Anna Macfarlane, a mom of four kids and an online marketing and branding expert, joins me to break down how to build a fanbase on Instagram and TikTok: family style. Anna manages the @kidsaretheworst parenting humor account on Instagram, which has more than 500,000 followers. She also manages several other successful accounts and teaches social media marketing courses for families, businesses and bloggers. In our conversation, we talk about how to get started on Instagram and TikTok and how to grow a healthy fanbase. We also discuss the benefits of being on social media and why TikTok is growing faster than most people realize. (It’s not just for teenagers.) Other topics we cover include how to manage your time on social media, talk to your kids about social media and post responsibly.

Mike Julianelle, a dad of two who writes online as Dad and Buried, joins me this week to break down the cost of parenthood. In our conversation, we cover expenses every parent faces such as child care, transportation, vacation, food, medical expenses, diapers and more. We also cover the emotional cost of parenthood, such as stress and the loss of sanity. Learn more about Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast at www.ParentNormal.com. 

Sara Buckley, a comedian, podcaster, social media pro and most importantly, a mom of 3, is this week’s guest. In our conversation, Sara opens up about her experience as a teenage mother and how it changed her life in high school and beyond. Sara explains how she felt when she learned she was pregnant and how friends and family responded to the news. Sara also shares her strong opinion about MTV’s Teen Mom “reality” show and how we don’t support teen moms enough. We also talk about when Sara gave the birds and the bees talk to her kids, how her marriage has remained strong after 15 years and how she started doing standup comedy.

Jeff Kinney, author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series, is this week’s guest. It’s an interview from the archive that took place a couple of years ago while Jeff was on the set of the movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, which many of you have probably read or watched with your kids by now. We’ll be back with new interviews next week. Learn more about Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast on www.parentnormal.com. 

My guest this week is one of my favorite all-time comedians Nick Thune. Now this isn’t a typical Breaking Down Parenting interview because this interview dates back to 2015 when this podcast was called The ParentNormal Comedy Podcast. I wanted to share it again not just because I’m a fan of Nick Thune and he tells a couple of funny stories, but because it was the very first podcast interview I ever did, which makes it perhaps the most memorable podcast interview I’ve ever done. And if you’re a fan of this show, I thought you’d enjoy hearing how this show all started. You can hear I’m a little bit nervous in the interview. That’s partly because it’s the first podcast interview I’ve done. But it’s mainly because we’re talking 15 minutes before Nick’s about to go on stage and I wasn’t sure how cool he was going to be about answering my questions and opening up about his family. But as it turned out, he was very cool about it and I’ll always be grateful for it.

This week’s guest is James Breakwell, a father of four daughters and a comedy writer known to many as @XplodingUnicorn. In our conversation, we break down the parts of parenthood that send us into parent survival mode, how to survive with the stress and crazy parenting moments that James has had to survive however he can. We also talk about James’ new book How to Save Your Child from Ostrich Attacks, Accidental Time Travel, and Anything Else that Might Happen on an Average Tuesday. This is James’ third appearance on the podcast, dating back to the early version of the show when it was called the ParentNormal Comedy Podcast. We reminiscence on how James’ popularity has grown and how his writing life has changed. Find more at www.parentnormal.com. 

This episode is a must-listen for parents of twins. My guest is Macgill Frutchey, a mom of three, including twins. She’s also the funny mom behind the social media account Macgyvering My Way Through Motherhood. In our conversation, we talk about how Macgill literally had dreams of having twins come true and the excitement that brought her family. We also cover recognizing different baby cries, how to tell baby twins apart, best baby shower gifts for moms of twins, synchronized milestones of twins, being parent-trapped, how to carry two babies, getting creative like Macgyver and much more. Find every episode of Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast and more at www.parentnormal.com. 

This week’s guest is Jenna Kim Jones, a mom of two, comedian and co-host of the podcast Couple Friends. In our conversation, we break down parent friendships. Specifically, we talk about how to find friends when you're a parent, what to expect from parent friends, why parent friendships are important, what to do with parent friends and much more. Find every episode of Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast on www.ParentNormal.com. 

This week’s guest is Jennifer Douglas, a mom of two and the creative mind behind Goldfish and Chicken Nuggets (the website and social media accounts, not the foods). After reading Jen’s blog post on The Hot Mess Mom’s Guide to Throwing Your Kid A Solid Birthday Party, I knew she would be a great guest to help break down pro tips for birthday party planning. In our conversation, we talk about when kids should start having birthday parties with friends, how long the parties should last, good locations for a party, what to eat, party gift ideas for guests and much more. I also ask Jen about her time as team captain for UCLA swimming and representing Canada on the National swim team. Isn’t that so cool?

This week, Tara Clark, the mom behind the popular social media account Modern Mom Problems, joins me to break down modern parent problems. In our conversation, we talk about how parenting today is both harder and easier than it was for previous generations of parents. We discuss technology, safety, television, helicopter parents, evolving roles for moms and dads and much more.   To learn more about Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast, visit www.parentnormal.com. 

This week, Andy Herald, a father of three from How to Be a Dad, joins me to break down bath time. In our conversation, we talk about how kids hate to get in the bathtub as much as they hate to get out of a bathtub. We also talk about the floods kids make while in the bath, bath toys, how often most parents bathe kids and much more. You can even hear how Andy compares bathing a baby to mountain climbing. To learn more about Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast, visit www.parentnormal.com.  

This week, Stephanie Jankowski, a teacher and mom of three, joins me to break down what teachers really think of their students. In our conversation, we talk about what parents might not realize about the job of a teacher, how teaching goes beyond what’s in a textbook, memorable stories from the classroom, parent/teacher conferences and much more. Stephanie’s new book Schooled: A Love Letter to the Exhausting, Infuriating, Occasionally Excruciating Yet Somehow Completely Wonderful Profession of Teaching is now available. To learn more about Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast, visit www.ParentNormal.com.

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.

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 became an audience warmup comic and how that has actually helped him as a parent. We also talk about how he started Life of Dad and what it means to help lead a community of fathers.

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 impact of naps and food on sleep, and how much sleep you and your kids actually need.

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 mistakes. The best thing we can do is just acknowledge our mistakes, apologize and try not to make the same mistakes again. Parents Featured in this Episode: #5 Chris Pegula, author and creator of Diaper Dude, who was interviewed in episode 81 of the podcast. #4 Lev Grossman, the New York Times bestselling author of The Magicians, who was interviewed in episode 65 of the podcast. #3 Jenna von Oy, who played Blossom’s fast-talking best friend Six on the show Blossom, who was interviewed in episode 72 of the podcast. #2 Jay Papasan, author of multiple bestselling books including The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results, who was interviewed in episode 77 of the podcast. #1 Heather Haupt, author of Knights in Training: Ten Principles for Raising Honorable, Courageous, and Compassionate Boys, who was interviewed in episode 80 of the podcast.

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 same mistakes again.

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 make the same mistakes again. Parenting is stressful enough without beating yourself up for past mistakes. And that's what this episode is all about. This week we’re starting our countdown of the best parenting fail stories shared on the show in 2017. (Obviously, one parenting fail isn’t better than another. This countdown is just for fun.) Five stories will be shared in this episode and we'll continue the countdown from 10-6 next week.

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 committed feminist, reacted to having a daughter who loved everything pink, princess-related and classicly girlish. We also talk about how her daughter’s interests have changed her own and given her a new perspective on feminism.

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 Huebel, about the similarities between improv acting and parenting, about writing parenting humor and about the general weirdness of parenting.

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 on Twitter alone and a brand new book called Only Dead on the Inside: A Parent’s Guide to Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse. In our conversation, we talk about many of the interesting things that have happened to him since our last interview, including the book deal and adding a pet pig to his family that already included four daughters. I also ask him about his writing process and what piece of advice he has that could apply to kids and zombies both.

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 to point out that Dr. Armstrong has opinions on ADHD that many doctors don’t share, but I think it’s important to ask questions and he does a good job of asking questions about a disorder that confuses many parents. In our conversation, we talk about the rise in ADHD diagnoses, what schools are doing right and wrong to help kids who have short attention spans, and about tips to improve your child’s behavior and attention without drugs.

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 smart thing to do. We also talk about the proper way to manage a time-out, whether it’s too late to help a spoiled child and much more.

Husband and wife writing team Mike and Heather Spohr are the featured guests this week. Mike, who is the parents editor for Buzzfeed, has actually been on the show once before in episode 36. So if you want to hear about his work at Buzzfeed and the secrets of going viral, you should definitely check out that episode. But this week we’re welcoming him back with his wife Heather because they have a brand new book coming out together called The Toddler Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Whiny Unfed. In our conversation, we talk about how they came up with the idea for their book, how they landed a book deal, what the process was like to get it published and what it’s like being a husband and wife team writing a book.

Diaper Dude Chris Pegula is this week's featured guest. Chris created the company Diaper Dude after noticing most diaper bags and accessories were designed for moms.  So instead of carrying his baby-stuff around in a gym bag or backpack, Chris created The Diaper Dude for dads. In our conversation, we talk about how he created a company that makes diaper bags that even celebrity dads like Brad Pitt, Ben Stiller, David Arquette and Matthew Broderick are using. We also talk about Chris’ new book, Diaper Dude: The Ultimate Dad's Guide to Surviving the First Two Years. He even shares a great parenting hack that involves turning clothes around backward.

Heather Haupt, author of Knights in Training: Ten Principles for Raising Honorable, Courageous, and Compassionate Boys, is this week's featured guest. In our conversation, we talk about the differences between raising boys and girls and how about to raise boys who grow into motivated, courageous and kind adults. We also talk about homeschooling and how to know whether you are qualified to be a homeschool teacher.

Nicola Yoon, the #1 New York Times Bestselling author of two books Everything Everything and The Sun is Also a Star, is this week's featured guest. Everything Everything has been adapted into a movie, which is in theaters right now, and I had a chance to talk to Nicola about the book and the movie at the Mom 2.0 Summit. One of the things I thought was so interesting about Everything Everything is that even though it is a Young Adult book, it was inspired by a very common feeling parents have after having a baby. Nicola shares what that feeling was in our conversation. We also talk about the movie reflecting the book and about her new book The Sun is Also a Star, which was influenced by her Jamaican roots.

7th Heaven star Barry Watson is this week's featured guest. Barry has a brand new show premiering June 2 on UP TV called Date My Dad, a dramedy about a great dad who is a few years removed from having his wife pass away and is re-entering the dating scene at the encouragement of his daughters. In our conversation, which took place at the Mom 2.0 Summit in Orlando just a couple of weeks ago, we talk about Date My Dad as well as 7th Heaven. We also talk about how to play an authentic and funny dad on TV without making him goofy - like so often happens to dads on TV. And we also talk about how he researched his new role and how his father-in-law Robert Wagner helped him prepare.

Jay Papasan, author of multiple bestselling books including The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results, is the featured guest this week. In our conversation, we talk about how he and co-author Gary Keller came up with the One Thing concept and how it can help parents. We also talk about why creating lists might be a bad idea and about the right time for parents to try and launch a new business.

Platinum-selling singer-songwriter and mother of two kids Lisa Loeb is this week's featured guest. In addition to her radio hits, she has multiple children’s albums, specials and books, she's also created The Camp Lisa Foundation to allow kids, who wouldn't normally have the opportunity, go to summer camp. In our conversation, we talk about her work for adults and children and about why she wants to help more kids attend summer camps. We’ll also talk about how she talked Steve Martin and Ed Helms into playing on her children's albums, about the music industry for modern artists and, of course, about her #1 hit song, a song I absolutely love, called Stay (I Missed You).

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 aren’t going to be a perfect parent. Get Perfect Parenting: A Complete History now on Amazon for only $5.

This week, I'm releasing two editions of parenting fails in honor of my new book Perfect Parenting: A Complete History. I did the research and (Spoiler Alert) there is no history of raising kids perfectly. Thus, every one of the book’s 40 chapters are empty. It is the parenting book with the fewest words but most important lesson: You aren’t going to be a perfect parent. If you want lessons on how to be a perfect parent, DON’T buy this book. But if you or a friend needs a funny reminder on your coffee table, nightstand or both that perfect parenting is impossible, this book could be the almost-perfect book for you. At the very least, it will be the easiest book for you to finish reading this year. It’s only $5 right now on Amazon, and again it’s called Perfect Parenting: A Complete History.

Pinkalicious author and illustrator Victoria Kann is this week's featured guest. In our conversation, we talk about how she got started writing children’s books, the cool technique she uses to create her signature Pinkalicious illustrations and about the Pinkalicious musical. We also talk about her writing process and about her new book, Peteriffic, which follows the adventures of Pinkalicious’ brother Peter.

Jenna von Oy who played Blossom’s fast-talking best friend Six on the show Blossom is this week's featured guest. She’s also starred in The Parkers and made several guest appearances on shows like Cold Case, 7th Heaven, Chicago Hope and Martin. She’s even voiced characters on animated shows and movies like Family Guy, The Goofy Movie and Hercules. But now she’s playing the real life role of a mom and she’s just released her second book called Situation Momedy: A Very Special Episode in Toddlerdom. In our conversation, we’ll talk about how she started acting at an early age and what advice she has for parents with kids who want to act. We’ll talk about how the fast-talking skill she developed on Blossom has helped her as a parent. And we’ll talk about how real world parenthood compares to the family sitcom.

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 she balances the roles of entrepreneur and stay-at-home mom. She even gives advice to other parents about how to start their own company. And finally, we talk about her new innovative company, WeeSchool, which features an all-in-one app for parents and babies.

Super Troopers director Jay Chandrasakhar is this week's featured guest. In addition to Super Troopers, Jay has directed the movies Beerfest, Club Dread and Dukes of Hazard. He's also directed some amazing TV shows like Arrested Development, Community, Chuck, New Girl, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Human Giant, Psych and others. Jay has a brand new book out called Mustache Shenanigans: Making Super Troopers and other Adventures in Comedy. So I ask him about the book, Super Troopers and his work with the Broken Lizard Comedy Troupe. We also talk about being a dad and the upcoming Super Troopers 2 movie.

City Dads Group co-founder Matt Schneider is the featured podcast guest this week. In our conversation, Matt and I talk about how he and Lance Somerfeld started City Dads Group in New York City after finding a lack of opportunities for dads to hang out together and learn from each other. We also talk about how quickly City Dads Group has grown across the country and how to be a part of the group. Because City Dads Group was started by two stay-at-home dads, I also ask Matt about being a stay-at-home dad, about how dads can maintain their identity if they choose to stay at home and how they can continue to be encouraging to their spouses.

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 teenagers. And since Colleen is the first family therapist to appear on the show, I ask her about how to know when you should actually see a family therapist. Because who hasn’t thought they could use a therapist at one time or another?

Marc Webb, director of The Amazing Spider-Man movies and 500 Days of Summer (also amazing) starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel is the featured guest this week. On April 7, Marc has his next movie coming out titled Gifted. The movie stars Chris Evans (Captain America) who plays a single man raising his child prodigy niece. So in our conversation, I asked Marc about what he learned from researching this movie about how to help a gifted child fulfill their potential without pushing them too far. I also asked Marc how he gets the best performances out of child actors, which can be a very hard thing to do. I know I struggle to get my kids to say please, so I can’t imagine what it would be like to try to get them to say a memorized monologue. I will say, however, that Mckenna Grace, the girl who plays Chris Evans’ niece in the movie, is a very gifted actress. I know she helped make Marc’s job easier. And finally, I asked Marc about directing Spiderman, because that’s kind of a big deal. According to IMDB, The Amazing Spiderman 2 had a 200 million dollar budget. That’s a lot of responsibility for a director. But Marc did awesome, just like he did this interview. Behind the Scenes: When I interviewed Marc, we were both at the Dad 2.0 Conference in San Diego, so there is a little bit more noise in the background than usual. My interview last week with HGTV's Josh Temple was at the same conference.

Josh Temple, host of the popular HGTV show House Crashers, is this week's featured guest. In recent years, Josh has also hosted America’s Toughest Jobs on NBC, Ultimate Treehouse on the Discovery Channel and Backyard Nation for TLC. What makes Josh a great host of House Crashers is that he’s not only entertaining, he is also a real licensed contractor. But since this host, me, doesn’t know much about home improvement, in our conversation I made sure to ask him for easy home improvement tips. We also talked about how he got into doing home improvement projects and how to get kids interested in architecture and engineering. Behind the Scenes: When I interviewed Josh, we were both at the Dad 2.0 Conference in San Diego, so there is a little bit more noise in the background than usual.

Lev Grossman, author of The Magicians Trilogy, which is now a TV series in its second season on SyFy is the featured guest this week. Lev is also the book critic and lead technology writer for Time, but I think he would be most proud to tell you that he is a father of three kids. In our conversation, we talk about why the fantasy genre and books like Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia have such a wide appeal to audiences young and old. We also talk about what it’s been like to see his characters from The Magicians reimagined for TV on SyFy, what books he has enjoyed introducing to his kids and what we can expect from his next book about King Arthur’s knights after the collapse of Camelot.

Heather Armstrong, known by her fans simply as Dooce, is this week's featured guest. She is not only one of the most successful bloggers of all time, she is a mother of two, a New York Times bestselling author and she has even been the subject of a question on Jeopardy that went like this: Rhyming with “Juiced”, it’s "to lose one’s job because of one’s blog", coined by blogger Heather Armstrong The correct answer was, "What is Dooced?" - because, as you might infer, Heather famously lost her job because of her blogging about it. In an article by the New York Times that called her the Queen of Mommy Bloggers, it said she had 100,000 visitors to her site daily. So I think blogging has worked out pretty well for her. In our conversation, we’ll talk about how blogging has changed since the early days, how bloggers can use their platform to promote positive messages, how Heather helped influence the creation of Twitter and how her readers helped her with her postpartum depression.

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 them if you haven’t already, this episode features the best of the best parenting fails shared on the podcast. I realize that “best” is not really the best word when you’re talking about parenting fails, because one parenting fail isn’t better than another one - which made ranking these stories quite difficult. But I really think you will get something more than just comic relief by listening to these top 10 stories. The takeaway I hope you get isn’t that mistakes are no big deal. It’s that we all make mistakes, and that there’s no such thing as a perfect parent. And that being the case, it’s much healthier to be able to laugh at yourself than beat yourself up - not to mention much more entertaining. I'll continue to ask guests to share parenting fails, but here are the storytellers of the best fails shared on the podcast so far. 10. Kristen Chase, half of the duo from Cool Mom Picks, who were interviewed in episode 45 of the podcast. 9. Greg Pembroke, author of Reasons My Kid is Crying, who was interviewed in episode 4 of the podcast. 8. Dave Barry, Pulitzer Prize winning columnist and author of more than 30 books, who was interviewed in episode 51of the podcast. 7. Hillary Frank, host of the Longest Shortest Time podcast, who was interviewed in episode 18 of the podcast. 6. Deva Dalporto, the YouTube sensation whose videos about parenthood have been downloaded millions of times, who was interviewed in episode 15 of the podcast. 5. Jill Smokler, the mom who created the Scary Mommy website, who was interviewed in episode 21 of the podcast. 4. Jeff Kinney, author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, who was interviewed in episode 53 of the podcast. 3. Adam Mansbach, author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller Go the F**k to Sleep and the book You Have to F**king Eat,who was interviewed in episode 33 of the podcast. 2. Jeannie Gaffigan, comedian Jim Gaffigan’s writing partner who also happens to be his wife and was his co-writer on the Jim Gaffigan Show, who was interviewed in episode 38 of the podcast. 1. Michele Lepe, best known as Nina on the Good Night Show on Sprout. It’s not easy to rank parenting fails, but I knew this story would be number one as soon as I decided to do a countdown. I was so grateful when Michele agreed to be my first guest ever on the podcast. It helped launch the show with a great interview and she knocked it out of the park when she shared her parenting fail.

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” countdowns. So, the takeaway I hope you get from listening to this series isn’t that mistakes are no big deal. It’s simply that we all make mistakes, and that there’s no such thing as a perfect parent. Make sure you subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts, so you don't miss the Top 10 Parenting Fails next week. As for parenting fails 11 through 20, here are the parents who made the list: 20. Amy McCready, the founder of Positive Parenting Solutions and author of The Me, Me, Me Epidemic, who was interviwed in episode 47 of the podcast. 19. Nick Thune, the actor and stand up comedian who has a Netflix special titled Folk Hero and a Seeso special titled Good Guy, who was interviewed in episode 6 of the podcast. 18. Sarah Maizes, Vice President of Children's Programming for The Jim Henson Company author of Got Milf?: The Modern Mom’s Guide to Feeling Fabulous, Looking Great, and Rocking A Minivan, who was interviewed in episode 41 of the podcast. 17. James Breakwell, the father of four daughters known by his 700,000 followers on Twitter as @xplodingunicorn, who was interviewed in episode 12 of the podcast. 16. Ilana Wiles, the mom behind the Mommy Shorts website and author of The Mommy Shorts Guide to Remarkably Average Parenting, who was interviewed in episode 54 of the podcast. 15. Greg Page, the founding member of the Wiggles also known as the Yellow Wiggle, who was interviewed in episode 8of the podcast. 14. Nate Bargatze, a comedian who has mutliple stand up comedy specials and has appeared on Conan and the Tonight Show multiple times, who was interviwed in episode 3 of the podcast. 13. Liz Gumbinner, half of the two moms who started Cool Mom Picks and host the Spawned Podcast, who were interviewed in episode 45 of the ParentNormal Comedy Podcast. 12. Jen Mann, author of People I Want to Punch in the Throat, who was interviewed in episode 5 of the podcast. 11. Sarah Turner, author of The Unmumsy Mum, who was interviwed in episode 25 of the podcast.

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 case. But there have been some really entertaining stories shared on the show. Of course, like any countdown, there are probably some stories that should have made the list but didn’t. And there are probably some stories ranked too high or too low. The reality is that all of these stories are great for parents to hear, and the takeaway I hope you get from listening is that we all make mistakes, but it’s better to laugh than get stressed out to the point of crying. So this is part 1 of 3 episodes counting down the "best" parenting fails shared on the podcast. Parents in Part 1 of the countdown include: 30. Norine Dworkin-McDaniel, one of moms behind the Science of Parenthood book and website, who was interviewed in episode 9 of the podcast. 29. Karen Alpert, the New York Times bestselling author of I Heart My Little A-Holes and I Want My Epidural Back, who was interviewed in episode 31 of the podcast. 28. Rosie Pope, who starred in the Bravo Network's Reality Show Pregnant in Heels, who was interviewed in episode 30 of the podcast. 27. Mary Elizabeth Williams, author of A Series of Catastrophes and Miracles: A True Story of Love, Science and Cancer, who was interviewed in episode 35 of the podcast. 26. Brian Gordon, creator of the Fowl Language webcomic, who was interviewed in episode 29 of the podcast. 25. Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor in chief of the Huffington Post, who was interviewed in episode 34 of the podcast. 24. Asha Dornfest, author of Parent Hacks: 134 Genius Shortcuts for Life with Kids, who was interviewed in episode 56 of the podcast. 23. Clint Edwards, author of This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, who was inteviewed in episode 10 of the podcast. 22. Amy Bellgardt, the mom who runs Mom Spark, who was interviewed in episode 57 of the podcast. 21. Mike Spohr, editor of BuzzFeed Parents, who was interviewed in episode 36 of the podcast.

Jennifer Lehr, author of ParentSpeak: What's Wrong with How We Talk to Our Children--and What to Say Instead is the featured guest this week. In our conversation, Jennifer will explain what "parentspeak" is and why we should change some of the common phrases we use with our kids. Many of the common phrases Jennifer says not to use are phrases I say to my kids all the time, including "You're so cute," "Be careful," and "Can you say thank you?" These are phrases I'll probably continue to use, for better or worse, but I do think Jennifer makes some good points about how they have the potential to send a different message than what was intended. Listen to the episode and you be the judge of whether "parentspeak" is a problem, too politically correct or somewhere in between.

This seventh edition of parenting fails shared on show reveal even the most talented parents aren't immune to parenting fails. Enjoy this episode knowing you aren't alone in your failures, so you might as well laugh at your circumstances rather than get stressed out to the point of crying. Parents featured in this episode include: Dave Barry, the Pulitzer Prize winning columnist and author of more than 30 books, who was interviewed in episode 51 of the podcast. Jeff Kinney, author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series, who was interviewed in episode 53 of the podcast. Ilana Wiles, the mom behind the Mommy Shorts website and the author of The Mommy Shorts Guide to Remarkably Average Parenting, who was interviewed in episode 54 of the podcast. Asha Dornfest, author of Parent Hacks: 134 Genius Shortcuts for Life with Kids, who was interviewed in episode 56 of the podcast. Amy Bellgardt, the mom who runs Mom Spark, who was interviewed in episode 57 of the podcast.

For every parenting victory, there is a parenting fail - perhaps several. But rather than get stressed out to the point of tears, it's usually better to laugh about the madness of parenthood. This episode is the sixth edition of parenting fails featuring parents who have appeared on the podcast to share their stories. Parents featured in this episode include: Dr. Robert Keith Wallace, author of Dharma Parenting, who was interviewed in episode 43 of the podcast. Kristen Chase, half of the duo from Cool Mom Picks, who were interviewed in episode 45 of the podcast. Liz Gumbinner, the other half of the Cool Mom Picks duo who were interviewed in episode 45 of the podcast. Leslie Patricelli, the children’s author and illustrator of popular books such as Potty, Yummy Yucky, Huggy Kissy and Big Little who was interviwed in episode 46 of the podcast. Amy McCready, the founder of Positive Parenting Solutions and the author of The Me, Me, Me Epidemic who was interviwed in episode 47 of the podcast. Richard Rende, a developmental psychologist and author of Raising Can-Do Kids who was interviewed in episode 48 of the podcast.

Amy Bellgardt of MomSpark.net is this week's featured guest. If you're a blogger or have any aspirations to be a blogger, whether it’s a blog about parenting or anything else, you’re really going to enjoy this interview. A couple of months ago, Amy wrote a post on her blog titled How to Make Six Figures a Year Blogging. I thought the idea of making six figures a year writing about one of your passions was incredible, so I invited Amy to be on the show to talk about creating a successful blog, building an audience, how social media can help you, how to connect with brands to monetize your site and about her own success story.

Asha Dornfest, author of Parent Hacks: 134 Genius Shortcuts for Life with Kids, is this week's featured guest. In our conversation, we talk about her favorite hacks, how she got started learning new hacks and where she has had the most success discovering new parenting hacks.

It's here! My new book, The ParentNormal Crash Course: Everything Traditional Parenting Books Are Afraid to Tell You About Close Encounters of the Baby, Toddler and Third-Year Kind, is now available on Amazon.com! Usually, I interview another parent on the show. But this week, my daughter Ava interviews me about my new book. Naturally, she asks some hard-hitting questions like, "Can I have a snack?" She eventually asks about the book, probably because she wants permission to have a snack. But whatever her motivation, she leads a great interview. I hope you'll get the book for yourself or for a friend. It will make a great Christmas present or baby shower gift. Best of all, it will make you laugh on those days parenting makes you want to cry.

Ilana Wiles, the mom behind the Mommy Shorts website and the author of The Mommy Shorts Guide to Remarkably Average Parenting, is this week's featured guest. In our conversation, we talk about how the Mommy Shorts website began and evolved over the years, what advice she would give to someone starting a blog and her favorite parenting topics to write about, which happens to be great advice for all parents. And of course, we talk about The Mommy Shorts Guide to Remarkably Average Parenting and what Ilana hopes parents take away from reading it.

Jeff Kinney, author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series, is this week's featured podcast guest! Thanks to the success of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff is a #1 New York Times Bestseller, a 6-time Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award winner and one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world. The post Ep. 53 Interview with Jeff Kinney, author of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, NYT Bestseller & 6-time Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award winner appeared first on The ParentNormal.

New York Times bestselling author Carl Hiaasen is this week’s featured guest. Carl’s many bestsellers include the Newberry Award-winning book Hoot, which was adapted into a movie starring Luke Wilson, Logan Lerman and Brie Larson. In my conversation with Carl, we talk about how his newspaper background influences his writing, why he began writing young-adult books after a successful career writing books for adults and how responsive kids are to stories about the environment. The post Ep. 52 Interview with Carl Hiaasen, author of many NYT bestsellers including the Newberry Award-winning book Hoot appeared first on The ParentNormal.

Pulitzer Prize winning columnist and author Dave Barry, who happens to be one of the funniest writers alive, is my featured guest this week. Dave has written more than 30 books and even had a CBS sitcom called Dave’s World based on his books. But if you ask him, his most enduring achievement is that one of his columns is largely responsible for the movement to observe International Talk Like a Pirate Day every year.

It's episode 50 of the podcast! In this milestone episode, I return to the ParentNormal Mailbag that I used to answer questions from on a regular basis when the show debuted. Since the school year is back in full swing, I answer your school-related questions.

Scholastic Classroom Magazines Editor Stephanie Smith is this week's featured guest. On occasion, I report the ParentNormal News, but I’ve never talked about real news on the show…until now. Stephanie and I talk about what kinds of news kids are actually interested in reading about and how Scholastic writes their news differently based on their readers’ ages. And if you talk about the news now, you have to talk about the election. So we also discuss how to talk to kids about the election without leading them into a political argument with their friends. And finally, we talk about how Scholastic chooses their kid reporters.

Richard Rende, Ph.D., a developmental psychologist, researcher and educator is the featured guest this week. In our conversation, we talk about his new book Raising Can-Do Kids: Giving Children the Tools to Thrive in a Fast-Changing World. We also talk about how much structure is too much for kids and about the advantages of a child with street smarts. We also discuss how lessons for entrepreneurs can be excellent lessons for kids too.

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 stations. But now she is on the ParentNormal Comedy Podcast to talk about how to know if your child is too entitled and what you can do about it. We also talk about positive parenting techniques, even when it comes to discipline.

Leslie Patricelli, children's author and illustrator of popular books such as Potty, Yummy Yucky, No No Yes Yes, Huggy Kissy and Big Little, is my guest this week. At the repeated request of my kids, I've read her books again and again and again - often in the same night. In our conversation, we talk about how she got her start writing children’s books, how she’s able to get so much story out of so few words in her books and what advice she has for anyone who wants to write children’s books.

Two very cool moms are on the show this week - Kristen Chase and Liz Gumbinner of Cool Mom Picks. Since their Cool Mom Picks website was launched in 2006, it has grown into one of the best gear, style and design sites on the web for parents. Parents Magazine even called their site "The online arbiter of cool for the swingset crowd." Kristen and Liz also host their own podcast called Spawned, which I definitely recommend. They are both reallyentertaining and enjoyable to listen to, which you’ll hear in this episode. In our conversation, we talk about how Cool Mom Picks started, why it’s important for parents to share lessons and ideas with each other and some of the favorite things Kristen and Liz have reviewed on their site. They'll even offer advice for anyone thinking about starting their own website.

This week we’re wrapping up our summer series of parenting fails. I hope it’s been helpful for you to hear other parents share their fails, not only because the stories are often entertaining, but because I think it’s helpful to hear that no parent is perfect. No matter how hard we try or how much we love our kids, parenting fails are inevitable. The best thing we can do for our kids is just say sorry and try not to make the same mistakes again. Parenting is stressful enough without beating yourself up for past mistakes. Parents featured in this episode include: Mary Elizabeth Williams from Episode 35. Mary Elizabeth is the author of A Series of Catastrophes and Miracles: A True Story of Love, Science and Cancer. Mike Spohr from Episode 36. Mike is the editor of BuzzFeed Parents. Christopher Monks from Episode 37. Chris is the editor of McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. Jeannie Gaffigan from Episode 38. Jeannie is comedian Jim Gaffigan’s writing partner. She also happens to be his wife and co-writer on the Jim Gaffigan Show, which I highly recommend if you haven’t seen it yet. Sarah Maizes from Episode 41. Sarah is the author of Got Milf?: The Modern Mom’s Guide to Feeling Fabulous, Looking Great, and Rocking A Minivan.

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 how to meet the needs of children based on their personality. We also talk about how early you can detect the personality of your child and how foods can make a difference in your child’s behavior.

If you think you're the only parent who has parenting fails, you're very wrong. This is fourth episode of the podcast dedicated strictly to parenting fails, which every parent has on a regular basis. The featured storytellers in this episode include: Rosie Pope from episode 30: Rosie Pope starred in Bravo's Pregnant in Heels, a reality show on which she guided soon-to-be mothers and fathers through the joys and perils of preparing for parenthood. Rosie is also the author of Mommy IQ: The Complete Guide to Pregnancy and she is a contributing editor at Parents Magazine. Rosie is also the creative force behind MomPrep, her prenatal, postpardum and parenting education studio and Rosie Pope Maternity and Rosie Pope Baby, her maternity and baby clothing and accessories lines. Karen Alpert from episode 31: 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. Mike Sacks from episode 32: Mike Sacks is a comedy writer, podcaster and editor at Vanity Fair. He has also published two books I consider to be required reading for anyone who loves great comedy writing: Poking a Dead Frog: Conversations with Today’s Top Comedy Writers And Here’s the Kicker: Conversations with 21 Humor Writers About their Craft Adam Mansbach from episode 33: Adam Mansbach is the author of #1 New York Times Bestseller Go the F**k to Sleep and You Have to F**king Eat. Arianna Huffington from episode 34: Arianna Huffington is the co-founder and editor in chief of the Huffington Post. She is also a mom who has been on Time Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world and Forbes’ list of the world’s 100 most powerful women. Arianna has just released a new book called The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time.

Sarah Maizes is the featured guest this week. Sarah is a mother of three who has authored children’s books and humor books. She’s also a regular contributor to TODAY Parents, the parenting website for NBC’s Today Show. We’ll talk about her work for TODAY Parents, which involves curating the funniest parenting posts on Facebook every week. She’ll even share how you can improve your chances to make the list of funniest parenting posts and perhaps get the attention of the Today Show. I’ll also talk to her about being a literary agent early in her career and how it helped her develop her children’s book series. And I’ll ask her about her book Got Milf? The Modern Mom's Guide to Feeling Fabulous, Looking Great and Rocking a Minivan. If you happened to find this show because you did a word search for "milf," this episode isn’t going to be anything like you hoped. But I still hope you listen because you'll probably benefit from hearing real conversations about parenthood.

Every parent has parenting fails - many, many parenting fails. It's a fact that we don't hide on the ParentNormal Comedy Podcast. This episode is the third collection of parenting fails shared on the show. The storytellers in this episode include: Beau Coffron from episode 23: Beau is known as Lunchbox Dad. He’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Steve Harvey Show and several other top shows. He’s also appeared on ABCNews.com, Yahoo.com and he’s even been in People Magazine, all because he makes the most creative lunches for his kids. Sarah Turner from episode 25: Sarah is best known to her fans as the Unmumsy Mum. She recently released a book called The Unmumsy Mum, which is already a Sunday Times bestseller in England. The book has its roots in her very popular parenting blog of the same name – The Unmumsy Mum – which was named Best Baby Blog at the 2015 MAD Blog Awards. Bianca Jamotte from episode 26: Bianca is a mom, an actress and the creator of the webseries Real Mommy Confessions. If that wasn’t enough, she also owns a specialty mac and cheese restaurant and a coffee shop in Brooklyn, New York. Charlie Capen from episode 28: Charlie is the co-creator of the How to Be a Dad website and co-author of The Guide to Baby Sleep Positions: Survival Tips for Co-Sleeping Parents. Brian Gordon from episode 29: Brian is the creator of the Fowl Language webcomic. He has a new book out titled Fowl Language: Welcome to Parenting, which is full of cartoons that perfectly poke fun at the daily struggles parents face.

No matter how much we love our kids or how hard we try to be perfect, parenting fails are inevitable, which is why it’s important to tell our stories - so nobody gets fooled into thinking any parent is as perfect as they pretend to be on Facebook. This is the second time I’ve done an episode dedicated to parenting fails. You can go back and listen to episode 11 of the podcast, which features the parenting fails from the first 10 guests on the show. Now, for this episode, I’ve compiled the parenting fails from guests 11 through 15.

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 is the basis for the Jim Gaffigan Show. In our conversation, Jeannie and I talk about her writing process with Jim, what it’s like to raise kids in New York City, what their family does for entertainment and why Father’s Day was the perfect day for the new season of the Jim Gaffigan Show to premiere.

If you aren’t familiar with McSweeney’s, it features some of the smartest and most original humor online. It’s not a parenting website by any means, but one of the many things I appreciate about the site is that it doesn’t shy away from good parenting humor. As long as an essay is original and funny, no topic is off limits on McSweeney’s and I think that is a credit to Chris as the editor. In our conversation, Chris and I will talk about what separates good parenting humor from tacky parenting jokes, how often he gets submissions about parenthood and what topics he’s tired of reading about. (Can you guess what topic everyone is writing about right now?) Chris works out of his home, so we also talk about being a work-at-home dad and how he stays on schedule. And finally, I’ll ask him about working with some of the celebrity authors who contribute to McSweeney’s.

Mike Spohr, editor of BuzzFeed Parents, is this week's featured guest. If you’re a writer or even if you’re just an aspiring writer, you are really going to enjoy this conversation. Mike and I talk about the characteristics of a viral article and what it means to go viral. We talk about some of Mike’s favorite articles for BuzzFeed Parents and what kind of articles parents tend to gravitate towards. We also discuss Mike’s own family blog and what it takes to build an online fan base of readers.

Mary Elizabeth Williams was diagnosed with a rapidly fatal form of cancer while her kids were only 6 and 10 years old. In this episode, we talk about how she responded to her diagnosis and how she told her kids. We also talk about new treatments and what advice she has for parents struggling with a terminal illness. Mary Elizabeth’s story has a happy ending. She is healthy and has a new book that tells her complete story titled A Series of Catastrophes and Miracles: A True Story of Love, Science and Cancer. But there are many parents with young children who still don’t know how their story will end. If you want to help them in some way, Mary Elizabeth suggests donating to Gilda’s Club, which provided tremendous support to her and her family. As Mary Elizabeth puts it, cancer is not a one person disease. It impacts everyone in your life.

Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor in chief of the Huffington Post, is my featured guest this week. Arianna is a mom who has been on Time Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world and Forbes’ list of the world’s 100 most powerful women. Arianna has just released a new book called The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time. In the book, she describes the crucial role that sleep plays in our every waking moment—and how we can harness its power to improve every aspect of our lives. One of my favorite subjects happens to be sleep, even though I’m usually talking about how little sleep I get, so it was great to talk to Arianna and learn what advice she has for parents who struggle to find the time to sleep.

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 “Thing of the Year.” Even though the book came out a few years ago, it is still on the New York Times Bestseller List. If you search YouTube, you’ll find it hilariously narrated by people like Samuel L. Jackson and Jennifer Garner.

Mike Sacks, a comedy writer, podcaster and editor at Vanity Fair, is this week's featured guest. Mike has published two books that I consider to be required reading for anyone who loves great comedy writing: Poking a Dead Frog: Conversations with Today’s Top Comedy Writers And Here’s the Kicker: Conversations with 21 Humor Writers About their Craft

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 she became such an open book about parenting, how she launched a kickstarter to complete her first book and what her writing process is like to be able to do everything she accomplishes. We also talk about her new book and she lists some of her favorite authors.

Rosie Pope, star of Bravo's Pregnant in Heels, is the featured guest this week. In addition to her work on Pregnant in Heels, a show in which Rosie guided soon-to-be mothers and fathers through the joys and perils of preparing for parenthood, Rosie is the author of Mommy IQ: The Complete Guide to Pregnancy. She is also a contributing editor at Parents Magazine and the creative force behind MomPrep, her prenatal, postpardum and parenting education studio and Rosie Pope Maternity and Rosie Pope Baby, her maternity and baby clothing and accessories lines. In this episode, we talk about what was it like for Rosie to be going through her own pregnancy while helping other new moms, all while on national television. She also shares how she got started helping other parents, what concerns she hears the most from new parents and what advice she has for them.

Fowl Language webcomic creator Brian Gordon is the guest this week. He has a brand new book out called Fowl Language: Welcome to Parenting, which is full of cartoons that perfectly poke fun at the daily struggles parents face. In this episode, we talk about how much of Brian's comics are based on his real life, how he makes his cartoons, how his site grew in popularity and much more.

This week's guest is Charlie Capen, co-creator of the How to Be a Dad website and co-author of The Guide to Baby Sleep Positions: Survival Tips for Co-Sleeping Parents. In our conversation, we’ll talk about how his website How to Be a Dad was started and grew into a site and community with a worldwide audience. We will also talk about the dad stereotype that’s often portrayed in the media and why that perspective needs to change.

It’s the week of Spring Break for our family, so the theme of this episode, naturally, is Spring Break-down. In the episode, I'll cover what's in the ParentNormal News about spring breakdowns. I'll also touch on springbreakdowns in the ParentNormal Mailbag segment while also covering other calendar events this week like Daylight Savings Time and St. Patrick's Day. ParentNormal Questions Answered in this Episode: Do you have any parenting tips for St. Patrick’s Day? How do you survive the daylight savings time change with kids when every parent knows that keeping kids on a schedule is so important? Am I the only parent who feels like they are being mocked when they hear the term “spring break?” Isn’t there a better name that doesn’t imply spring break is actually a break for parents?

Bianca Jamotte is a mom, an actress and the creator of the webseries Real Mommy Confessions. If that wasn't enough, she also owns a specialty mac and cheese restaurant and a coffee shop in Brooklyn, New York. In this interview, we chat about how she comes up with ideas for her show, how her team puts them together and whether her experience working in soap operas like One Life to Live makes her think parenting is pretty much a real-life soap opera.

Sarah Turner, known to her fans as the Unmumsy Mum, is the featured guest this week. Sarah has just released a book called The Unmumsy Mum, which is already a Sunday Times bestseller in England. The book has its roots in her very popular parenting blog of the same name - The Unmumsy Mum - which was named Best Baby Blog at the 2015 MAD Blog Awards. Sarah also won the award for Best Writer.

My 6-year-old daughter Ava is the featured guest this week. She is the first non-parent to be a guest on the show, but she still offers valuable and amusing insight from a kid's perspective. We talk about what's so great about being six-years-old and what she thinks are the best lunch foods. We also talk about what the tooth fairy looks like, what she does with all of the teeth she collects and why she comes at night.

Beau Coffron, also known as Lunchbox Dad, is the featured guest this week. He’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Steve Harvey Show and several other top shows. He’s also appeared on ABCNews.com, Yahoo.com and he’s even been in People Magazine, all because he makes the most creative lunches for his kids that you just have to see. I realize this is a podcast, so you will need to go to his website, LunchboxDad.com to see exactly what I’m talking about, but I think you’ll enjoy our conversation about what made him want to turn something most parents think of as a chore into an art, what foods work the best for his designs and how he went from being a dad making cool lunches for his kids to doing it on the national news.

It's ParentNormal Mailbag day. Last Tuesday I shared what was scary good in the ParentNormal News and on Thursday I interviewed Jill Smokler, the creator of the hugely popular parenting website Scary Mommy. So now, I'm answering your scary good questions. ParentNormal Questions Answered in this Episode: I always liked scary stories when I was a kid, but I’m afraid to tell my kids scary stories that might give them nightmares. Do you have a scary story that might find the right balance for kids under 5? I don’t understand why my kids are afraid of the dark. Why can’t I explain to them there’s nothing to be afraid of? My son asked me if Frankenstein was real and if so who was his daddy? What should I tell my son? What are the 10 scariest experiences every parent will face?

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 and on television programs including The Today Show, Good Morning America, Nightline and Fox and Friends. And now she can add The ParentNormal Comedy Podcast to her resume. The theme this week has been Scary Good, so Jill is a perfect fit.

The theme for this week is Scary Good, which means the ParentNormal News will feature what's scary good about parenting. In this episode, I also preview Thursday's upcoming interview with Scary Mommy creator Jill Smokler.

Here is this week's ParentNormal Mailbag. Since the theme is Time After Time, I answer questions related to time. ParentNormal Questions Answered in this Episode: Now that I’m a parent, will I ever get any time off? My toddler always wakes me up really early, before it’s appropriate to get up out of bed. How do you know what time you should get out of bed? I always have trouble getting my kids to school on time or anywhere for that matter. Do you have any suggestions? I feel like I waste so much time during the day waiting for my toddler to finish going potty. Do you have any suggestions for making the most of that time?

Hillary Frank, host of The Longest Shortest Time podcast, is the featured guest this week. Her work has aired on a variety of public radio programs including  This American Life, Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Studio 360, Marketplace, and Weekend America. I am thrilled to have Hillary on my show because her show helped pave the way for family podcasts like mine. The Longest Shortest Time is the top ranked Kids and Family podcast in all of iTunes, and it has just become a part of the Earwolf Network.

The theme for the three episodes being released this week is Time After Time. So if you're lost, you can look, and you will find… well, I don’t know what you’ll find but I’m sure if you’re a parent it’s going to be sticky, gross and old…Time After Time. Alright, has everyone who is going to get the Cyndi Lauper reference shown their True Colors? Okay, good. Now let’s see what’s in the ParentNormal News about Time.

It’s Saturday, which means I’m answering questions from the ParentNormal Mailbag. If I sound a little sick on the podcast, it’s just because when it’s wintertime and you have kids, somebody in the house is always sick and it’s apparently my turn in the rotation. ParentNormal Questions Answered in this Episode: Most parents on TV seem to be doing a poor job of parenting. Am I becoming a bad parent by watching so many bad parents on TV? There are so many shows kids can watch on TV and there are even more shows and videos on YouTube. How am I supposed to know what shows my kids will actually like the most without trying them all? The internet is making it easier for anyone to create their own shows. With that being the case, what kind of shows do you think we might start seeing if toddlers start making shows?

YouTube Supermom Deva Dalporto is the featured guest this week. Deva is an author, actor, blogger and mom of two kids whose videos on YouTube have been downloaded millions of times, leading NBC to call her the “Weird Al of YouTube Moms."

Recognizing that parents may only have a few minutes a day to listen to podcasts, the ParentNormal Comedy Podcast will now be produced in very short and easy to listen to episodes three times a week, beginning with this episode. ParentNormal News updates will be released every Tuesday. Special guest interviews will be released on Thursdays. And on Saturdays, I’ll share my answers from the ParentNormal Mailbag. We’ll still have a theme for each week, and this week’s theme is YouTube vs. Television, so here's what’s in the ParentNormal News about YouTube and TV.

Actress and mom Heather Brooker is the featured guest on this episode about Parenthood in Hollywood. Heather has appeared in The Office, The Mindy Project, Grey’s Anatomy, Cougar Town and many other popular shows. We’ll talk about why she started a Motherhood in Hollywood podcast, what casting directors think of parents and whether parenting can make you better at acting.

James Breakwell, a father of four kids with more than 200,000 followers on Twitter (@xplodingunicorn), is the guest this week. I’ll talk to him about his family’s transition from three to four kids. I’ll also ask him what his family thinks about his parenting tweets and about how to write the perfect tweet.

We are now 10 episodes into the show, and if you’ve listened to even a few seconds of the podcast, you know that I am not a parenting expert, nor do I even think it’s possible to be a parenting expert. And that’s really the purpose of this podcast - to show that we’re all imperfect parents and that it’s okay to laugh at how crazy parenting can get for all of us.

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 America, and we’ll also go through some of the dumbest questions parents get from non-parents.

This episode's theme is 'Mo Money, Mo Problems' and features special guests Norine Dworkin-McDaniel and Jessica Ziegler from Science of Parenthood. We’ll talk about their new book Science of Parenthood and what good and bad purchases they've made as parents.

Yellow Wiggle Greg Page is the featured guest in this episode all about Christmas cheer. I ask Greg about his favorite Christmas songs and about how his family spends Christmas. I’ll also ask him about the rumored Wiggle reunion show and how he’s able to get a song like Fruit Salad or Hot Potato out of his head.

Mom of 16 kids Lyette Reback is the featured guest in this episode about shopping. We'll talk about the secret to shopping for kids. I’ll ask her how toys have changed since the birth of her first child, and I’ll ask her how often she calls one of her kids the wrong name.

Comedian Nick Thune is the featured guest in this episode about bad advice. I ask him if he’s ever been told anything completely wrong about parenting, learn how his wife felt when he cut their baby’s hair and discover what he thinks would make a good title for a children’s book. And spoiler alert: it’s something that required me to learn how to bleep out a word.

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.

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.

Comedian Nate Bargatze is the featured guest in this podcast episode about birth plans. I ask Nate why he and his wife’s birth plan included traveling from their New York home to Tennessee. We also learn who won the bet about whether Nate would cut his baby’s umbilical cord and find out why parenthood has him walking into doors.

Best-selling musician Laurie Berkner, who you’ve probably seen on Nick Jr. singing and playing guitar, is the featured guest in this episode. I ask her what makes a great children’s song. We’ll also talk about how becoming a mother influenced her songwriting.

Michele Lepe, who you probably know as Nina from the Good Night Show on Sprout, if she is able to put her own kids to sleep as calmly as she puts America’s kids to sleep each night on TV. We’ll learn how carrots became part of her kids’ bedtime routine and find out what happened when she tried to change her baby’s first blowout diaper on her boss’ desk.