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.

Ep. 88 Best Parenting Fails of 2017 Part 1 of 3 featuring James Breakwell, Mike and Heather Spohr, Colleen O’Grady, Matt Schneider and Josh Temple

Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast is a show that’s for imperfect parents by imperfect parents. Hosted by humorist and imperfect parent of three Chris Cate, every episode breaks down a topic that causes parents to break down, such as putting kids to bed, potty training, the terrible twos, homework, family communication, clothing, discipline, cleaning up, cooking for kids, etc.

The mission of the show is to help parents laugh when they want to cry. By the end of each topic breakdown, parents will hopefully realize they aren’t alone in their struggles and that the craziness all parents go through is actually quite funny when it’s looked at in the right light.

Longtime listeners will know the show began as The ParentNormal Podcast. For nearly 100 episodes, it featured celebrity interviews, parenting fails and even a few skits. All of those episodes are still available, but the best is yet to come.

Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast is diving deeper than ever into the crazy realities of parenthood with more stories and hilarious confessions from real parents all over the world.

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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.

How to Build a Fanbase on Instagram and TikTok: Family Style with Anna Macfarlane

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. 

The Cost of Parenthood with Mike Julianelle

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.

Life as a Teen Mom with Sara Buckley

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. 

Jeff Kinney on His Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series

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.

Ep. 88 Best Parenting Fails of 2017 Part 1 of 3 featuring James Breakwell, Mike and Heather Spohr, Colleen O’Grady, Matt Schneider and Josh Temple

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