Parenting Roundabout

Today we're talking about child hacks, those little lies and maneuvers parents employ to make life easier, like "the Tooth Fairy doesn't come until you fall asleep!" and "I just have no idea where your pacifier is!" Some were quite deliberate, while others we lucked into (and ran with).

We talk about the video games we've played, the video games we've watched other people play, and the apps we'd like to call video games.

A Facebook post prompted a discussion of some of our parenting goals (and some of the ways we judge others and/or ourselves). Mentioned: A past episode about kids and conversation [https://www.spreaker.com/episode/18922646].

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup: Terri has another phone game to shout out: Flipflop Solitaire [http://www.flipflopsolitaire.com/]. Nicole's been binge-watching Young Sheldon (the prequel to The Big Bang Theory) [https://www.cbs.com/shows/young-sheldon/]. And Catherine found a spice rack that's perfect for anyone equipping a kitchen for the first time [https://oriikitchen.com/products/copy-of-orii-20-jar-spice-organizer-rack-in-dark-acacia-wood].

Yesterday we complained about kids' unwanted opinions, and today we're obsessing about family members' conflicting opinions about adding a furry friend to the mix. It all started because a kitten literally fell into Nicole's yard (and was far too cute to turn away).

As our kids get older, they seem to get more opinionated, particularly about topics that used to be exclusively the domain of the parents. Like parenting itself.

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2: Catherine was won over by the star-studded musical parody Schmigadoon!. Terri wasn't, quite, but still enjoyed some of the silliness and all of the performances. Mentioned: Director Barry Sonnenfeld's autobiography, Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother [https://www.amazon.com/Barry-Sonnenfeld-Call-Your-Mother/dp/0316415618].Next week: The 2003 movie The Station Agent, and a musical very different from the ones referenced in Schmigadoon!: Come From Away, which premieres (as a filmed edition of the Broadway show) on AppleTV+ on Friday, September 10.

Terri and Catherine recently finished watching Making It [https://www.parentingroundaboutpodcast.com/blog/what-were-watching-making-it-and-coda], a TV crafting competition. It's getting a cooking spin-off, of course called Baking It [https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/maya-rudolph-andy-samberg-peacock-baking-it-1235048252/]. So we brainstormed challenges for a parenting competition show called Faking It.

Did he have a nice hairdo? Did he wear a very stylish shirt? Was he simply, blessedly available? We look back at the things that made our guys stand out.

For Terri's family, the loss is fresh. But we've all experienced the death of a beloved dog, and helping our kids through it.

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup: Catherine recommends Cheap Old Houses [https://www.hgtv.com/shows/cheap-old-houses], a fun new non-competitive show on HGTV (inspired by an Instagram feed). Nicole shouts out this cheeky video from #WeThe15 [https://youtu.be/gHCDvdCaJhI]--no inspiration allowed. And Terri reminds you that a favorite cookie from her childhood, the Vienna Finger, is still available today [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_Fingers].

We have suggestions for helping your child succeed at school, and they range from minimal effort (5 minutes a day!) to "You're here again?" levels of presence in the building.

A yard sign installation celebrating a child's first day of third grade (!) prompted us to complain about where this ends (billboards? fireworks?) and why we don't get signs celebrating our achievements.

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, we made it to the end of Making It. We congratulate the winner for his very happy-looking shed [https://www.instagram.com/p/CTILC_UlBwb/], and would love to see a season 4 of the show--with a few tweaks.Speaking of beautiful things, we also watched the movie CODA on AppleTV+ [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10366460/?ref_=nm_knf_i4]. It is a lovely look at a the ordinary life of a teenage girl, played by Emilia Jones, whose parents and brother happen to be deaf. It's predictable, yet complex and joyful. Mentioned: Pop Culture Happy Hour's discussion of the movie [https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1026797711].Next week: We'll stick with AppleTV+ and check out Schmigadoon, We'll watch all 6 episodes of this musical comedy.

Nicole's ready to rethink it all, Terri wouldn't change a thing (not even the bridesmaids' dresses), and Catherine's somewhere in the middle. If you had a wedding, is there anything you wish you could re-do?

Whether you're into hifalutin rhymes, delightful children's verse, or stuff that will make Terri have to dig out the bleep sound effect again, we've got some poetry for you. (The childhood-wall-hanging text Nicole couldn't remember, BTW, isn't really a poem, but maybe a topic for a future episode on parenting judgy-ness: "Children Learn What They Live" [https://www.thelearningweb.net/chapter02/page104.html].)

​While Terri has lived in New Jersey for many years, she grew up in Thousand Oaks, California, which was hit with two tragedies in one week back in 2018 when we originally recorded this episode. We discussed how connected we are to our hometowns, and how that looks for our kids too.

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup: Nicole shouts out The Hat restaurant [https://www.thehat.com/], which helped her time-travel back to her teenage days. Terri discovered a handy new iPhone trick, thanks to Macworld magazine [https://www.macworld.com/article/353078/spotlight-iphone-ios-15.html]. And Catherine's enjoying "You Shine," a sweet love song from Carrie the musical (yes, it is based on the horror movie [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BreR8sxaNCA]).

We heard a stat saying that two-thirds of people have unofficial assigned seats in their cars, on their couches, and at their dining tables. We thought everyone did this!

Yes, we're aware that there's no such thing as privacy online. But how does Facebook know our bra size? And could TikTok be eavesdropping on our family dinners?