Living in the Past Podcast

Julie Cole knows all about parenting.

Raised in the 70's and 80's, this mother of six who has taken the wise words and advice of her Irish Catholic grandmother and used this knowledge to become the amazing parent that she is today.

Julie's childhood was largely influenced by not only her grandmother, but her parents, her siblings and her close-knit family structure that informed how she would one day become Superwoman extraordinaire.

In this episode of the PTAN podcast, Julie discusses  her childhood, how it affected her, the importance of treating your children as individuals and so much more.

 

 

When Amber Mac was growing up in Prince Edward Island, the world was her oyster. An idyllic childhood that included lots of free time to play outside, to explore and to not be distracted by technology allowed the young girl to thrive in her environment.

As an adult, Amber MacArthur - "Amber Mac" - is an author, technology expert, frequent speaker, commentator, digital consultant and content creator among many things. And while Amber is the go-to person for all things tech, she, like all of us, must grapple with the effect of technology and its use on her nine-year-old son.

In this episode of the podcast, we talk about Amber's childhood, her career in technology and how the changes in technology advances have affected children today.

 

 

 

Back in the day, a set of encyclopedias in the family home was a sight to behold. For those of us who grew up in the pre-Wikipedia, pre-Google days, both kids and adults had to consult with what now seems incredibly archaic: a set of books with static information inside that provided us with what was then the most “up to date” information on a subject or item.

Jacki Yovanoff grew up in the most conventional of families. She went to Catholic school, her father worked outside the home and her mother stayed home with Jacki and her younger brother while the kids were young. Jackie completed high school, went to university, got married and had kids, "just like she was supposed to do."

After many years and in a complete shift from the familial structure of her childhood, Jacki found happiness and contentment in a polyamorous relationship and continues to live her truth with her family that includes her two children from her first marriage and her partner's children as well.

In this episode of the podcast, we talk to Jackie, who is a sex and relationship coach as well as a sexuality educator, about changing family structures, growing up in the 80s within a conventional family structure, and much more.

Every decade had its group of heartthrobs and the '90s was no different. The “boy band” genre can be traced back to the 1950’s Doo-Wop bands, through the 60’s (the Beatles could be considered the “boy band” of the decade) and into the 1970’s, an era that produced such memorable groups as the Jackson 5 and the Osmonds.

After a brief break during the 80's, boy bands came back with a vengeance in the 1990's when the genre peaked with such recognizable groups as The Backstreet Boys, Hansen, NSync and New Kids on the Block.

For more PTAN Retro Memories, visit the show's Retro Memory page on the website here.

  Maria Lianos Carbone found that being a new mother in the mid-2000's was very different from her experience satching her mother raise Maria and her siblings many years prior.   The child of Greek immigrants, Maria grew up with the perspective that women who eventually become new mothers are "naturally" able to handle it all. When Maria gave birth to her own children, her experience was very different, and the stress of new motherhood was marked by a bout of postpartum depression (PPD). In this episode of the Parenting Then and Now podcast, Maria discusses her experience in relation to her upbringing, how she got through the fog of PPD, and the effect of social media on new parents (it's not positive). Maria's book - "Oh Baby: A Mother's Self-Care Survival Guide For the First Year" provides tips and practical advice for new moms, based on Maria's firsthand experience.    

Vicky Sanderson came of age in the 60's, admired strong female role models in the 70's and 80's, and became a Lifestyle, Home and Decor expert in the 90's and beyond. This was done all while raising four kids and making sure that each of them learned the importance of gender equality and activism.

Learning from her first role model - her own mother - Vicky learned that a woman's place was not just in the home, but wherever she wanted it to be, and that in spite of societal dictates of the time that relegated many women to narrow career possibilities, one could still make a difference in the world.

In this episode of the podcast, Vicky and Sam discuss these topics and more, including the rise of gender reveal parties, open concept design and smart home technology.

"Business up front, party in the back!"

That's how the classic 1980's and early 90's hairstyle, The Mullet has been described.

The popular harido consisted of short, cropped and some would say conservatively-coiffed locks around the forehead and over the ears, and a flowing cascade of locks that started behind the ears and continued on as long as the wearer wanted. Curly hair, straight hair, wavy hair, frizzy hair - this style was worn by people with all textured hair, indiscriminately.

Popular Mullets include David Bowie and Paul McCartney in the 70's, and in the style's heyday of the 80's and early 90's one can't help but envision Billy Ray Cyrus and Michael Bolton sporting their famously-styled locks.

The hairstyle did eventually go out of style (thankfully) but on some occasions, one is often surprised to see the 'do crop up in the most unexpected of places.

Casey Palmer knows a thing or two about raising kids in the digital age. Growing up in the 80's and 90's, Casey understands the Millennial mindset perhaps better than most. He's one busy guy, as evidenced by his ubiquitous social media presence and the ability to seemingly appear everywhere. Not only is he a father to two young boys, but as a blogger extraordinaire, Influencer and general man-about-town, Casey has figured out the secret sauce to raising kids in an age of Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram.

When a child sees that their father is out there, they, inevitably want to be out there too, right? That's okay - Case P. is one step ahead of the curve, and his ingenious plan for organically easing his kids into the online and digital world in which they'll inevitably reside is both prescient and brilliant.

In this episode of the podcast, we talk about Casey's childhood, growing up as the oldest of three boys, sons of Jamaican immigrant parents; the important lessons that his parents taught him during the various stages of his youth, and his perspective on many things, not the least of which kids and technology, online bullying and what he has coming down the pipes next.

 

Precious Chong knows all about drugs, specifically pot. How could she not? After all, her dad, Tommy Chong is the self-proclaimed "Pope of Dope," counter-culture hero and one half of the famous "Cheech and Chong" duo.

Growing up in the 80's at the height of her dad's fame, Precious was exposed to the cannabis culture from a young age, with parents who didn't shy away from the discussion. While she ironically doesn't smoke pot herself, she learned very early that being open and honest with kids about the subject is the best way to open up a two-way dialogue.

In this episode of the podcast, Precious sits down with Sam to talk about what it was like to be the daughter of a parent who was comfortable with the subject of weed, of how the drug culture has changed over the years, and how parents can talk to their kids about this touchy subject.