What starts as parenting advice becomes a much bigger conversation about race, education, self worth, and the pressure parents carry.

In Episode 80, Dr. Marjorie and Michael react to Julie Lythcott-Haims' viral TED Talk on overparenting. They agree with its core message: let kids build independence through real responsibility, stop measuring love by achievement, and stop turning childhood into a checklist.

But they also ask the question the TED Talk never does:

Whose kids actually get to be free wildflowers?

For Black families, unconditional love also means preparing children for a world that often expects them to fail. Academic success is not a guarantee of safety, but it can be a buffer. The conversation explores why universal parenting advice often overlooks very different realities.

The discussion then turns to college admissions, anti-DEI rhetoric, and the growing message that "college is not for everybody." The hosts examine who is giving that advice and whether they follow it themselves.

Michael also argues that today's grade portals have become social media for parenting anxiety. Every notification becomes another reminder that a child's performance is being used as a measure of their parents' success. Marjorie pushes back, defending formative assessment, leading to one of the episode's most thoughtful disagreements.

The conversation ends with practical parenting advice about boredom, chores, independence, and building genuine self efficacy instead of creating a checklist childhood.

• Whose Kids Get to Be Free Wildflowers?
• Helicopter Parenting vs Free Range Parenting
• Why Unconditional Love Looks Different for Black Families
• The Truth About College Is Not for Everybody
• The Grade App Is Your Instagram
• Formative Assessment vs Surveillance
• Why Chores, Boredom, and Independence Matter
• Building Self Efficacy Instead of Parenting Anxiety

"Whose kids get to be free wildflowers?"

"Make your kids do chores and love them unconditionally."

"To unconditionally love my kids is also to prepare them for a society that expects them to fail."

"The product is not the kid. The product is the parent."

"It is social media for your parenting."

"It is a standard I do not want to hold myself to, and so to hold my children to it is ridiculous."

Instagram: @parentsandprofessorspod
Dr. Michael Steven Williams: @drmikewill
Dr. Marjorie Dorime Williams: @drminimarj

Julie Lythcott-Haims TED Talk: https://ted.com
Education Pays Report: https://research.collegeboard.org
How to Raise an Adult by Julie Lythcott-Haims: https://julielythcotthaims.com

00:01 Whose Kids Get to Be Free Wildflowers?
07:06 Helicopter Parenting and Self Worth
09:47 What Free Range Parenting Really Means
12:19 Brand Name Schools and Checklist Childhood
14:39 Save the Elite Name for Graduate School
18:51 Measuring Your Worth
21:14 The Racial Stakes of Academic Pressure
23:23 Unconditional Love Looks Different
24:37 Who Is Selling College Is Not for Everybody?
34:53 Growing Up Without the Checklist
42:02 The Grade App Is Your Instagram
46:41 Formative Assessment or Surveillance?
51:48 Let Them Be Bored
53:24 Final Takeaways

#ParentsAndProfessors #PnPPodcast #OverParenting #HelicopterParenting #FreeRangeParenting #JulieLythcottHaims #BlackParenting #Parenting #Education #SelfEfficacy #CollegeAdmissions #DEI #RaisingKids #ParentingPodcast #ChildDevelopment

Inside this episode:Memorable QuotesFollow UsResourcesChapters

What starts as a simple question—is parenting an identity, a responsibility, or both?—turns into one of the most honest conversations we've ever had.

Dr. Marjorie Dorimé-Williams shares how divorce reshaped her fear of being seen as "a stereotypical single Black mom." Dr. Michael Steven Williams unpacks stereotype threat for Black fathers and explains why he would never take a six-week break from parenting his children. And our first-ever guest, Dr. Gina Ann Garcia, opens up about raising two Black sons as a Latina mother and the intentional work of building a racial identity she cannot fully model herself.

If you're parenting across racial, cultural, or family lines—or you've ever wondered whether admitting parenting is hard somehow makes you a bad parent—this episode is for you.

Inside this episode:
• Every Parent Needs a Six-Week Break? Gina says yes. Michael immediately disagrees.
• Is parenting an identity, a responsibility, or both?
• Scholar Mom identity and parenting with purpose.
• Healthy respect vs. fear-based parenting.
• Divorce and the "single Black mom" stereotype.
• Stereotype threat and the absent Black father myth.
• Raising Black boys as a Latina mom.
• Why Gina and Michael say, "We have Black boys."
• Raising racially aware children through intentional parenting.
• The parenting failure myth.
• Honest conversations about parenting guilt.
• Why kids benefit from seeing healthy disagreement between parents.
• What parents choose to shield their children from.

Memorable Quotes
"Every parent needs a six-week break. I'm putting it on record." — Dr. Gina Ann Garcia

"I'm not a Black man. That's really, really hard, and a lot of pressure." — Dr. Gina Ann Garcia

"I say I have Black boys, because that in America means something." — Dr. Gina Ann Garcia

"It's okay for you to hear how we agree, disagree, navigate, and evolve." — Dr. Michael Steven Williams

"Sometimes I don't have it, and I think you're not kind of allowed to say that." — Dr. Marjorie Dorimé-Williams

Chapters
00:04 Every Parent Needs a Six-Week Break
01:24 Introducing Dr. Gina Ann Garcia
05:00 Parenting: Identity or Responsibility?
06:24 Scholar Mom Identity
08:52 Healthy Respect vs. Fear-Based Parenting
10:04 Rethinking Fatherhood & Co-Parenting
11:03 Divorce and the Single Black Mom Stereotype
13:19 Stereotype Threat for Black Fathers
17:58 Raising Black Boys as a Latina Mom
20:01 Raising Racially Aware Kids
21:58 Modelling Racial Identity
24:46 Haitian & Black American Identity
28:15 The Parenting Failure Narrative
36:01 Gina's Parenting Confession
39:14 Culture, Language & Family
47:54 What We Shield Our Kids From
52:00 Breaking Generational Silence
53:50 Healthy Conflict in Co-Parenting
59:21 The Honesty Round
1:01:32 I Wish I Had More Kids
1:03:01 What We'd Do Differently

Follow us on Instagram
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Dr. Michael Steven Williams: @drmikewill
Dr. Marjorie Dorimé-Williams: @drminimarj

Guest
Dr. Gina Ann Garcia
ginaanngarcia.com
UC Berkeley Faculty: bse.berkeley.edu/gina-garcia

#ParentsAndProfessors #PnPPodcast #DrGinaGarcia #RaisingBlackBoys #LatinaMom #ScholarMom #BlackFatherhood #InterracialParenting #ParentingGuilt #CoParenting #BlackParenting

A British CEO worth a reported nine figures told the Wall Street Journal she's a "max three-hour mom" on weekends. A "high-impact, core memory" parent who opts out of what she calls over-parenting. Black women online had thoughts. So do we.This is not about mom guilt or work-life balance. It is about class privilege and who actually has the resources to opt out without consequence.In Part 1 of our new series on parenting, perception, and privilege, Dr. Marjorie & Dr. Michael Steven Williams dig into Emma Grede's three-hour mom conversation. And the part that keeps getting left out. The nannies. The chef. The cleaners. The chief of staff. Marjorie names her own bias up front, gets honest about being "the broke sibling" raising kids without that kind of help, and asks what it really means for a working mom to advise other women to opt out when you have an entire team holding everything down.Along the way, they get into why "over-parenting" might be the wrong frame, the everyday small moments that actually become core memories, handmade Father's Day notebooks included, the stubborn gender gap in housework and caregiving, the absence of fatherhood from the whole conversation, the birthday party arms race, and a closing gut check.If you have ever felt judged as a single mom or a working parent for what you cannot provide, or side-eyed advice from someone with a very different bank account, this one is for you. New series. Same Triple Cs.Inside the Episode:You Have an Entire Army Helping You. Marjorie concedes the principle, then names what every headline left out about class privilege and parenting.Naming My Bias Before I Judge. Marjorie models intellectual honesty, admitting her own bias out loud before critiquing Grede's comments. A rare, good-faith way to disagree.Rich People Resources to Do Rich People Things. The core critique in one beat. The nannies, the chef, and the chief of staff behind the ability to "opt out."I'm the Broke Sibling. Marjorie gets personal about being the single mom watching her siblings with full households of help, and what that gap in resources actually feels like day to day.The Father's Day Notebook. Michael chokes up over a handmade notebook of everyday memories. The emotional heart of the argument that it really is the little things, not mom guilt over missing the big ones.Where's the Dad in This Conversation? The fatherhood blind spot. If a man said he spent three hours with his kids on the weekend, nobody would say a word. A real look at the double standard in working parent culture.If I Were Rich, I'd Parent More. Michael's honest reversal. He would buy his way into more time with his kids, not less.Women Do Twice the Housework, and Get Socialized Into It. The toy kitchen. The toy vacuum. The second shift. Where the gap in domestic labor actually starts.Don't Be Poor, Plus the Marjorie Freedom Fund. The lesson America keeps teaching parents, said out loud.What Privilege Would You Lose Tomorrow? The episode's closing question. Jack and Jill, showing up at school, a driver for the kids. Drop your answer below."You have an entire army helping you raise these kids." "Rich people resources to do rich people things, like opt out of parenting.""None of that is big things. It's all little, everyday." "If I were rich, I would spend way more time with my kids.""The lesson in America is don't be poor.""Parenting is work.""You can't put a clock on parenting.""Which parenting choice in your life is actually a privilege you'd lose if your resources changed tomorrow?"Follow Us on InstagramParents and Professors Podcast: / parentsandprofessorspodDr. Michael Steven Williams: / drmikewillDr. Marjorie Dorime Williams: / drminimarj

Dating After Divorce: What I Actually Want in a Partner Two Years Later | Episode 77

Dating after divorce in your 30s or 40s? Two years ago, Marjorie made a list of everything she wanted in a partner. Now she and Michael audit it, and what changed might surprise you. 

The list included respect, chemistry, culture, a passport, and even traditional masculine representation. In this retrospective, she and Michael pull that list back out and ask a bigger question: what actually matters, and who have we become since?

What starts as a laugh at a younger self turns into one of the most honest conversations on the pod. This is a relationship audit after divorce, not just what changed on the list, but what changed in them.

If you are dating after divorce in your 30s or 40s, trying to figure out what you are actually looking for in a relationship now, or wondering how to date after divorce without repeating the same patterns, this one is for you. Bring your own list. You might cross a few things off.

Content Note: Strong language throughout and frank adult discussion of dating, marriage, divorce, and non-traditional relationships. 

Inside the Episode:

The Dating List, Two Years Later. Marjorie reads her old dating standards after divorce out loud and laughs at her past self. A relatable, vulnerable hook about how our relationship checklist evolves — from surface traits to character, trust, and being truly understood.

Trust Cannot Be Microwaved. "You cannot build trust without time; you cannot repair problems without time." The most important thing nobody tells you about building trust after divorce. Time is the non-negotiable ingredient. Dating mindset shift: stop rushing what can only be built slowly.

Carol Dweck Enters the Chat. Growth mindset in relationships, applied to dating, not classrooms. How to apply a growth mindset to dating patterns and why people claim growth in one area while staying completely fixed in another. The trap that keeps people repeating the same relationship mistakes after divorce.

Fixed Mindset Dating Patterns. "We are taught by broader society to exit as soon as things are not perfect." Fixed mindset dating patterns that keep people stuck — and what it looks like to actually evolve instead of exit.

Starter Marriage. "Everybody should have a starter marriage, like a starter home." Michael makes the case. Marjorie reframes divorce as something that can end well without being a failure. Starter marriage vs first marriage — and why "it was awesome until it ended" is not a failure; it is a fact.

The Accountability Red Flag. How to read someone fast by listening to how they talk about their exes. The fastest and most reliable read on character in dating after divorce. 

Managing the Good Times. The relationship skill nobody talks about — not how to survive the hard times, but how to manage the good ones. Contentment as a choice. The "never satisfied" person always chasing the next thing versus choosing to say "this is enough."

What We Tell Our Teenagers About Love. Communication, trust, patience, self-respect, and "you need a broader village." What healthy healing after divorce actually models for the next generation. Dating advice for teenagers, lived, not lectured.

📱 Follow Us on Instagram Parents and Professors Podcast: / parentsandprofessorspod Dr. Michael Steven Williams: / drmikewill Dr. Marjorie Dorime-Williams: / drminimarj

#ParentsAndProfessors #PnPPodcast #DatingAfterDivorce #GrowthMindsetRelationships #StarterMarriage #HealingAfterDivorce #RelationshipAdvice #WhatIWantInAPartner #CarolDweck #ReframingDivorce #DatingAfterDivorceIn40s #RelationshipPodcast2026 

On May 28, 2023, 14-year-old Cyrus Carmack Belton walked into a store in Columbia, South Carolina. Minutes later, he was running for his life down the street. Two grown men chased him. One shot him in the back. The sheriff confirmed he stole nothing. The coroner confirmed the fatal wound was to his lower back — consistent with someone running away. On June 1, 2026, a jury found the man who killed him not guilty of murder.

Content Note: This episode discusses the murder of a child, systemic racism, anti-Black violence, and contains strong language and emotional content. This conversation is appropriate for mature audiences ready to engage with issues of racial injustice in America.

In this heavy, emotional episode recorded just days after the verdict, Dr. Marjorie and Michael don't just discuss the case of Cyrus Carmack Belton. They grapple with what it means to live and raise Black children in America. They compare it to Trayvon Martin. They discuss anti-Black racism not just from white people but from other communities. They break down the normalization of anti-Black violence, the political failures of leadership on both sides, the comforts of privilege that inoculate people from action, and the necessity of economic disruption for real change.

The conversation is about social cohesion and accountability. About how injustice after injustice piles up until we stop asking "can this happen in America?" because we know the answer is yes — it already has, for 250 years. There is also a powerful moment where Dr. Michael rejects language that diminishes Black humanity, refusing to accept the phrase "the least of us" and insisting on full humanity and equal dignity.

This episode calls for more than conversation. It demands action. Economic disruption. Political accountability. Refusal to accept the normalization of anti-Black violence. Released just before Juneteenth 2026 — a reminder that 250 years later, Black Americans are still fighting to be seen and treated as human.

Inside the Episode:

A 14-Year-Old Boy and a Bottle of Water. The facts of the Cyrus Carmack Belton case. "A bottle of water is worth chasing somebody down and shooting them in the back? That can't be anything but anti-Black racism."

He Looks Like Trayvon. Ten years later, another Black child killed, another not guilty verdict. Pattern recognition across time. The case that reignited the national conversation about systemic racism and racial justice in America.

Anti-Black Racism Is Not Just From White People. A complicated, necessary conversation about anti-Black racism from multiple communities — and what that means for Black children navigating the world.

What We Tell Our Black Children. The talk every Black parent dreads. "Buckle up, because the world is still not one where it feels safe for you to be Black." What Black youth protection actually looks like in 2026.

Economic Impact Is the Only Language in Common. "There has to be an economic impact, because that is the only language that people have in common. Anytime anything has worked, it's because it was an economic impact." Showing up to protest is not enough.

250 Years Later. Juneteenth is June 19. From emancipation to the Cyrus Carmack Belton verdict — one unbroken line. This is essential listening before Juneteenth 2026.

"250 years later, we are still fighting to be seen and treated as human." 

"He didn't steal anything. The sheriff said so himself." 

"Buckle up, because the world is still not one where it feels safe for you to be Black." 

"A bottle of water is worth chasing somebody down and shooting them in the back?"

 "We are not the least of any f***ing thing." 

"Comfort is a diffusion, not a protection." "There has to be an economic impact, because that is the only language that people have in common."

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It is about what happens after the divorce papers are signed, when you are trying to build something new, when you are afraid to be vulnerable again, when you have been hurt, and you are wondering if you can trust someone with your whole heart.

This is Part 3. In Episode 73, they covered institutional trust. In Episode 74, the parent-child relationship. Now they go to the most intimate place of all.

In this raw, honest conversation, Dr. Marjorie & Dr. Michael tackle trust in intimate relationships, the kind that matter most and hurt the hardest. From the revelation that not meeting your partner's love language is a form of infidelity, to the impact of divorce on how we show up in future relationships, to the defense mechanisms we develop when trust has been shattered — this conversation covers the ground that matters.

For anyone who has been hurt in love, who is scared to try again, who is wondering how to rebuild trust in a relationship after betrayal or divorce, this episode is for you. Because vulnerability in relationships is not a weakness. It is the only way through.

Inside the Episode:

Holes in the Boat. A hundred small violations of trust — the dishes, the chores, the unmet requests — will sink the ship just as surely as one cannonball. Micro-moments destroy trust more completely than any single dramatic betrayal. This is the framework that reframes everything about rebuilding relationships.

Not Meeting Your Partner's Love Language Is Betrayal. "I have told you what my love language is. You continue not to honor it. And it is exhausting me." Infidelity does not always look like an affair. There are many ways to be disloyal.

How to Rebuild Trust in a Relationship. Rebuilding trust after betrayal is brick by brick, through small, consistent actions that restore safety over time. Trust that has been tested and rebuilt through co-parenting after divorce is more durable than trust that has never been challenged.

Who You Become When Trust Is Shattered. The defense mechanisms. The punishing behavior. The identity shift. This is the conversation about rebuilding trust after divorce and breakup that nobody wants to have, but everybody needs.

Vulnerability in Relationships. You cannot microwave vulnerability. "I am more afraid of being somewhere I cannot trust than I am of being hurt." The case for staying open — and why the risk is worth it.

Key Themes:

• Micro-moments destroy trust more than major betrayals

• Holes in the boat metaphor - small leaks accumulate

• Love languages and not honoring partner's needs as infidelity

• Foundation of marriage: friendship vs. romance

• Can't prove counterfactuals - what-if scenarios are unknowable

• Defense mechanisms in relationships after trauma

• The BRAVING framework for building intimate trust

• Vulnerability and the courage to be truly seen

• Physical presence and being present (not on phone)

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Missed the first two parts? 

Episode 73 — Trust, Government, and the Cost of American Apathy

Episode 74 — Do My Kids Trust Me? What It Takes to Be the Person They Come to in Crisis

#ParentsAndProfessors #PnPPodcast #RebuildingTrust #TrustInRelationships #LoveLanguages #RebuildingRelationships #TrustAfterDivorce #RebuildingTrustAfterBetrayal #EmotionalIntimacy #DatingAfterDivorce #RelationshipAdvice #CoParentingAfterDivorce #ParentingPodcast #HowToRebuildTrust

A student died by suicide. A freshman. Neither his parents nor teachers knew he was struggling. Not even his friends. It is the question that haunts every parent of teenagers and the foundation of teen mental health: Do my kids actually trust me? Would they come to me if they were in crisis? 

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of youth suicide and mental health crises. If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out. Crisis resources cited below.

In this episode, part 2 of the Trust Series, Dr. Marjorie & Michael move from institutional trust to the most personal kind. What trust actually means according to research, why kids hide emotions, why teens don't talk to parents, and what it takes to become the person your child trusts with the things they are most afraid to say out loud.

Because trust is not just reliability. It is a willingness to be vulnerable. And that willingness has to be built long before the crisis arrives.

This is a guide for parenting teenagers through the lens of two educators navigating co-parenting after divorce and raising emotionally healthy kids. If you are wondering how to get kids to open up, how to create emotional safety for kids, or how to build trust with your teenager, this conversation is for you. Because your kids are not learning trust from a textbook. And neither are you.

Inside the Episode:

"Do My Kids Trust Me?" Trust is easy to claim when things are good. It is only demonstrated when things are not. This is the question that anchors the whole episode.

Why Kids Don't Talk to Parents. Signs your teen is struggling are not always visible. Shame, stigma, & perception that asking for help means weakness keep young people silent. Learn how to talk to teens about mental health without shutting the door, because even the most present parents cannot guarantee their kids will reach out 

I Will Put Love in the Driver's Seat. The parenting framework for modeling accountability for kids: "I will put love and your safety in the driver's seat before consequences & accountability." 

Micro-Stabs vs. Big Betrayals. Death by a thousand cuts destroys trust just as completely as one dramatic betrayal in parent-child relationships, just as much as romantic ones. 

The Research on Trust and Belonging. Baumeister & Leary's belonging research and Ohio State's trust framework applied to parenting. What we teach kids about trust starts with what we show them every single day.

Modeling Vulnerability and Emotional Safety. How to get a child to open up about feelings starts with modeling emotional safety yourself. Giving kids the emotional vocabulary they need before the crisis arrives. Parenting and mental health are inseparable. What we model for our kids in uncertain times is what they carry with them. This is emotionally safe parenting in practice.

Physical Presence Matters. Community requires inconvenience. Showing up in person is one of the most trust-building things a parent can do.

"I will put love and your safety in the driver's seat before consequences and accountability." 

"We usually think of trust as big trust, instead of thinking about all the little micro-stabs." 

"Logic doesn't work. We have to pay attention to the emotional tenor of our relationships." 

"I trust you more now than when we were married."

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When a White House shooting is met with memes and NBA highlights, it signals a historic collapse of the social contract. As trust in government hits a record low in 2025, we analyze Pew Research data and apply Gottman Institute relationship repair techniques to understand the rise of American apathy.Someone shot at the White House. The public reaction? Jokes. Memes. A quick scroll, then back to the NBA playoffs. Nobody believes anything anymore. We're not shocked. And that might be the most dangerous thing happening in America right now.In this Episode, Dr. Marjorie and Michael (educators, co-parents navigate parenting after divorce) dig into what it means to raise kids in a broken system during a full democracy crisis. From Jane Mayer's Dark Money to what we teach kids about trust when leadership fails, this co-parenting podcast moves from the national to the intimate.

If you're tired of politics, overwhelmed by politics, or have simply stopped caring — political burnout is real. But so is the cost of checking out when you're raising kids in uncertain times with co-parenting different values.Can broken trust be repaired? Dr. Marjorie and Michael use their own co-parenting relationship as the template. The answer is more complicated than you think.

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#ParentsAndProfessors #PnPPodcast #TrustInGovernment #GovernmentCorruption #PoliticalApathy #SocialContract #CoParenting #ModernParenting #PoliticalFatigue #SocialContractBroken #GovernmentDistrust#DarkMoney #PoliticalFatiguey #GottmanInstitute #Project 2025 #InstitutionalBetrayal #PewResearch #PoliticalBurnout

Someone threw a fit at family game night last week. Multiple someones, actually. What started as a parenting moment nobody planned for became the conversation we didn’t know we needed: What to do when you make decisions while angry and what happens when your emotions are running the show in your home, your divorce, and even your politics? 

[Content Warning: This episode discusses murder-suicide, domestic violence, grief and loss, divorce, and emotional distress. Resources for crisis support are included in the Links section.]

In this episode, Dr. Marjorie and Michael explain why making life decisions while your feelings are lit is just as dangerous as getting behind the wheel buzzed. From the death by a thousand cuts in failing marriages to the heartbreaking Justin Fairfax tragedy, they dive into why emotional sobriety is a survival skill. They delve into how to teach kids emotional regulation at home, how to control emotions during divorce, how to process grief as a single parent, and how to stay calm during high-conflict divorce. They tackle the high stakes of accountability, why they refuse to raise any "Busters," and how feelings and vibes are currently running the country from the top down.

Emotional regulation isn't about keeping it together. It’s about knowing what to do when you can’t. Because at the end of the day, if someone can knock you off your square that easily, you're the one who's weak. 

Inside the Episode:

The Emotionally Drunk Metaphor: The concept that reframes every bad decision you've ever made when upset, and explains why you can't be trusted with your life or your money when you're emotionally inebriated. 

The Justin Fairfax Wake Up Call: Waking up to news of a murder-suicide during a divorce. A raw look at the extremes of divorce and the work it takes to stay present and healthy.

Grief & Permission to be Not Okay: Why Dr. Michael is done performing fine while processing loss. On processing loss differently,  and why taking a beat and being honest might be the most powerful thing you can do.

"I Refuse to Raise a Buster": Kids don't learn emotional regulation from a textbook; they learn it by doing it with us. Real talk on raising Black men, "crash outs," and navigating generational terminology and what it means to be a role model when everything in you wants to do the opposite.

The Oval Office Problem: When the most powerful person in the world is allowed to behave emotionally unregulated, what does that teach the next generation?

Co-Regulation parenting techniques: Why your kids aren't listening to you, but they are watching how you bounce back.

The Square Test: Dr. Strayhorn’s wisdom on why letting someone knock you off your square makes you the weak one. "If you can knock me off my square that easily, then I'm the one that's weak, not you.”

"Are you making decisions in a state of emotional sobriety?" 

"You can't do that with your life. You can't do that with your money."

"Life is gonna kick you while you're down. How can we help people deal with it?" 

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Coming out of the Lenten season, Dr. Marjorie and Dr. Michael dive into the conversation we usually ignore until it’s too late: faith, identity, and the massive cost of religious incompatibility in partnership and parenting. Dr. Marjorie describes the isolation of Easter Mass, feeling like a "fly in the milk" as a divorced Haitian Catholic in a sea of traditional families, while Dr. Michael realizes his "Creaster" habits are sending a confusing signal to his kids. This is the messy reality of trying to find your footing in a faith that doesn't always have a seat for the solo parent. 

In this episode, we dive into the Creaster Trap: How treating faith like the Super Bowl affects your daily parenting. The Spiritual Gym: Re-framing church as a workout for the soul and why we skip it when we’re overwhelmed and need it most. Buster’s Super Nintendo: A funny, raw look at Easter Envy and how different families practice religious celebration. The Doctrine vs. The Daughter: Navigating the Right to Choose and body autonomy within a Catholic framework. Developing Integrity: Moving beyond living in the building to actually living your values in the room where it happens. The Priest & The Pew: The courage it takes to speak up when a homily feels wrong or exclusionary. The Date Three Audit: Why the conversation you avoid today becomes the lawsuit you settle in five years.

You treat the first few dates like the off-season. You hold off the God Question for as long as you possibly can, just to keep the flair going. You mentally guise religion pretty much like a Super Bowl holiday, something you only have to tackle once or twice a year. Five years later, you wake up deep in a divorce and bickering over Sunday School, wondering how a small difference became such a structural void.

Religion isn’t just about the building you sit in on Sunday mornings; it’s about the values that actually show up when the world gets loud. You shouldn't be waiting for the Super Bowl to check your spiritual stats when you could be having those conversations now, before the pews get cold and your kids start asking questions you aren't ready to answer.

"Creasters - folks who only go to Mass at Christmas and Easter."

"Being Catholic is complicated and messy. Like being a Knicks fan."

#ParentsAndProfessors #PnPPodcast #DatingAfterDivorce #FaithAndParenting #CoParentingTips #SpiritualIntegrity #ModernFaith