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PODCAST

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

kids & family parenting

All Episodes

48:27

Why Kids Lie: What’s Normal, What’s Not, and What to Do

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/08/06

Margaret and Amy discuss the surprisingly normal reasons kids lie—and why it’s not always a sign of bad behavior.From toddlers covered in cake who swear they didn’t eat it, to teens who “forget” to mention that party in the woods, we unpack how lying is often a developmental milestone, not a moral failure. We discuss: When kids first start lying—and what brain developments make it possible The role of theory of mind and executive function in fibbing How to tell the difference between a

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46:06

DEEP DIVE: Your Tween, Explained

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/08/04

When our kids reach a certain age—as young as eight, some experts say, and definitely well before thirteen— they suddenly don't think their parents are as great as they once did. Congratulations, you're officially the parent of a tween! This week we're talking about what tweens are going through emotionally and psychologically... and how we can give them room to grow while still seizing opportunities to connect with them as (big) children. Margaret and Amy discuss: The cognitive shifts that

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33:51

Fresh Take: Rebecca Bloom, WHEN WOMEN GET SICK

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/08/01

Amy talks with women's health advocate and author Rebecca Bloom about her new book When Women Get Sick: An Empowering Approach for Getting the Support You Need. Rebecca shares her personal and professional journey from caregiver to expert advocate, offering practical advice for navigating a complex healthcare system that often fails women. This conversation explores why women face unique barriers in accessing care, how to build a support team before you need one, and how understanding your rights

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46:32

Is It Normal to Feel Jealous of Other Moms?

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/07/30

Margaret and Amy explore the messy truths about jealousy—why moms feel it, how shame adds fuel to the fire, and what we can actually do about it. From parenting pressures to social comparisons, they discuss how jealousy is normal, but how we respond to feelings of envy can make all the difference. Margaret and Amy discuss: 😬 Why jealousy feels so shameful for moms 🧠 “The Second Arrow” – how feeling guilty about feeling jealous makes things worse 👩‍👧 How our kids’ struggles

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45:58

DEEP DIVE: Best Advice for Dealing with Teenagers

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/07/28

How do we raise healthy, loving, polite, and appreciative teens? Is it humanly possible? From remaining "passively available" to taking our adolescents' seemingly trivial problems seriously, our listeners had great advice for bringing up teenagers.Amy and Margaret discuss: The blessing of nerd-dom How to keep your face in check when talking to your teen Why it's important to let your teen fail sometimes ⁠Here's our Fresh Take with Michelle Icard, author of "Fourteen Talks by Age

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43:38

Fresh Take: Shannon Watts, FIRED UP

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/07/25

Amy and Margaret sit down with Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, to discuss her transformative new book: Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age. Shannon shares the personal story behind her midlife awakening, how she built the largest grassroots movement to fight gun violence in America, and the life-changing formula she developed to help women find purpose, passion, and courage—no matter their life stage. Shannon, Margaret, and Amy discuss: How

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33:08

Fresh Take: Genevieve Kingston, DID I EVER TELL YOU?

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/07/23

A note from Margaret: My family was visiting Kerrville, TX when the flood occurred. Having seen the devastation to the Hill Country first hand, it is impossible to put into words the scope of the disaster. These losses are close to home for my family and I know they have touched so many of you as well. Please join us in donating to the relief efforts by using the following trusted link.This week Amy talks with author and playwright Genevieve Kingston about her acclaimed memoir Did I Ever Tell

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56:40

BEST OF: Kids with Big Imaginations

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/07/21

Is there such a thing as a too-imaginative kid? Parenting experts say no. Dr. Paul Harris, professor of education at Harvard and author of ⁠The Work of the Imagination⁠, says that kids’ active imaginations are “essentially positive” and represent cognitive work, the way that children make sense of the world. But if you’ve got a kid who prefers her imaginary friend to making real ones— or who terrorizes the first grade by explaining how zombies can get into one’s home through the radiator— you

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43:02

What to Say to Our Kids When Bad Things Happen

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/07/18

In light of the recent floods in Kerrville, Texas, Margaret and Amy discuss how we can talk to kids about scary, sad, or tragic events—especially when we don’t know what to say. Topics include: 🧠 How children process grief, tragedy, and fear at different ages 🛡️ The limits of “protecting” kids from the world—and when it's important 💬 Letting kids lead the conversation and avoiding over-explaining 😢 Why it’s okay for kids to see you upset—and how to model healthy emotion

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40:28

When One of Our Kids Takes Up All of Our Bandwidth

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/07/16

A note from Margaret: My family was visiting Kerrville, TX when the flood occurred. She Having seen the devastation to the Hill Country first hand, it is impossible to put into words the scope of the disaster. These losses are close to home for my family and I know they have touched so many of you as well. Please join us in donating to the relief efforts by using the following trusted link: https://cftexashillcountry.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=4201 In this episode, Margaret and

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45:09

BEST OF: Dumb Things We Thought When We Were Kids

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/07/14

⁠A note from Margaret: My family was visiting Kerrville, TX when the flood occurred. Having seen the devastation to the Hill Country first hand, it is impossible to put into words the scope of the disaster. These losses are close to home for my family and I know they have touched so many of you as well. Please join us in donating to the relief efforts by using the following trusted link: ⁠https://cftexashillcountry.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=4201⁠ Amy thought The Love Boat was

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42:58

Fresh Take: Danielle Bettmann on Positive Discipline

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/07/11

A note from Margaret: My family was visiting Kerrville, TX when the flood occurred. Having seen the devastation to the Hill Country first hand, it is impossible to put into words the scope of the disaster. These losses are close to home for my family and I know they have touched so many of you as well. Please join us in donating to the relief efforts by using the following trusted link: ⁠https://cftexashillcountry.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=4201⁠ Amy and Margaret talk with

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44:55

5 Conversations to Have with Your Kids This Summer

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/07/09

A note from Margaret: My family was visiting Kerrville, TX when the flood occurred. Having seen the devastation to the Hill Country first hand, it is impossible to put into words the scope of the disaster. These losses are close to home for my family and I know they have touched so many of you as well. Please join us in donating to the relief efforts by using the following trusted link: https://cftexashillcountry.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=4201 In this episode, we break down five

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47:53

BEST OF: Best Mom Lies Ever

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/07/07

Some people say parents should never lie to their kids. We are not those people. We asked our listeners to tell us all the lies that totally worked for their kids– or worked on them when they were kids. Whether it's the ice cream truck's jingle indicating they're fresh out, the goldfish who was "just sleeping," or the unfortunate catastrophic fire at the macaroni and cheese factory, these are all the mom fibs you want in your repertoire. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can

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33:16

Best of: Dr. Ibram X. Kendi on Raising Antiracists

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/07/04

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi⁠ is the author of many highly acclaimed books including STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, which won the National Book Award for Nonfiction. In 2020, Time magazine named Dr. Kendi one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Dr. Kendi was awarded a 2021 MacArthur Fellowship, popularly known as the Genius Grant. In this interview, we are discussing his book HOW TO RAISE AN ANTIRACIST. His latest book for young readers is called

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48:19

BEST OF: Grudges Held, Grudges Kept

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/07/02

Is it rational to still be mad about that time in second grade when the kid right in front of you took the last sprinkles at the ice cream social?Is it reasonable to think just a little less of your childhood friend for serving Chex Mix at his wedding? Ours is not to reason why. This episode isn't here to tell you whether you all should be maintaining these grudges so carefully. It's here to hold space for them all. Stay angry, Hellions! We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You

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39:17

DEEP DIVE: Francesca Royster on "Choosing Family"

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/06/30

How do we find support when our family of origin is no longer around or has otherwise rejected us? Francesca Royster, author of the new memoir ⁠Choosing Family: A Memoir of Queer Motherhood and Black Resistance⁠, explains the concepts of chosen family, finding joy in the everyday, and the resistance that is part of telling hard stories. Margaret and Francesca discuss: What inspired Francesca to write her memoir What it's like to enter motherhood at an older age The process of adopting her

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47:21

Fresh Take: Ramit Sethi, "Money for Couples"

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/06/27

How do we start a conversation about finances with our partners, especially when each of our households of origin might have thought about money quite differently? Ramit Sethi, host of Netflix’s hit show, How to Get Rich, and author of MONEY FOR COUPLES, offers practical tips for productively discussing money with your partner. Ramit and Margaret discuss: Why money conversations are so hard The four money types: Avoider, Optimizer, Worrier, or Dreamer How the messages we heard

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49:20

Things Most People Think Are Hard (But Aren't)

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/06/25

There are plenty of things that seem intimidating but are actually not that hard to do! From power hedge trimmers to cooking a whole fish, we (and our listeners) are here with the things that most people seem to think are hard—but actually aren't.View the full list of things our listeners said are actually pretty simple. Plus, the two things we promised to include in the show notes: an actually-easy way to create Power of Attorney forms for kids off to college an actually easy and attractive

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40:18

DEEP DIVE: Ellen Kahn On Supporting Our LGBTQ Kids

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/06/23

Ellen Kahn⁠ is the Senior Director of Programs and Partnerships at the Human Rights Campaign. In her role, Ellen provides national leadership and expertise in public education and advocacy efforts on behalf of LGBTQ youth and families. Ellen is nationally recognized as an expert on LGBTQ family life and LGBTQ youth. She's also a proud mom of two teenage daughters. In this interview, Ellen explains how parents can create a home environment that affirms and accepts LGBTQ children, and how to advocate

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