Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast

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.