This week Steph and Abby talk about the pains of being an adult. Yes, it's taking care of a family, but it's also those pesky things like paying bills and making doctor's appointments. Don't parents have enough to deal with already? Why do we also have to do things like fold clothing and open mail? Is it a problem with organization? Time management? Abby suggests making unrealistic lists and Steph thinks we need to take it 15 minutes at a time. How about we just go back to being kids...? Here is something very adult that Steph and Abby have done: They are now available on the Mockingbird Network! http://www.mockingbirdnetwork.com/

This week Steph and Abby discuss that viral video that's been making the rounds - "dad interrupted" - the BBC interviewee who gets an uninvited visit from his kids. This leads them to a conversation on structuring children's time. Is more better? Do kids need to be entertained all the time or can we give them their down time? Is down time TV time (like it is for grown ups!), though, and is that so bad? Despite this conversation being about structure, take note at how completely unstructured it is.

This week Steph and Abby were thrilled to be invited to tape before a live audience at Houston's downtown hotspot and comedy club, The Secret Group. It was so weird. People were staring at them as they rambled on about ten reasons to have or not have kids. Most of them stuck around for the whole conversation and some even laughed! In the end, they acknowledge that the whole thing is a wash - so just have the kids! The best part was that the proceeds of the evening were donated to Gulf Coast Planned Parenthood! The worst part was that after the podcast, we all had to watch "What Women Want" starring Mel Gibson. Spoilers: Mel Gibson has no idea what women want! But you know what these women want. That's right: head over to iTunes and give us that glowing five star review!

This week Steph and Abby discuss the topic of yelling. Nope, not about their kids yelling, but them yelling at their kids. They don't like that they do it, but they've been having a hard time NOT yelling. They chat about being yelled at by their own parents, being scolded by their children for it, and when yelling can turn into something worse (like washing out mouths with liquid soap). Yell at them on iTunes (but nicely and with your inside voices).

This week Steph and Abby are joined by a very special guest, food writer and mom of an adorable 18 month old, Joanna Prisco. Joanna is a listener who thought the ladies needed some schooling on the value of mom's clubs. Joanna recently moved to a new town and found solace and friendship in an official "MOMS clubs," which happens to be a national organization (Right? Who knew?). Finding other moms to hang with and get support from and talk about pooping and (potentially) drinking some wine afterwards? Sounds like Handsoffparents! Are you a member of any mom/parent clubs? Tell us more on our Facebook page @handsoffparents.

This week Steph and Abby discuss when it's OK to give and get advice on parenting, and when you should just STFU. Is it cool to tell new moms that they are doing it wrong? Why do we always feel the need to compare our parenting to that of others? And moreover, is every parent sitting around judging each other all the time, wishing they could give advice? We know we are! JK we aren't judging you. Judge us on iTunes with only positive feedback.

This week Steph and Abby welcome special guest Rosie McGregor to the show, who just happens to be a fabulous person and a stay at home mom. The ladies ask Rosie the ins and outs of what it takes to be a SAHM (because they certainly couldn't hack it) and how it feels to spend all day dealing with your own child! Rosie gives some great advice about keeping sane and reaffirms what we all already know: Parenting is freakin' hard.

Once again, we tried, we really really tried... to not get into a discussion about the inevitable downfall of society. So Steph and Abby start off on an important topic: how to talk with children about set backs and from what perspective should a parent offer. But then the setback turned into the world and life and oh no there was some wine involved! We love you for listening.

This week Steph and Abby welcome a special guest parenting expert - Annie Stein - to discuss tactics top stop hitting and whining. What makes her an expert? Well, she has three kids and they're all still alive. Annie offers the ladies some great suggestions on taking action to combat aggression, as well as her own hands off/hands on approach to raising a good human being. Plus, hear all about Steph's ovaries!

Hands Off Parents 40th episode! Steph and Abby are as shocked as anyone that they have kept at it. They have continued because they've been getting some fantastic and helpful emails/messages, so this week they discuss YOU! Just kidding, they discuss themselves. But the topics are directly sourced from messages you sent including: using a treasure chest to get your kid to sleep, boring mom clothing, and Pinterest craziness. Send them more messages. They love it so much! Thank you for listening for 40 episodes! Share if you want them to keep at it.