Living in the Past Podcast

John Catucci grew up in an Italian household where food was an important part of family life. As a first-generation Italian-Canadian, John's love of food started in the kitchen, with his father, who taught him the ins and outs of a good home-cooked, Italian meal.

It's no surprise that John went on to become a food connoisseur of sorts, through his love of dining out and via stint as the host of The Food Network's "You Gotta Eat Here."

In this episode of the PTAN Podcast, Sam sits down with John and talks about his love of food, his first experience with Kraft Dinner and the pros and cons of Nutella.

Platform shoes are, perhaps, the defining fashion statement of the 1970's. While they were often uncomfortably high, clunky and in many cases downright ugly, men, women, children and rock stars continued to wear them because they were, after all, groovy.

It's all about quality over quantity. This is what Doug and Joe have figured out as two single dads who are navigating the world of parenting as effectively and efficiently as possible. In this episode of the Parenting Then and Now podcast, Sam speaks with Doug and Joe about their best advice, tips and strategies for solo parenting, which they also share with listeners on their podcast, Life Hacks For Single Dads.

Raising kids in a rapidly changing world has always been a challenge, but perhaps not as much as it is today. At least that's what comedian Charlie Demers is finding as he navigates fatherhood with his four-year-old daughter.

One-half Anglophone, one-half Francophone with a Chinese-Canadian wife and a daughter who is the most Canadian of them all, Charlie's view on raising kids in a scary political time is both humorous and insightful.

On this episode of the Parenting Then and Now podcast, Charlie imparts his knowledge on the subject and discusses how he came to record his latest album, Fatherland, which addresses parenting in today's changing times.

Ever wonder how Barbie came to be?

She was the brainchild of an enterprising American mom who, in the late '50's, visited Germany and fell in love with a doll that was modeled after a real-life adult. Unlike the standard children's dolls that were sold in 1950's America, "Bild Lilli" looked like a woman in every way.

After returning to the United States, Ruth Handler and her husband worked to make an American version of the doll, and named their new creation "Barbie" after their daughter, Barbara. The rest is history.

Whatever happened to Home Economics and Shop classes?

Once upon a time, they were the norm, not the exception, and kids came away from school knowing how to cook, sew, build and repair. Not so much these days, when it's easier to relegate chores to others, or to pay someone to make meals, clean and fix things around the house (or outside the house, like our car).

There's something to be said for being self-reliant. Take a trip down memory lane with this edition of the PTAN Retro Memory that reminds us about the virtues of Home Economics and Shop classes .

We're all just trying to get by, aren't we? Most of us - whether we're parents of younger kids, older kids, or observers of kids in general, would agree that trying to keep it together while raising a family is a tough gig.

Why, then, are parents increasingly told that they must follow what appear to be arbitrary and often unnecessary rules in order for their kids to participate in school, or life in general?

In this episode of the Parenting Then and Now podcast, we tackle these and other questions with mother of three, writer and blogger, Rebecca Cuneo Keenan. Rebecca has a refreshing, comical and realistic perspective on parenthood and raising kids in today's rapidly-changing world. A child of the '80's, she watched the world change to where its' become a place where many of what used to be standard practices regarding child-rearing, are now viewed with suspicion. Rebecca challenges this new normal and has a lively and humourous chat with Sam in the process.

She was crowned the unwanted title of "World's Worst Mom" when she decided to let her nine-year-old son ride the New York subway alone back in 2008. And while Lenore Skenazy was surprised by the reaction to what she felt was an important step towards independence for her son, she didn't let the backlash stop her.

Seizing the opportunity to discuss her disdain for society's increasingly protective stance as parents, Lenore founded Free Range Kids, a site that showcases the extreme lengths that we've gone to through "helicopter parenting." A fierce advocate of free range parenting and unstructured play, Lenore is a frequent speaker on the subject in an effort to help all of us shed our fears of letting our kids be kids. In 2017, she co-founded the Let Grow project as the latest step in her quest to help parents and educators pull back the reins on helicopter parenting.

Before Netflix was the go-to digital destination for movies, there was this quaint thing called “The Video Store.” The Friday and Saturday night ritual for many of us included a trip to this now-extinct locale, a place where rows and rows of physical videos – via the now defunct technology known as VHS tapes – promised a night of romantic comedy, blood-curdling horror or, for the less adventurous, good old family fun. It seems quaint now, going to a physical location to pick up movies on VHS or later via DVD, but going to these stores was a big part of the fun, anticipating the weekend with the promise of a good flick or two, recommended by the friendly clerk behind the counter.

When Stewart Reynolds (aka "Brittlestar") was a kid, he used to amuse himself by making radio plays via his tape recorder and imagination. 

How times have changed.

The Internet's Favourite Dad - who himself has been a viral video star in his own right - has seen the shift from when he was a kid, growing up in the '70's and entertaining himself with what now appear to be low-tech" tools, to seeing social media as the norm, not the exception, to how kids communicate. Entertainment via Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Snapchat, to name a few, is a very long way away from watching the tube in the 1970's and being entertained by the Krofft Supershow.

And if the title of this show confuses you, have no fear, click here.