This week comedian and actor Baron Vaughn joins Megan, Chris, and Kurt. They love their kids, BUT…why are we worrying about what a six year old is going to be when they grow up? Kurt got a chance to go to career day at Olive’s school and show all the kids what a comedian’s life is like. And while the tough toddler crowd didn’t appreciate Kurt’s jokes, his daughter, on the other hand, killed it on stage. What should be a proud papa moment, turns into a comedian’s worst nightmare as Kurt grapples with encouraging Olive to follow her dreams or trying to squash that performer bug since he knows first hand how brutal this career path can be. As a former performing arts school student, Baron sees things a bit differently, and believes it’s ok to lean into their strengths and passions without pushing them to make a life choice while they’re still struggling to tie a shoe.  

And remember, you can call our hotline and leave us questions, comments, or your own funny, totally anonymous “Circle Time” parenting story at 424-570-KIDS or you can email us at [email protected]. Just don't forget to start your story with, “I love my kid, but…” and maybe we'll use yours on air!

Listen to I Love My Kid, But... on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/i-love-my-kid-but/ now.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, comedian Nick Thune joins Megan, Chris, and Kurt. They all love their kids, BUT… Do we really need to be friends with their friends' parents? We've already been through grade school, high school, college, and the workplace, and we've made ALL the friends we need at this point. We're pretty set by now. Or, are we? During a family trip to Legoland, Kurt's daughter, Olive, quickly befriends a girl her age, leaving Kurt with no choice but to engage in small talk with a family he just met. It's an uncomfortable situation with almost no way out, unless you're Kurt, who resorts to faking a back injury while going down a Lego slide. When Nick throws a birthday party for his son, some parents seem to believe that the ""drop-off only"" suggestion was rather flexible, and they decide to hang around. The vibe at the party triggers flashbacks for Nick, reminding him of past hook-ups that didn't quite pick up on the signals that it was time to leave. It may seem like closing time for expanding the friend zone, but if we open our cold, dead hearts, perhaps there's room for one or two more parent friends.

And remember, you can call our hotline and leave questions, comments, or your own funny, completely anonymous "Circle Time" parenting story at 424-570-KIDS, or you can email us at [email protected]. Just be sure to start your story with "I love my kid, but..." and who knows, maybe we'll feature yours on the air!

Listen to I Love My Kid, But... on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/i-love-my-kid-but/ now.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week comedian Adam Cayton-Holland joins Megan, Chris, and Kurt. They love their kids, BUT…parents are allowed to have a favorite child (admit it, we all do) but who gave them the right to have a favorite parent!? Megan got one little illness that put her out of commission for a few days and all of the sudden she’s knocked down the parental ranking board by her son. She’ll do anything to be numero uno again, but even after going into action-movie-star mode to save her son’s life from a wild coyote, all the thanks she can get is “Da da!” Adam readily admits that his wife is the preferred parent for his two boys and he tries to not take it personally. But he does savor the small victories even if it is just his kids leveraging their love to get what they want. Your kids may not appreciate you, but you are all OUR preferred parents!

And remember, you can call our hotline and leave us questions, comments, or your own funny, totally anonymous “Circle Time” parenting story at 424-570-KIDS or you can email us at [email protected]. Just don't forget to start your story with, “I love my kid, but…” and maybe we'll use yours on air!

Listen to I Love My Kid, But... on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/i-love-my-kid-but/ now.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week comedian Aida Rodriguez joins Megan, Chris, and Kurt. They love their kids, BUT…how are we expected to be stable, emotional pillars to our kids when we’re falling apart ourselves? (Tissue Warning!) Chris shares some bad news with the group about his mom’s recent cancer diagnosis and struggles with the duality of needing to be both a heartbroken son and a strong parent. And while there’s no easy answer during difficult times, especially when you’re a parent, he finds that exploring the vulnerability that comes from sadness with his daughter, is a wonderful and healing experience. Aida has raised two wonderful children through some tough circumstances. And now it’s their job to check on her the way she still checks in on her own mom to make sure she’s eating right and drinking enough water. Parents don’t have to shoulder the burden of being the “strong” one alone during difficult times, sometimes our kids are the ones that help pick us up when we’re down.

And remember, you can call our hotline and leave us questions, comments, or your own funny, totally anonymous “Circle Time” parenting story at 424-570-KIDS or you can email us at [email protected]. Just don't forget to start your story with, “I love my kid, but…” and maybe we'll use yours on air!

Listen to I Love My Kid, But... on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/i-love-my-kid-but/ now.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, comedians (and married couple!) Noah Gardenswartz and Ester Steinberg join Megan, Chris, and Kurt. They love their kids, BUT…how is it possible to be the gentle, warm, and caring parents we all aspire to be while we’re in a raging fight with our spouse? After Megan’s husband forgets his passport on a recent family trip, she finds herself torn between wanting to launch him into the sun, but also needing him to give her a break from single-parenting. Conflict with your partner is going to happen, but the last thing Megan, or any parent, wants to do is bring that anger and resentment to a toddler’s bathtime. When Noah decides it’s waffles for dinner, Ester can’t help but light the bickering fuse. But as unhealthy of a dinner as waffles may be, showing their two kids that adults arguing and then (after hours of uncomfortable silence) resolving a conflict, is in fact a very healthy emotional skill to develop. Hopefully that’s how our kids remember it years later in therapy!  

And remember, you can call our hotline and leave us questions, comments, or your own funny, totally anonymous “Circle Time” parenting story at 424-570-KIDS or you can email us at [email protected]. Just don't forget to start your story with, “I love my kid, but…” and maybe we'll use yours on air!

Listen to I Love My Kid, But... on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/i-love-my-kid-but/ now.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Happy New Year Buttheads! This week comedian Eugene Mirman joins Megan, Chris, and Kurt. They love their kids, BUT…why are even our best intentions twisted and used against us by our sadistic children? When Kurt asks his kids how their day at school was, they clamp up like a couple of Cold War era Soviet Spies under a hot interrogation light. Kurt’s getting NOTHING out of these kids, so he decides to come up with a little ploy to make Olive talk: A fake talk show on the car ride home from school! Fun, right? But fresh off giving himself a pat on the back, Kurt realizes that he created a Groundhog Day nightmare where he’s forced to put on a talk show in the car EVERY DAY with no signs of cancellation in sight. Eugene laments that when it comes to correcting his son’s behavior, his punishment threats are akin to a toy gun that spits out a “POW!” flag. It's a new year with the same old problems and our solutions, like they did in all the years past, will just make things worse.

And remember, you can call our hotline and leave us questions, comments, or your own funny, totally anonymous “Circle Time” parenting story at 424-570-KIDS or you can email us at [email protected]. Just don't forget to start your story with, “I love my kid, but…” and maybe we'll use yours on air!

Listen to I Love My Kid, But... on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/i-love-my-kid-but/ now.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, Jack Osbourne joins Megan, Chris, and Kurt. They love their kids, BUT…Ho! Ho! Ho! It’s the most expensive time of the year! Megan finds out that no matter if it’s Los Angeles or Indianapolis, Santa is still going to shake you down and get what’s his. Gone are the days of taking your kids to the mall for a free picture with the cigarette scented Santa because the big man has bills to pay too, apparently. The first family of reality television, Jack Osbourne, managed to convince his non-believing oldest daughter to join her sisters in a holiday photo with Ol’ Saint Nick and also discusses what it’s like for his girls to have a real life, iconic, Rock-N-Roll legend as a grandfather. We’d all probably prefer Santa Ozzy, but we’re stuck doling out a hundred bucks to have our crying kids take a pic with the jolly ol’ town drunk. Happy Holidays, Buttheads!

And remember, you can call our hotline and leave us questions, comments, or your own funny, totally anonymous “Circle Time” parenting story at 424-570-KIDS or you can email us at [email protected]. Just don't forget to start your story with, “I love my kid, but…” and maybe we'll use yours on air!

Listen to I Love My Kid, But... on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/i-love-my-kid-but/ now.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, Kevin Laferriere and Evan Berger aka The Dumb Dads, join Megan, Chris, and Kurt. They love their kids, BUT…remember when you and the other person who helped make those little time-sucks were friends!? This week is all about making sure we’re carving out time for our OG’s, the ones who were here before kids - our spouses. When Chris’ babysitter didn’t get the cancellation memo, he and his wife decided to take advantage of the extra help by sneaking upstairs for a little sexy time. Unfortunately, a near-disastrous interruption from Sunny and the sitter threw a very cold bucket of water on that idea. Thanks to kids, Kevin Laferriere and Evan Berger have so little alone time with their spouses that they find themselves needing to schedule everything, even fights. Of course, they also relish the good times alone with their wives - those precious 7 minutes between putting the kids to bed and collapsing into bed for the night yourself. We’ll take what we can get for the ones we love the most!  

And remember, you can call our hotline and leave us questions, comments, or your own funny, totally anonymous “Circle Time” parenting story at 424-570-KIDS or you can email us at [email protected]. Just don't forget to start your story with, “I love my kid, but…” and maybe we'll use yours on air!

Listen to I Love My Kid, But... on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/i-love-my-kid-but/ now.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, actress Danielle Fishel joins Megan, Chris, and Kurt. They love their kids, BUT…even when they’re away from their own kids, they can’t shut off that parenting switch. Megan whisked off to Catalina for a kids-free girls' weekend but forgot to leave the parenting brain at home. When she came across two little kids it was goodbye “Let’s do mushrooms!” and hello “Can I get you a snack?” Danielle Fishel admits that the minute she hits the road sans children, she immediately turns into the thing she loathes most; the person who offers up unsolicited parenting advice to other moms. We can put hundreds of miles between us and our kids but there’s no stopping us from parenting. Because once you put on that uniform, the job is yours for-EVER!

And remember, you can call our hotline and leave us questions, comments, or your own funny, totally anonymous “Circle Time” parenting story at 424-570-KIDS or you can email us at [email protected]. Just don't forget to start your story with, “I love my kid, but…” and maybe we'll use yours on air!

Listen to I Love My Kid, But... on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/i-love-my-kid-but/ now.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.