I'm no longer a first time mom and I'm inching out of the first haze-filled days and years of motherhood. So my parenting surprises are coming less frequently. But when they do, they come at me with more intensity.

I never even considered how having my child learn to read would impact me. Why would I? I just assumed it would be a happy milestone we would celebrate.

But it's made me reflect much more than I anticipated. I'm sure others have felt this, and maybe sharing this story will help them feel heard.

In this short In My Experience episode, I share why I'm feeling sad an anxious about hitting this milestone.

Today's guest is Erica St. Louis, a mom to a young son who is passionate about about bringing the tribe mentality back to motherhood. Erica felt a lack of community herself as she ventured through her first year of motherhood and that inspired her to reexamine the way we interact with one another as parents. 

We also chat about how motherhood is a long process of letting go. And how letting go of the things you felt were once so important can give you a sense of freedom as you grow into motherhood. 

Erykah's pregnancy was a bit of a surprise for her and although she knew she wanted to have kids someday and had talked to her future husband about it, she admits that she wasn't exactly ready when it happened. We talk about her transition into motherhood and some of the unexpected outcomes that came with it.

Today I'm chatting with Olivia Howell about parenting with a partner that had a completely different upbringing than her, embracing a mom support system that exists mostly online, and how she navigates technology in her home, you know…the dreaded screen time decision.

Olivia is a New Yorker who is married to a non New Yorker and has two boys age  5.5 and 2.5. She's a social media manager who works from home and so we chat about the challenges that brings both from inside and outside the home.

Head to ThisIsParentingPodcast.com for show notes and more info on this episode. 

How do we curb mom guilt and actually HELP parents navigate this journey? I am chatting with Susan Padron today, a personal stylist who lives in New Jersey with her husband and young son. We talk about how we can share our experiences with motherhood with a no-strings-attached kind of delivery in hopes of cutting down the mom guilt.

Susan also shares how she was expecting to have a sassy little girl as a for of parenting karma for being a difficult kid herself. She thought she was off the hook when her son was born, but that wasn't quite the case as Susan explains in this episode.

She also talks about how surprised she was in her own parenting skills as she's learned to use humor to bring out her best self. We also touch on how parenting groups can mean well but end up being toxic and having mom guilt is normal but can be made worse through all the advice we hear.

This even includes the advice from those we look to most: Family. 

Follow Susan Padron on Instagram @susanpadron_stylist

Terri Fry was born in Pakistan and lived there until she was ten. She now lives in Canada and is married with two boys age 5 and 3. She is Pakistani and a Muslim and her husband is German-Scottish and a Catholic.  We talk about the challenges she's faced while parenting in a multi-cultural home with two different religions, the pressures she feels from her family to raise her kids more traditionally, and the battles she takes on to stick to what she feels is best for her family.

Terri also talks about how her two boys are so different which means she parents them very differently to meet their individual needs. She gives advice on how we can curb mom judgement and she also discusses her thoughts on we, as parents, can be more open about the challenges we face day in and day out.

We hit on so many topics in this chat and Terri shares more of her thoughts on motherhood on her own podcast Mom Like That. Catch her there or on Instagram. 

This is the first in a three part series where I chat with Amanda Dennin throughout her first year of becoming a mom. 

Amanda and I are friends from college so I am so happy to be able to capture these moments throughout this first year. I think it will be interesting to see her perspectives at each check in point.

This first episode is all about the pregnancy. Part two will find Amanda at the six month mark of motherhood and part three will be at the one year mark. 

In this episode Amanda is nearing the end of her pregnancy so we chat about how she found out she was pregnant (and how her mom claimed she already knew the sex of the baby!), whether she enjoyed being pregnant, and how she imagines labor and delivery will go and whether her partner can hang for the nitty gritty (she thinks he can!).

We also chat about how she is trying to find a balance with the pregnancy, her photography business, becoming a certified yoga instructor and have a full time job. She's busy!

Tune in for part two and three as we see Amanda tackle motherhood. 

In this episode I'm joined by Tara Wood. You've probably seen her or her kids online at some point because she's had a few viral moments in her parenting journey. And I've been a fan of her writing since I first became a mom. I adore the way she parents with reality and honesty. Oh, and did I mention that she has seven kids? Yeah, she is a wealth of knowledge so I was thrilled to have her join me.

We chat about how to be ok when we screw up as moms, how she handles cursing in her home, how her parenting methods and tactics have changed over the years, and what clicked with her when she turned 40. With kids ranging in age from 3-17 she has seen it all, so do yourself a favor and listen up!

In this episode of This Is Parenting Podcast I am joined by Ruthy Kirwan. Ruthy sits down to chat about the struggles of parenting in a tiny NY apartment, her husband keeping odd work hours, and her experience with post partum depression.

Ruthy also shares a unique aspect about her parenting with her husband and his family being from Ireland. They've been through the Green Card process which gives her a unique view of parenting through that as well as having no family members nearby. They've had to navigate the international boundaries often and that adds an interesting level in her parenting. And she talks about whether there are any cultural differences between her and her husband in terms of how they parent their kids.

We connect on how our time as a person is suddenly no longer ours to control when kids are involved. How can we create space for ourselves as moms, as a wife, as a friend, etc.? How can we better communicate that to others in our circle?

She shares her current joys of parenting including seeing the personalities of her kids start to develop and hearing her youngest start to talk for the first time.

Ruthy has combines her passion with cooking and helping busy moms with her site Percolate Kitchenand she recently release a new Amazon best selling cookbook The Healthy Sheet Pan Cookbook. I've tried these recipes and they save me so much time in the kitchen AND they are yummy.

This episode of In My Experience is all about my potty training journey. It's full of ups and downs. Accidents and triumphs. And I get real about the struggles I'm still dealing with in my youngest. 

In this episode I am chatting with Andy Shaw, or InstaFatherAndy as I know him. We talk about Andy's transition into fatherhood, the rocky start he had, and how he felt unsupported as a dad when it came to online support and resources.

Plus we get Andy's take on push presents. Is he a fan or not?