Parent Tell

This week's episode of Parent Tell dives into the topic of perfection and many parents' urges to be the most perfect parent for their children 24/7/365. Kaila and her guest, Onnie, talk about why we feel as if we have to be perfect in life, but especially parenting, and where it manifests and how to cope with it. Onnie Michalsky is a therapist, wellness coach, & mom of 6 who helps moms rediscover and fall in love with who they are under their Super-Woman cape. She specializes in helping her clients become aware of their perfectionist tendencies as well as initiate the internal work necessary to embrace the fact that no life or person is perfect.

You can join Onnie's wellness coaching Facebook group here and her Moms Without Capes Community here
Onnie is also on Instagram

For more information about Kaila, episode topics and behind the scenes details, and of course painfully relatable memes follow Parent Tell on Instagram
In the mood to tell about your parenting? Shoot Kaila an email at [email protected]

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This week on Parent Tell Kaila is talking all about toddlerhood with fellow podcaster, Holly! Kaila and Holly's toddlers are only a few months apart so they are in the thick of it together; toddlerhood is vastly different compared to the first year of a child's life and it can get really hard identifying what your toddler is feeling, why they're feeling it, and how you can be there for them. Every. Day. Holly and Kaila talk extensively about how determined they are to make sure that their kids feel seen, heard, and valued as opposed to how the women podcasters often felt when growing up with adults who demanded they control their emotions at a time when young children are not yet equipped to do so. Toddlerhood does not last forever (can I get an AMEN?!) but how we make our children feel about themselves and their emotions will endure into their adulthood so why would we be anything other than as patient as possible and understanding?

Holly's podcast, Womb Wisdom
Holly's website and practice, Rosebud Wellness
Holly's Instagram, @rosebud_wellness

For more information about Kaila, episode topics and behind the scenes details, and of course painfully relatable memes follow Parent Tell on Instagram
In the mood to tell about your parenting? Shoot Kaila an email at [email protected]

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This week on Parent Tell Kaila talks with published author, Jessica Speer! Jessica's book, BFF or NRF (Not Really Friends)? A Girls Guide to Happy Friendships tackles the ins and outs of tween and teen friendship dynamics and how we as parents can support our kids' experiences in social circles. Jessica's book grew out of her friendship program that strengthens social awareness and helps kids learn to navigate common struggles. She has a master’s degree in social sciences and explores social-emotional topics in ways that connect with pre-teens and teens. When talking with Jessica, Kaila and the author speak about how their various experiences with friends, communication, and relationships in general impact the friendships they have today and also what they want to teach their own children about friendships.

Jessica's book can be purchased here, as well as on Amazon, at Target, or wherever you like to shop for books! Be sure to check out her website as well!

For more information about Kaila, episode topics and behind the scenes details, and of course painfully relatable memes follow Parent Tell on Instagram
In the mood to tell about your parenting? Shoot Kaila an email at [email protected]

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This week on Parent Tell, Kaila talks with Taylor Stilwell (@taystilhere) about Divorce, with a capital D. Taylor's divorce is not recent but her memories and perspectives are as fresh as day. Taylor shares with Kaila how isolating it felt to go through a divorce, considering many adults and married people tend to treat divorce like it's contagious, and also highlighted the grieving period that comes for you once those papers are signed.
Whether you're divorced, in the middle of a divorce, the adult child of divorced parents, some, all or none of the above, it really is important for us to normalize discussions of divorce and support those who are going through it in any way.

For more information about Kaila, episode topics and behind the scenes details, and of course painfully relatable memes follow Parent Tell on Instagram
In the mood to tell about your parenting? Shoot Kaila an email at [email protected]

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This week on Parent Tell, Kaila had the opportunity to talk at length with certified dog trainer and mom, Dominika. Dominika runs the fabulous Instagram account @dogmeets_baby which helps support parents who are introducing their new babies to their OG fur babies and also provides followers with important doggy info. That first meeting and first couple months between baby and dog are not often frequently talked about or something listed on the What To Expect checklist but doing the work to prep your pet for life with a newborn can ultimately save both parents a lot of headache and provide peace of mind once your furry child is meeting your human child, and everyone is collectively figuring out what is going on and how to function in this brand new family dynamic.

For more information about Kaila, episode topics and behind the scenes details, and of course painfully relatable memes follow Parent Tell on Instagram
In the mood to tell about your parenting? Shoot Kaila an email at [email protected]

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This week's episode is a cute lil' babysode! Okay it's on the longer side so it's more like a toddler-sode? Sure.
Jimmy, Kaila's husband, is back in this babysode all about the wild life and  times we had as kids in the 80s and 90s. Your fave mom and dad discuss the quintessential quirks of growing up in the last bits of the 20th century and reflect on whether their son will get to experience any of the classics such as memorizing his friends phone numbers or being left alone at home with strict instructions to not answer the phone, door, or turn on the oven.
It's always fun to reminisce on what the world was like when you were a child, and having your own child only adds to that. We laugh at our dial up internet and our wind breaker pants, and eventually our children will look back on the days of TikTok and matching family holiday pjs with the same amusement.

For more information about Kaila, episode topics and behind the scenes details, and of course painfully relatable memes follow Parent Tell on Instagram
In the mood to tell about your parenting? Shoot Kaila an email at [email protected]

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This week's episode of Parent Tell focuses on the extremely unequal "balance" (lol, that's just what they want us to think) that almost always exists between the birthing person and their partner when it comes to figuring how how this whole having and raising a child thing is going to work. Kaila spoke with an old friend and new mom, Kisha, about her experiences with suddenly being left to do 99.9999% of the parenting after her son was born, when there had been zero previous indications in her marriage that that's how it was all going to go down.

Kaila and Kisha hone in on where our individual ideas of what parenting and domesticity come from, why we need to potentially flip the script and be the opposite of the domestic role models we had growing up, as well as how these two women themselves are working really hard to do just that.  Because when you know better it's time to do better for ourselves, our loved ones, and especially those kiddos who are watching and learning.

For more information about Kaila, episode topics and behind the scenes details, and of course painfully relatable memes follow Parent Tell on Instagram
In the mood to tell about your parenting? Shoot Kaila an email at [email protected] 

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This week's episode of Parent Tell finds Kaila reminiscing on the less than stellar job her parents did co-parenting after their divorce while listening to Dana (@dana.maree.coaches) talk about her experience with co-parenting three years in. Both Kaila and Dana are children of divorce, so as adults with their own children the importance of having parents who can effectively communicate and at least appear to get along when their children are watching (which hello, is always. Children are never NOT watching you, they're creepy that way) is not lost on these women.

But how do you do that? How do you parent with someone whom you have realized is absolutely not the person for you but has already been named the additional person for your children? You do it by taking that big ole adult ego down a couple notches, and then a few more after that. Because quite honestly a big ego has no place in the co-parenting world and thank goodness for her children, her ex-spouse, and herself, Dana has really figured that bit out. Obviously not as easy as it sounds, but Dana consistently has reminded herself to pick her battles and uphold her boundaries when co-parenting with her children's father, while always keeping in mind the way she felt as a youth when her parents displayed the exact opposite of these healthy co-parenting mechanisms.

Parents naturally want what is best for their children and sometimes what is best is not what the parent experienced when they themselves were young. What we experience as children carries over into our adult life, especially when we become parents to our very own children. It's never going to be perfect for the parents or the children but healthy co-parenting is possible, whether you're a single parent, separated, divorced, or even still very much with the one who helped you create those sweet baby angel children. It's about cooperation and  while the kiddos are certainly invited to the co-parenting party, your ego, that prideful voice we all have chanting, "We're number 1! We're number 1!" in our heads, unfortunately needs to remain OFF the guest-list.

For more information about Kaila, episode topics and behind the scenes details, and of course painfully relatable memes follow Parent Tell on Instagram
In the mood to tell about your parenting? Shoot Kaila an email at [email protected] 

Please take 30 seconds and rate, review, and subscribing to Parent Tell! It really does make a difference on streaming platforms and we appreciate the love!
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This week's episode of Parent Tell finds Kaila, a SAHM (stay-at-home-mom), talking with a SAHD (stay-at-home-dad)! Evan is fresh off the SAHD block after 6, yes SIX, years as a stay-at-home-dad to this two kids. As timing would have it, both of Evan's kids are officially in elementary school as of a few weeks ago so Kaila and Evan begin their discussion by marking that huge milestone while Evan also opens up about wondering what might be next for him.

Being the primary caregiver for more than half a decade has given Evan confidence in his role as a SAHD, but that was not always the case. Evan and Kaila talk about how hard and vulnerable it can be to transition from a full fledged career to being the only one in your house all day who doesn't wear diapers. But in between emphasizing how wonderful silence is after a day full of baby noise and overzealous toys, Kaila and Evan openly discuss the importance of taking care of your mental health, finding people in your life who will support you and can relate, and also the fact that being a SAHD is a great way to buck traditional (read: antiquated) domestic gender roles that very much still exist in society and within ourselves in the 21st century.

This episode is surely one that anyone can connect with on multiple levels (I'm not biased at all); take what you need, if anything, from it and just keep parenting and telling about it!

More Evan info: check out his Instagram accounts @viraldads & @this.american.dad

For more information about Kaila, episode topics and behind the scenes details, and of course painfully relatable memes follow Parent Tell on Instagram
In the mood to tell about your parenting? Shoot Kaila an email at [email protected] 

 

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This week on Parent Tell Kaila talks with Kat, a fellow toddler mom and Parent Tell listener, about what it was like to go through IUI and IVF in order for her and her wife to bring their son into the world. The intimate details of conceiving a child through IUI (intrauterine insemination) and/or IVF (in vitro fertilization) are not often openly discussed as the entire process can be draining, difficult, and financially burdensome but the reality is that so many people conceive their children this way (also true proof that science rocks, hello!!!). Kat bravely walks us through the entire process from beginning to end, while also talking about the impacts multiple unsuccessful IUI attempts took on her mentally and how much each procedure cost.

Kaila's unwavering goal with each Parent Tell episode is to chip away at the stigmas and stereotypes surrounding pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and parenting in an effort to normalize these often hard but extremely necessary conversations. Journeys through IUI and IVF, like Kat's, must be talked about more. Both Kaila and Kat hope that by opening up and discussing their experiences more parents will want to engage in these powerful discussions, allowing us all to feel less isolated in parenting and more connected with one another.

For more information about Kaila, episode topics and behind the scenes details, and of course painfully relatable memes follow Parent Tell on Instagram
In the mood to tell about your parenting? Shoot Kaila an email at [email protected] 

Please take 30 seconds and rate, review, and subscribing to Parent Tell! It really does make a difference on streaming platforms and we appreciate the love!
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