Parenting Roundabout

Last week, we obsessed over an article from Grown & Flown called "10 Ways This Mom Has Stopped Annoying Her Teens" [https://grownandflown.com/ten-ways-mom-stopped-annoying-teens/]. One episode [https://www.parentingroundaboutpodcast.com/blog/choosing-your-parenting-battles] wasn't enough to cover all the ways we annoy our children, so we are returning to this list today to discuss the remaining 5 ways we are sooo annoying.

When you hear this, Catherine will be in the midst of a 3-state college tour with her son, so spare a few thoughts for her safety and sanity. How do you feel about road trips: Fun adventure, or "are we there yet?!"?

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, we have new characters being introduced and old characters returning. Pretty soon the Arconia will need that pod that Nina's plotting to build in order to house all these people. Next: "The Tell."On Rutherford Falls, one of Nathan's former professors arrives on the scene to be an awful person with (here we go again) a podcast. Meanwhile, Reagan is running errands and doing favors all over town to try to reintegrate herself into the community. Next: "Aunt Ida's 90th Birthday."

Terri's family recently needed to buy a car, and since her son had Big Opinions about what to get, he did the research and his parents followed his lead. That got us talking about who gets to make the call when the family needs something pricey: One parent? Both parents? The kids? Or is it truly a family affair?

Nicole's enjoying #Australian slang, Catherine's not enjoying being called "extra," and Terri just wishes people would stop making language harder. (Mentioned: the website Urban Dictionary; the book What Did You Say? What Do You Mean?; the podcast Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day; see https://parentingroundabout.com for links.)

​We're still obsessing about college over here, because Nicole's daughter is in the thick of decision time and Catherine's is not far behind. How can you blame us, when the whole process is so inscrutable?

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup, Terri has a tasty, low-guilt treat to recommend for your evening snacking needs: WW Snack Size Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream Bars [https://www.weightwatchers.com/us/ww-supermarket/products/frozen-novelties/snack-size-chocolate-fudge-ice-cream-bars]. And Catherine's experimenting with walking while working with a new treadmill desk attachment [https://www.amazon.com/HumanCentric-Treadmill-Attachment-Workstation-Treadmills/dp/B083TB367L/]. Mentioned: Terri's portable, tripod standing desk [https://www.parentingroundaboutpodcast.com/blog/roundabout-roundup-edpeople-on-tiktok-milk-bone-vitamin-treats-and-intension-design-standing-desk].

Today, we're obsessing over an article from Grown & Flown called "10 Ways This Mom Has Stopped Annoying Her Teens" [https://grownandflown.com/ten-ways-mom-stopped-annoying-teens/]. In fact, we're so obsessed with it we can only talk about five of the ways today. We'll revisit the other five next week.

In honor of Terri's 32nd wedding anniversary, we paused our usual weekly complaining to chat about some of what she's learned in those three decades. Puzzle pieces and PDA both play a role.

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, Only Murders in the Building gives us a deep dive into murder victim Bunny Folger, making her much more sympathetic than she's been up to this point. Next: S2E4, "Here's Looking at You."We also kicked off a watch of Rutherford Falls, a sitcom streaming on Peacock. While its second season is already out, we're starting at the beginning with season 1, episode 1, the pilot. While we're not, as yet, convinced that this is the show that can fill the Parks and Rec hole in our life, everyone involved is talented, especially lead actress Jana Schmieding, so we're going to keep going. Next: S1E2, "Buckheart Lodge."

We take a break from our usual parenting talk to discuss a real-life unexplained event. Listen and then tell us if you have a theory about the ghost that's clearly haunting Catherine's house. Mentioned: Rob Lowe and sons in The Lowe Files [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7214622/].

While Terri waits for her central air to be repaired, she's collecting tips on how to hack some chill, or just general gripes about the difficulty of keeping one's cool when things get hot. (Mentioned: our earlier episode on Thermostat Wars [https://www.spreaker.com/episode/18922528].)

We complain about a kid being rejected for a credit card (come on, Kohl's! Otherwise, we love you!) and discuss how and when they should start building that all-important credit history. Mentioned: The "I have a credit card" scene from The Sure Thing [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8APe-KV0vIM].

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup, we're all about the tea. Terri's drinking a delicious chamomile blend from Gold River Trading Company [https://goldriverco.com/products/tea-bags?variant=42900815577316], and Catherine's listening to Normal Gossip [https://defector.com/introducing-normal-gossip-a-podcast-where-we-will-gossip-as-a-treat/], a podcast that spills the tea on people she's never met. It's surprisingly satisfying!

A British outdoor education company created a calculator that lets you determine how many times you'll say "No" to your kids by the time they turn 16 [https://www.pgl.co.uk/yesparent]. While that ship has sailed for us. we do think that using your "no"s wisely is a sound parenting strategy.

Terri spotted an article titled "Dads are often IT guys when couples divide chores" [https://www.wsj.com/articles/dads-are-often-it-guys-when-couples-divide-chores-11655520474], and she laughed, then cried, then complained--because she's the only IT guy in her house, and she's not getting paid enough.

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, Only Murders in the Building is back for season 2, and we're in. We have to show solidarity with our fellow podcasters, right? And also, Shirley MacLaine! Next: Season 2, episode 3, "The Last Day of Bunny Folger" (episodes drop on Tuesdays on Hulu, so listen to our discussions to prepare you for what's next).We're also going to return to the Mike Schur-iverse (since we are fans of Parks and Recreation and The Good Place) and watch Rutherford Falls on Peacock. While season 2 of that is out now as well, we'll start with season 1, episode 1, humbly titled "Pilot."

On this Independence Day, we talk about declaring our independence from holiday rituals and traditions that don't work for our families. Like, you know, fireworks (loud! flashy! lots of waiting around! No thanks).

Catherine and Terri ponder whether they prefer trying out new TV, movies, and books or revisiting beloved favorites. Doesn't help that it's never been easier to find that old stuff, or just watch memorable scenes on YouTube over and over and over again.

Thanks to this roundup of campaign slogans from moms [https://wokesloth.com/mom-campaign-slogans/masha/], we brainstormed our own (Nicole had a little help from SloganGenerator.org) before deciding we probably—no, definitely—do not want any job we'd have to campaign for.