Amy McCready, the founder of Positive Parenting Solutions and the author of The Me, Me, Me Epidemic: A Step-by-Step Guide to Raising Capable, Grateful Kids in an Over-Entitled World, is the featured guest this week. Amy is a frequent guest on the TODAY Show. She has also appeared on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and many other […]

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Reasons My Kid is Crying author Greg Pembroke is the featured guest in this episode is all about meltdowns – something all parents have to deal with, and usually when it’s least convenient. I ask Greg how pictures of his children went worldwide in a week, leading to an appearance on Good Morning America and […]

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This week Simon Holland, who I consider the funniest dad on social media, joins me to break down dad stereotypes versus reality. In our conversation, we talk about rival dads, how the role of a dad has progressed since the 1950’s and what happens when dads try to be cool.

We also break down some of Simon’s (@simoncholland) most popular tweets, such as:

• I accidentally said skrt when I meant to say yeet in front of my daughter’s friends and they went sicko mode making fun of me. I’m afraid I’m out of the squad.

• Accidentally played dad instead of dead when I encountered a bear and now it can ride a bike without training wheels.

To learn more about Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast, visit ParentNormal.com

Scary Mommy Jill Smokler is the featured guest this week. She is the creator of the very popular parenting website Scary Mommy. Jill is also the New York Times bestselling author of Confessions of A Scary Mommy and Motherhood Comes Naturally (And Other Vicious Lies). Her honest take on parenting has appeared in countless publications […]

The post Ep. 21 Interview with Scary Mommy Jill Smokler appeared first on The ParentNormal.

  Parenting fails are a such a big part of this podcast, I thought it would be fun to create a countdown of the best parenting fails shared on the show. Because who doesn’t love a countdown? Now, obviously, it is really strange to say one parenting fail is better than another. That’s obviously not the […]

The post Ep. 61 Best of the Parenting Fails Part 1 featuring Karen Alpert, Rosie Pope, Arianna Huffington, Asha Dornfest, Amy Bellgardt and more appeared first on The ParentNormal.

How can you improve your child’s behavior and attention span without drugs, labels or coercion? Dr. Thomas Armstrong, author of The Myth of the ADHD Child: 101 Ways to Improve Your Child’s Behavior and Attention Span without Drugs, Labels, or Coercion, attempts to answer this question on this week’s episode of the podcast. Now, I want […]

The post Ep. 84 How to improve your child’s behavior and attention span without drugs, labels or coercion – with Dr. Thomas Armstrong appeared first on The ParentNormal.

Jeannie Gaffigan, the wife and writing partner of Jim Gaffigan, one of the most popular comedians in the world, is the featured guest on the podcast this week. In addition to co-writing Jim’s standup material, Jeannie co-writes the Jim Gaffigan Show with Jim. They also have five kids together and raise them in New York City, which […]

The post Ep. 38 Interview with Jeannie Gaffigan, co-writer of The Jim Gaffigan Show and mom of 5 kids appeared first on The ParentNormal.

Family coach, Dr. Catherine Pearlman, is this week’s featured guest. She is the author of the new book Ignore It! How Selectively Looking the Other Way Can Decrease Behavioral Problems and Increase Parenting Satisfaction. In our conversation, we talk about common concerns parents have when they seek help and about how ignoring some problems is actually a […]

The post Ep. 83 Can looking the other way decrease your child’s behavioral problems? – with Dr. Catherine Pearlman appeared first on The ParentNormal.

Here are the top ten parenting fails shared on the podcast so far! Two weeks ago, we started the countdown at number 30 and counted down to 21. In last week’s episode, we counted down from 20 to 11. And while all of those stories were great, and I hope you go back and listen to […]

The post Ep. 63 Best of the Parenting Fails Part 3 (Top 10 Fails) featuring Jeff Kinney, Dave Barry, Jeannie Gaffigan, Hillary Frank, Adam Mansbach and Michele Lepe appeared first on The ParentNormal.

Adam Mansbach, author of #1 New York Times Bestseller Go the F**k to Sleep and You Have to F**king Eat, is the featured guest this week. If you’ve never heard of these books, you must not have an internet connection. Go the F**k to Sleep has been translated into 40 languages and Time Magazine named it the […]

The post Ep. 33 Interview with Adam Mansbach, author of Go the F**k to Sleep, a #1 New York Times Bestseller appeared first on The ParentNormal.

Nicole Johnson, the lead baby sleep consultant and owner of The Baby Sleep Site, is this week’s featured guest. In our conversation, we talk about how to get your baby to sleep better and how to make bedtime easier for you and your kids. We also discuss common mistakes parents make at bedtime, about the […]

The post Ep. 91 How to get your baby to sleep better with baby sleep consultant Nicole Johnson appeared first on The ParentNormal.

Bestselling author and mom of two Jen Mann is the featured guest in this episode about Surviving the Holidays, which are the most wonderfully exhausting time of the year. I ask Jen what inspired her to start a blog called People I Want to Punch in the Throat. We’ll also talk about the pros and cons […]

The post Ep. 5 Surviving the Holidays – featuring People I Want to Punch in the Throat author Jen Mann appeared first on The ParentNormal.

This is the second of two parenting fail episodes I’m releasing this week in honor of my new book Perfect Parenting: A Complete History. (Spoiler Alert) There is no history of raising kids perfectly. Thus, every one of my new book’s 40 chapters are empty. It is the parenting book with the fewest words but most important lesson: You […]

The post Ep. 75 Parenting Fails Vol. IX featuring stories from Pinkalicious author Victoria Kann, Blossom star Jenna von Oy, Baby Einstein creator Julie Clark, City Dads co-founder Matt Schneider and ParentSpeak author Jennifer Lehr appeared first on The ParentNormal.

Family therapist Colleen O’Grady, author of Dial down the Drama: Reducing Conflict and Reconnecting with Your Teenage Daughter, is the featured guest this week. In our conversation, Colleen gives me a preview of what I have to look forward to when my kids become teenagers. We’ll talk about the differences between parenting young kids and […]

The post Ep. 68 Interview with Family Therapist Colleen O’Grady, author of Dial Down the Drama appeared first on The ParentNormal.

Karen Alpert is the New York Times bestselling author of I Heart My Little A-Holes: A bunch of holy-crap moments no one ever told you about parenting. Her new book is I Want My Epidural Back: Adventures in Mediocre Parenting and it’s already getting rave reviews. In this week’s episode, I talk to Karen about how […]

The post Ep. 31 Interview with Karen Alpert, NYT bestselling author of I Heart My Little A-Holes and I Want My Epidural Back appeared first on The ParentNormal.

This is Part Two in the three part series of the best parenting fails shared on the podcast so far. I realize that “best” is not really the best word to use when you’re talking about parenting fails, because one parenting fail isn’t better than another one, but it is fun to do “best of” […]

The post Ep. 62 Best of the Parenting Fails Part 2 featuring Nick Thune, Ilana Wiles, Greg Page, Nate Bargatze, Amy McCready and more appeared first on The ParentNormal.

We’ve reached the end of the countdown of the best parenting fails shared on the ParentNormal Podcast in 2017.  This episode features the five most memorable stories of the year. Keep in mind, we’re not celebrating parenting fails. We’re just recognizing every parent fails sometimes. Parenting is stressful enough without beating yourself up for past […]

The post Ep. 90 Best Parenting Fails of 2017 Part 3 of 3 featuring Jay Papasan, Jenna von Oy, Lev Grossman, Chris Pegula and Heather Haupt appeared first on The ParentNormal.

Julie Clark, the creator of Baby Einstein, CEO of WeeSchool and author of more than 30 bestselling children’s books, is this week’s featured guest. In our conversation, Julie tells her awesome story of how she turned her idea for a baby video into a company that Disney would eventually buy. We also talk about how […]

The post Ep. 71 Interview with Julie Clark, creator of Baby Einstein, bestselling author and CEO of WeeSchool appeared first on The ParentNormal.

Dr. Robert Keith Wallace, a pioneering researcher on the physiology of consciousness, is the featured guest this week. He and renowned scientist Dr. Frederick Travis recently published Dharma Parenting: Understand Your Child’s Brilliant Brain for Greater Happiness Health, Success and Fulfillment. In our discussion, we talk about the different brain types of children, modern science, ancient Ayurveda and […]

The post Ep. 43 Interview with Dr. Robert Keith Wallace, co-author of Dharma Parenting appeared first on The ParentNormal.

Clint Edwards is the featured guest of this episode. He’s a dad of three and the author of the new book This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things. We’ll talk about the successful kickstarter campaign that launched his book, the viral Washington Post article he wrote that led to an appearance on Good Morning […]

The post Ep. 10 Why We Can’t Have Nice Things on New Year’s Day – featuring author Clint Edwards appeared first on The ParentNormal.

This week’s guest is Amanda Pacovsky, a mom of one, which is perfect because we break down one and done parenting in this episode. Specifically, we discuss the pros and cons of one and done parenting, how to know if being one and done is right for you, how to avoid spoiling an only child and much more.

To learn more about Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast, visit www.ParentNormal.com.

This week’s guest is Rachel Sobel, a mom of two and the writer of Whine and Cheez(its). She joins me to break down clingy kids. In our conversation, we talk about when kids are the clingiest, how to be patient with clingy kids and where parents can go (or not go) to escape clingy kids.

To learn more about Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast, visit www.ParentNormal.com.

This week’s guest is Clint Edwards, a father of three and author of the new book Silence is a Scary Sound: And Other Stories on Living Through the Terrible Twos and Threes. In our conversation, we break down Toddler Dangers: How to keep toddlers from injuring themselves and you.

This week, my guest is Serena Dorman, a mom of two and the hilarious voice behind the Mommy Cusses social media accounts. She joins me to break down the WTF moments of parenthood.

In our conversation, we talk about memorable WTF moments, reactions to WTF moments and when the most WTF moments occur for parents. Serena also shares her advice for parents who may face a WTF moment today.

Serena also shares the stories behind some of her most popular memes, which have helped her build an audience of hundreds of thousands of parents online.

This week, Lisa Munn, a mom of four boys known to hundreds of thousands of followers on social media as Sarcastic Mommy, joins me to talk about the art of raising teenage boys.

In our conversation, we discuss how to talk to teen boys about relationships, acceptable social media use for teens, teen driving, disciplining teen boys, searching for colleges and much more. Lisa also shares how she got her start on social media and built a huge following of parents online.

To learn more about Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast, visit www.ParentNormal.com.

This week Simon Holland, who I consider the funniest dad on social media, joins me to break down dad stereotypes versus reality. In our conversation, we talk about rival dads, how the role of a dad has progressed since the 1950’s and what happens when dads try to be cool.

We also break down some of Simon’s (@simoncholland) most popular tweets, such as:

• I accidentally said skrt when I meant to say yeet in front of my daughter’s friends and they went sicko mode making fun of me. I’m afraid I’m out of the squad.

• Accidentally played dad instead of dead when I encountered a bear and now it can ride a bike without training wheels.

To learn more about Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast, visit ParentNormal.com

This week we’re talking about (cough, cough) sick kids. Just when you think kids can’t be worse to clean up after, they start sneezing in your face and throwing up in you lap. Yet, somehow their sicknesses make us want to hold them closer.

Joining me to break down the topic of sick kids is Gila Pfeffer, a mom of four teenagers who has dealt with all kinds of sicknesses. In our conversation, we talk about daycare germs, kids vomiting in public, how sicknesses change as kids get older, how parents have no fear of getting sick and much more. Gila also talks about moving her family from the United States to London and about some of the differences in health care.

This is also a special episode for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Gila is a breast cancer pre-vivor and survivor. Gila talks about her unique story and how it impacted her family. She also shares the advice she gives to other families impacted by breast cancer.

This week, I’m joined by Adrian Kulp, to break down first year milestones. In our conversation, we talk about underrated baby milestones, favorite milestones, milestones for parents and how our perceptions of milestones change when we have more kids.

Adrian is a father of four and author of the new book We're Parents: The New Dad Book for Baby's First Year: Everything You Need to Know to Survive and Thrive Together. We're Parents is the follow up to Adrian's first book, We're Pregnant: The First Time Dad's Pregnancy Handbook. The book offers quick and actionable advice month-to-month for the first year as well as charts to help you track your baby's development and important milestones.

Clark Kent is Superman. Bruce Wayne is Batman. Parents are Santa and the Tooth Fairy. Our secret identities may not be as cool as superheroes, but our kids think we’re pretty super (and rich).

The problem with our secret identities is that the instructions for playing these roles is apparently secret too. In this episode, Julie Burton, a hilarious writer, blogger and mother of two, joins me to try and break down tooth fairy duty.

In our conversation, we talk about what happens when a kid loses a tooth, how (not) to pull a tooth, how much money to (not) leave under a pillow, what to do with lost teeth and much more.

Julie Burton is a columnist and contributing writer for Simply KC magazine. She has written for The Good Men Project, Mock Moms, Sammiches and Psych Meds, That’s Inappropriate, and Perfection Pending. She is also frequently mentioned on The Today Show, HuffPost, Momtastic and Scary Mommy as one of the Funniest Parents on social media.

Julie is a contributing writer in the NYT Bestselling “I Just Want to Pee Alone” series titled “But Did You Die?” by A Bunch of Know-It-Alls (2017). She is also a contributing writer to “The Unofficial Guide to Surviving Pregnancy Without Losing Your Mind” (2018).

The wait is over! The first official episode of Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast has been released. Joining me on the episode is Lauren Lodder to break down the mess kids make.

Lauren’s hilarious thoughts on parenthood are shared all over the internet from Scary Mommy to HuffPost to BuzzFeed. You may know her on social media as MommyOwl.

There are so many different types of messes kids make. The only consistency is that kids are constantly making messes. In our break down of messes, we cover messes in the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and beyond. We also discuss the messy job of cleaning up.

If you’re a longtime listener, you know this show began as The ParentNormal Podcast. For nearly 100 episodes, we featured celebrity interviews, parenting fails and even a few skits. All of those episodes are still available, but the best is yet to come.

We have a new look, a new format and a new name. I want to introduce you to Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast.

This is a show that’s for imperfect parents by imperfect parents. We are diving deeper than ever into the crazy realities of parenthood with more stories and hilarious confessions from real parents all over the world.

In each episode, a different guest host and I will break down a topic that causes parents to break down… like putting kids to bed, potty training, the terrible twos, homework, discipline, cleaning up, cooking for kids and so on.

By the end of each breakdown, you’ll hopefully realize that you aren’t alone in your struggles and that the craziness all parents go through is actually quite funny when it’s looked at in the right light.

For more info about the show, go to www.parentnormal.com. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter where we share plenty more parenting humor.

Phil Rosenthal, creator of Everybody Loves Raymond and host of the new Netflix show Somebody Feed Phil, is this week's featured guest. During our conversation, we talk about how Phil’s love for food and travel led to Somebody Feed Phil and how he’s involved family members on the show. We also talk about creating a family sitcom like Everybody Loves Raymond and how his own family influenced the writing on the show.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the ParentNormal Podcast on iTunes or Sticher if you're an Android user to hear every episode of the ParentNormal Podcast, including the top 30 parenting fails shared on the podcast, which were counted down in episodes 61, 62 & 63. You can also follow ParentNormal on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Now Available on Amazon.com:

• Perfect Parenting: A Complete History
• The ParentNormal Crash Course: Everything Traditional Parenting Books Are Afraid to Tell You About Close Encounters of the Baby, Toddler and Third-Year Kind

Tommy Riles, co-founder of the Life of Dad social network for dads, is this week’s featured guest. Tommy is also the audience warm-up comedian for the Ellen DeGeneres Show and has done warm up for dozens of others shows such as American Idol and Dancing with the Stars. In our conversation, we talk about how Tommy […]

The post Ep. 92 How Ellen DeGeneres’ Audience Warm-up Comedian Created a Social Network for Dads – with Life of Dad co-founder Tommy Riles appeared first on The ParentNormal.

Nicole Johnson, the lead baby sleep consultant and owner of The Baby Sleep Site, is this week’s featured guest. In our conversation, we talk about how to get your baby to sleep better and how to make bedtime easier for you and your kids. We also discuss common mistakes parents make at bedtime, about the […]

The post Ep. 91 How to get your baby to sleep better with baby sleep consultant Nicole Johnson appeared first on The ParentNormal.

We’ve reached the end of the countdown of the best parenting fails shared on the ParentNormal Podcast in 2017.  This episode features the five most memorable stories of the year. Keep in mind, we’re not celebrating parenting fails. We’re just recognizing every parent fails sometimes. Parenting is stressful enough without beating yourself up for past […]

The post Ep. 90 Best Parenting Fails of 2017 Part 3 of 3 featuring Jay Papasan, Jenna von Oy, Lev Grossman, Chris Pegula and Heather Haupt appeared first on The ParentNormal.

We’re continuing our countdown of the best parenting fails shared on the ParentNormal Podcast in 2017.  Parenting is stressful enough without beating yourself up for past mistakes. And that’s what this countdown is all about. Every parent makes mistakes. The best thing we can do is just say sorry and try not to make the […]

The post Ep. 89 Best Parenting Fails of 2017 Part 2 of 3 featuring Julie Clark, Victoria Kann, Heather Armstrong, Doug Moe & Dr. Catherine Pearlman appeared first on The ParentNormal.

2017 is coming to a close, and like every other year, it was a year full of parenting fails. But if you’re feeling guilty about all the things you’ve done wrong, take comfort knowing you aren’t alone. Every parent makes mistakes. The best thing we can do is just say sorry and try not to […]

The post Ep. 88 Best Parenting Fails of 2017 Part 1 of 3 featuring James Breakwell, Mike and Heather Spohr, Colleen O’Grady, Matt Schneider and Josh Temple appeared first on The ParentNormal.

Devorah Blachor, who has a brand new book out titled The Feminist’s Guide to Raising a Little Princess: How to Raise a Girl Who’s Authentic, Joyful and Fearless ­– Even if She Refuses to Wear Anything But a Pink Tutu, is this week’s featured guest. In our conversation, we talk about how Devorah, as a […]

The post Ep. 87 How to be a feminist mom and raise a fearless little princess – with Devorah Blachor appeared first on The ParentNormal.

Doug Moe, a longtime teacher and performer at the legendary Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, is this week’s featured guest. In our conversation, we talk about his new book Man vs. Child: One Dad’s Guide to the Weirdness of Parenting. We also talk about fellow parents he’s performed improv with such as Amy Poehler, Rob Corddry, Bobby Moynihan and Rob […]

The post Ep. 86 How improv acting can help you survive the weirdness of parenting – with Doug Moe appeared first on The ParentNormal.

James Breakwell, who Buzzfeed says might be the funniest dad on Twitter, is this week’s featured guest. He was actually an early guest on this podcast in episode 12 when we talked about how his parenting humor helped him build a following of nearly 200,000 followers on Twitter. Well, now he has nearly 1 million followers […]

The post Ep. 85 How to be a parent and survive the zombie apocalypse – with James Breakwell appeared first on The ParentNormal.