Parenting Roundabout

Terri was surprised to learn that her husband carries a comb to touch up his 'do while he's at work, which got her (and us) obsessing over how much personal grooming we do in public. Or in private, for that matter.

Whether our kids are at home or away, there are challenges (and some victories) when it comes to staying in communication with them.

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, Dancing with the Stars suggested we learn a whole lot about the life of Elvis and about how bad many guys look in wigs. And we said goodbye to a Real Housewife in favor of a Charlie's Angel. Next: James Bond Night.On Rutherford Falls, we also learned something: Reagan has a family! A beloved Aunt Sue, who passed away, and parents. Whaddya know! And speaking of parents, Nathan's going to be one. Oh, dear. Next: "Land Back."

Having a growth mindset [https://www.mindsetworks.com/science/] can be a pathway to success for kids (and adults). But sometimes a parent's idea of growth doesn't match a teacher's, and then what?

Forget the running playlist, the breakup playlist, and the poolside playlist. We have some other ideas for songs to live by.

​A New York Times letter-writer prompted today's chat when she wrote: "It is my belief that children often have more of an impact on changing their parents than parents may have on molding their children." We can't quite commit to that "more" business, but agree that parenting sure has changed us.​

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup, Terri recommends a trip down memory lane with The Big Chill on HBO Max [https://www.hbomax.com/feature/urn:hbo:feature:GYiJjVARO5pA3MQEAAABR], or a old movie of your choice. Since her kids are no longer at home, Nicole's spoiling her cats with a cute new cat condo [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0792CKRHC?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details], and Catherine suggests a fun thriller novel set at a refuge for monkeys: Florida Woman by Deb Rogers [https://www.harpercollins.com/products/florida-woman-deb-rogers?variant=39723439882274].

We borrow once again from the Bobby Bones Show [https://bobbybones.iheart.com/] to obsess about whether 12-year-olds should wear thongs or cut their hair in mohawks, and how we feel about our own kids' clothing, hair, and accessory choices.

On this week's Round 3, it's our version of the TikTok #parentingchallenge. Between us and our spouses, who's stricter, funnier, neater, more outgoing? It's a new twist on complaining about our partners--gently!

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, it's back to the ballroom for a new season of Dancing With the Stars. The show is now streaming on Disney+, so you've got to pony up for that service if you want to watch. But benefits include no commercials, an elimination at the end of the show (instead of awkwardly happening a week late), and--at least this week--mostly dancing, little faffing about. Next week: Elvis night.We're also back in Rutherford Falls for a few more weeks (season 2 has just 8 episodes). There's considerably less sparkle and glitter, but there is a grumpy new curator to help Reagan out. Next: S2 E3, "Aunt Sue."

Here's a lesson learned: Don't ask your kids who their heroes are unless you are prepared for their answer. But we also acknowledge that life off of the pedestal is pretty comfortable.

It's time to return to the urgent question of most recent photos on our phones [https://www.spreaker.com/episode/18922795], and this crop is more exciting than last time: A memorable souvenir, a nimbler-than-expected dog, and some possibly illegal activity.

Target's car-seat trade-in event [https://corporate.target.com/corporate-responsibility/planet/sustainable-products/car-seat-trade-in] is happening now (NOTE: This is a replay, but the event really is happening now, September 11-24!), which got us thinking: We have a lot of other kid stuff we'd like to trade in for bigger and better things.

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup, Nicole is into the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon [https://www.hbo.com/house-of-the-dragon]. Switching gears entirely, Terri recommends a daily live rosary from Kitty Cleveland of Kitty's Morning Glories [https://www.facebook.com/groups/307917207476233]. And Catherine's off in another very different direction with the book Reading for Our Lives: A Literacy Action Plan from Birth to Six by Maya Paine Smart [https://mayasmart.com/book/].

Parenting TikTok is all about #gentleparenting, so we had to obsess over it for awhile. Nicole's all for it, Terri has doubts, and Catherine mostly stays out of it and feels quietly guilty about whatever she did or didn't do when her kids were little. Mentioned: "What Is Gentle Parenting?" at Parents magazine [https://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/style/what-is-gentle-parenting/] and Howard Glasser's Nurtured Heart Approach [https://nurturedheartinstitute.com/].

While Nicole was away, Catherine and Terri alternated home and appliance annoyances [https://www.parentingroundaboutpodcast.com/blog/revisiting-the-joys-of-homeownership]. Now that Nicole is back, it was her turn to deal with a big mess: ants taking over her pantry.

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2: We kick off season 2 of Rutherford Falls (the final season, as it turns out). The titular "white man" is, of course, Nathan, who has secretly returned to Rutherford Falls but possibly hasn't learned much on his epic journey of self-discovery. Next: S2 E2, "The New Curator."We also kicked off a new season of Dancing with the Stars, now on Disney+, with a preseason special called "Pros' Most Memorable Dances." While it was fun to see some of the dances from years past, we question whether these were truly the most memorable. For example, Catherine nominates this Charleston from Nastia Liukin and Sasha [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkvEjn-tkEI] as her top pick. We also ran down the cast for the upcoming season [https://tvline.com/lists/dancing-with-the-stars-season-31-cast-full-list-dwts/], which premieres Monday, 9/19.

We've been checking all those first day of school photos, and that led us to reminisce about back-to-school shopping--with our own moms, and with our kids.

Not all of our children's activities are exactly fun for us, but there are those things that became as much a part of our social life as our kids'. On today's Speed Round, we give a cheer for team sports and marching band. And fancy cupcakes!

After ignoring it for years, we suddenly started to wonder if dental insurance is a must or a maybe. Our complaint: The math (surprise!) is complicated, at least here in the USA (mentioned: Oscar insurance [https://www.hioscar.com/]).

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup, Terri's recommending something that might be tough to replicate: Getting a hand-me-down Apple Watch [https://www.apple.com/watch/]. Cultivate a friendship with someone who has one! You can easily acquire Catherine's recommendation, a novel called Flying Solo by NPR's Linda Holmes [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/574065/flying-solo-by-linda-holmes/]. And it's also easy to check out Nicole's pick, speaking_of_cats on TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@speaking_of_cats]. Be a part of this viral star's following!

A TikTok video about "fringe moms" [https://www.tiktok.com/@shinebeautymalibu/video/7137885808840805674] got us obsessing about whether we were fringe moms and finding our place amongst the cool moms, awkward moms, and other playground cliques.

On this week's Round 3, Catherine is complaining about the extra hurdles her kid needs to jump through to get into college--like this process wasn't hard enough already?! Mentioned: The Honest Guide to College [https://www.commonsense.news/p/the-honest-guide-to-college].

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, we wrapped up season one of Rutherford Falls with episode 9, "Stoodis," and episode 10, "D'Angelos." These were an improvement over episode 8, although they returned to the well of Nathan having a tantrum and Reagan trying once again to get herself back into the good graces of the Minishonka community. (Mentioned: Elizabethtown [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368709/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1].)We'll come back for season 2 mostly for Reagan and Terry Thomas. Next: Season 2, Episode 2, "White Man in the Cupboard." We'll also check out Dancing With the Stars's first episode on Disney Plus, a preseason special called "The Pros' Most Memorable Dances" ([https://abc.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars/news/updates/watch-dancing-with-the-stars-the-pros-most-memorable-dances-disney-plus-day-2022], September 8).

Terri's decades-long grudge against egg salad was recently tested when her son ordered an egg-salad sandwich... at an establishment known only for hot dogs. On the flip side, Nicole's family won't go near one of her favorite foods, Vegemite. Do you and your kids have wildly different food preferences? Mentioned: Mr. Cow Corn Dogs [https://mrcowcorndog.com/menu].

In our day, senior photos involved slapping on some sort of drape-like thing and smiling pretty. Now, there are whole photo shoots, with props and costumes and locations and enormous pricey package and photographer salesmanship. We wonder if it's all really necessary.

Nicole said everyone was talking about Kim Kardashian's bathroom [https://jezebel.com/kim-kardashian-west-explains-her-sinks-1834125651], so we had to, too. The upshot: If we had Kim's kash, we wouldn't spend it on a sink with no basin, soap, or towels.

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup, entertainment three ways: Catherine's recommending the Broadway musical Mean Girls (based on the 2004 movie) [https://meangirlsonbroadway.com/]. Nicole found a reality show that held her attention in Alone [https://www.history.com/shows/alone]. And Terri remembered how much she likes Lyle Lovett while listening to his new album, 12th of June [https://youtu.be/7UVF8F7j0l4].

"Quiet quitting" is a current buzzword, so we obsessed over how it would work in our homes instead of the workplace. Would anyone even notice?

Yes, we want open communication with our kids, but sometimes we need to put our hands over our ears and say "TMI!" So today we're complaining about knowing a bit more than we care to about what's happening in our kids' lives.