What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making Life Better, with Two Funny Moms

This "Deep Dive" series revisits a few of our past episodes on back-to-school challenges such as the morning rush, school projects which require lots of parental oversight, and how to help our kids navigate intensifying academic pressure.

Whether it’s the science fair, the pinewood derby, or a pre-K shoebox diorama, sooner or later every kid gets assigned a school project that is, without question, a PARENTS' project. What four-year-old can fashion her own “Dress As Your Patron Saint” costume? What sixth-grader can attempt proper MLA citation format without extreme maternal participation?

It’s not so much the projects we mind— it’s the feeling that however we handle it, we’re doing it wrong. If we make the origami cranes for the kid, we’re snowplow parents. If we send them in with a social studies project they made entirely themselves out of paper plates and crayons, we also own their cheek-burning shame when their projects pale in comparison to the professionally produced ones of their peers.

In this episode, we discuss how to discern the right amount of help such projects require: not too much, and not too little. Sure, we can help our kids win the battle of the pinewood derby… but we really want to win the war of having our kids who can someday accomplish things all by themselves.



Here’s links to research and other writing we discuss in this episode:

Susan Messina for Huffington Post: ⁠That Fake Science Fair Poster That Went Viral? I Made It. Here's Why⁠

Dana Goldstein for The Atlantic: ⁠Don't Help Your Kids With Their Homework⁠

⁠The Broken Compass: Parental Involvement With Children’s Education ⁠

Dr. Keith Robinson and Dr. Angel Harris for the New York Times: ⁠Parental Involvement Is Overrated⁠

Wendy Wisner for Scary Mommy: ⁠It’s Obvious When Parents Complete Their Kid’s School Projects, So Please Stop⁠

⁠easybib.com⁠ (Amy recommends for an easier way to create bibliographies)

⁠sciencebuddies.org⁠ (Amy recommends as a resource to choose science fair projects)

What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/
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Kids (and adults) with ADHD don't actually have a deficit of attention. Today, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is more properly understood as a deficit of executive function— and as this week's guest ⁠Michael McLeod⁠, founder of GrowNOW ADHD and author of ⁠THE EXECUTIVE FUNCTION PLAYBOOK⁠, explains, executive function means a whole lot more than a messy backpack.

To help kids with ADHD succeed, Michael argues, parents need to help children strengthen the internal skills that lead to lifelong independence. In this interview, drawing from his decades of experience working with families whose kids are growing up with ADHD, Michael explains his four-pillar framework for developing executive functioning skills: self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, and self-evaluation.

In this episode, you'll learn:

How self-awareness and "time blindness" can affect daily life when you have ADHD

Why novel experiences are crucial opportunities for kids with ADHD

How exposure to screens intensifies ADHD symptoms

Why negative attention feels great to the ADHD brain

How to support ADHD kids without lowering expectations for their capability

Here's where you can find Michael:

www. grownowadhd.com

@grownowADHD on IG, FB, and YouTube

Buy THE EXECUTIVE FUNCTION PLAYBOOK: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9781394309153

Buy the accompanying workbook: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9781394364589

What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are you certain that people are only pretending to enjoy cilantro? Or mah jongg? We asked our listeners to tell us the things they're convinced no one actually likes. From complicated board games to high school graduations, we discuss the most nominated to be overrated.

Here's the link to all of the hilarious answers people gave in our Facebook group!

What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This "Deep Dive" series revisits a few of our past episodes on back-to-school challenges such as the morning rush, school projects which require lots of parental oversight, and how to help our kids navigate intensifying academic pressure.

Getting-ready playlists? Choosing outfits the night before? Bringing snacks to the pickup line? We asked our audience about their favorite back-to-school tips... and we also allowed some venting about back-to-school craziness as well.

Amy and Margaret discuss:

To make lunch or not to make lunch

How to keep outfits clean at breakfast

The best time to grocery shop

Here are links to resources mentioned in the episode:

Read the full Facebook thread here and if you're not already part of our amazing group, you can join at www.facebook.com/groups/whatfreshhellcast!

Watch the short film Amy mentions: "How Was Your Day?" directed by Allison Hadar and Maddie Corman

What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Childhood anxiety is on the rise. Parents are often unsure how to respond, and in their well-intentioned efforts to reassure their kids, can sometimes reinforce the anxious patterns. In this interview Kristen McNeely,
LMFT, explains how parents can start to help their kids build resilience by taking small, manageable steps toward the things that might scare them.

We also discuss school refusal—why it's more complicated than simply not wanting to go to school; the warning signs parents should watch for; and why collaboration between parents, schools, and mental health professionals is essential.

Kristen explains why school refusal often begins with school avoidance, how transition years like kindergarten and middle school increase risk, and why pulling kids out of school is rarely an effective long-term solution.

Amy, Margaret, and Kristen also discuss:

Why parental accommodations can unintentionally fuel anxiety

The difference between validating feelings and reinforcing fear

Why gradual exposure works better than avoidance

The four common drivers of school refusal

How ADHD, autism, and separation anxiety can increase risk

Why helping kids feel connected to their school community matters

How parent-focused treatments like SPACE can improve childhood anxiety—even without the child in therapy sessions

Here's where you can find Kristen:

https://kristenmcneely.com/

@childhood.empowered on IG

https://schoolcapable.kristenmcneely.com/

What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices