting for parental leave as the company grows, if there is a fatherhood penalty, Belgium’s daycare shortage, and speaking at a tech conference five weeks postpartum. Read our blog about the Motherhood Penalty Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently, a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    The Motherhood Penalty: Our Take as Moms & Employers

  5. Aug 13 ·  Video

    What Can Millennial Childhood Teach Us About Parenting?

    Melissa and Esther were 90s kids with very different upbringings. Growing up in Canada and Belgium, they compare notes on their millennial childhoods—from peanut butter lunch rules and being latch-key kids to weekend chores, screen time, and the freedom they each had growing up. Now that they’re parents, they ask: what parts of our 90s childhoods could never work today, and what might actually be worth bringing back? They explore how today’s parents are more informed and resourced than ever, yet face more pressure to get parenting “right”—from managing screen time and safety to raising independent, resilient kids. It’s a nostalgic but thoughtful conversation about ’90s childhood, millennial parenting, giving kids freedom, and what we can learn from the way we grew up. Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently, a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    What Can Millennial Childhood Teach Us About Parenting?

  6. Aug 6 ·  Video

    Raising Feminist Boys & Growing Up in a Matriarchy with Edith (Esther’s Sister)

    This week on “Parenting, apparently”, Esther is joined by her sister Edith for a conversation about childhood, motherhood, feminism, and the lessons we carry from the way we were raised. Edith works in TV and film in Belgium and is mom to four-year-old Louis. Together, Esther and Edith reflect on growing up in a matriarchal household and the challenge of raising sons with feminist values while helping them build confidence, empathy, and a strong sense of self. They revisit stories from their childhood, including Esther’s witchcraft phase, and talk about the pressure of modelling behaviours you’re still working on, navigating kids’ swearing, creating secret hand signals to communicate without words, and the invisible parenting lessons passed down through generations. It’s a funny, thoughtful conversation about sisterhood, motherhood, and raising the next generation, ending with a page from their mother’s real parenting philosophy playbook: have a fun day! Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently, a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Raising Feminist Boys & Growing Up in a Matriarchy with Edith (Esther’s Sister)

  7. Jul 30 ·  Video

    The Artist Parents Revolutionizing Kids’ Screen Time

    Melissa Cash and Esther Huybreghts, hosts of Parenting, Apparently, share the story behind Pok Pok—their award-winning kids’ app built to rethink screen time through creativity, calm, and imaginative play. After struggling with the arrival of her second child, Esther searched for a digital experience for her toddler that didn’t exist yet: something that felt more like a real toy than a typical app. As artists, she and her husband Mathijs began creating a prototype that eventually pulled in Melissa, a former Disney designer. They share how Pok Pok grew from living room floor sketches into a globally recognized kids’ app, why they chose to build without addictive engagement tactics (despite investor doubt), and the intentional choices behind its gentle, open-ended design. From no ads, points, or levels to keeping the artwork hand-crafted, every decision was made to create a calmer experience for kids. Esther also reflects on how design choices she made intuitively, influenced by her own neurodivergent experience, have since resonated with neurodivergent families in the Pok Pok community. It’s a conversation about parenting, creativity, taking chances, and imagining a future of kids’ media that protects curiosity instead of competing for attention. Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently, a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    The Artist Parents Revolutionizing Kids’ Screen Time

  8. Jul 23 ·  Video

    Can We Build Safer Social Media for Kids? With Leah Ringelstein

    Is there such a thing as safe social media for kids? If so, what does it actually take to build it? This week, Melissa and Esther are joined by Leah Ringelstein, co-founder and CEO of Zigazoo, the kid-safe social media app designed to help children create mindfully instead of scroll. Before launching Zigazoo, Leah taught in Phoenix, Tanzania, and the Bronx, experiences that shaped her vision for a healthier online space for kids. Leah shares how Zigazoo moderates every video before it reaches the feed, how the platform encourages kids to lead with positivity, and how its moderation system uses a detailed behaviour matrix to flag everything from inappropriate language to subtle sarcasm. Beyond the inner workings of the app, the conversation explores the stigma parents face when letting kids use social media, and how platforms like Zigazoo can serve as a "practice playground" for building a healthier relationship with it. Leah explains how the app fosters digital citizenship and creativity instead of endless consumption, using positive role models to inspire kindness and empathy in young creators. If you're wondering how to keep kids safe online, what healthy social media for kids could look like, or whether there really is a better alternative to TikTok and other platforms for children, this episode is for you. Learn more about Zigazoo; https://www.zigazoo.com/ Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently, a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Can We Build Safer Social Media for Kids? With Leah Ringelstein
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Trailer

3.8
out of 5
17 Ratings

About

Parenthood doesn't come with instructions, and neither does building a company. Melissa and Esther are figuring out both on opposite sides of the world, as friends and founders of award-winning kids’ media brand Pok Pok. Since 2021, running Pok Pok has been a front-row seat to the inner world of parents: the real wins that don’t make it to Instagram, as well as the unspoken fears and questions that everyone is waiting for someone else to say first.  Parenting, apparently, is a space to come together and take the pressure off parenthood by celebrating the fact that there is no “right” way of doing it. Each episode is a reminder that you’re not supposed to have all the answers, but that the way to get closer to them is by getting curious. Whether Melissa and Esther are sharing their own “WTF” moments, reflecting in real time, or passing the mic to guests from the community, you’re invited to come get curious about your own parenting journey. We may not have a manual for this thing, but we do have the creative freedom to make our own along the way. Follow us on Instagram! Watch us on Youtube! And check out Pok Pok! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Pok Pok
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    38
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © e095b760-75b3-11f1-81e2-794f9281bea2
  • Show Website
    Parenting, apparently

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