All screens away at 9:30pm, no phones, no computer, no video games. One kid has survived and made it through to the other side. What's the screentime policy in your house and does it work for you?Par Parents Just Don't Understand

Being excluded from the friendgroup. Mean girls. Where to sit at lunch. In this episode we discuss the mental task of trying to sort out and navigate the complicated world of high school friendships in the social heirarchy. Spoiler alert: it's not easy.Par PJDU Team

Where does self-esteem come from? Are you born with a tendency to be a confident person? Are others naturally insecure? Do we learn to feel bad about ourselves through comparison with our peers? Join Angi & Billie for a discussion and ask your teen what they think of all our off-the-wall theories. Has it been helpful for me to offer up criticisms o…

What happens when we try to avoid failure, lie and sneak away from admitting our failures? An open discussion on emotional lessons and what we can learn from failure. Here we are with Episode 2 of our new podcast Parents Just Don't Understand. Jackson shares his story of a big life lesson in failure in the high school years. We want parents & teens…

Billie is a crazy smart, 21 year old college student who's doing amazing things with her life. This podcast is our attempt to share thoughts, ideas and personal stories of overcoming challenges and facing mental health stressors in todays world. Listen with your teen and start those open-ended conversations for yourselves. With each close discussio…

Writer, podcaster, and the Most Dangerous Woman In Speculative Fiction Raquel S. Benedict joins us to talk about Whisper Of The Heart and why you need to tell kids that their writing is terrible so they get better.https://twitter.com/benedict_rshttps://www.patreon.com/ritegud/Par Kurt & Denise

We're joined by Aaron and Carlee of the podcast Hit Factory to discuss Captain Planet, the ideology of Nineties environmentalism, and Ted Turner's secret apocalypse tapes.Check out Hit Factory:https://www.patreon.com/hitfactorypod/https://twitter.com/HitFactoryPodPar Kurt & Denise

Kurt & Chris learn about food (and drones) with the Obamas' new kids show, Waffles and Mochi.Par Kurt & Denise

We sit down with Shaun from Married, at the Movies to talk about Pixar. Yes, all of it. This is your definitive podcast episode about Every Pixar Movie, and you don't need to listen to any more after this.Listen to Married, at the Movies!Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/marriedatthemoviesInstragram: https://www.instagram.com/marriedmoviespodcast/…

We're joined by Malcolm (https://twitter.com/MalcolmRambert) to journey through a slew of kids Thanksgiving specials, from 1972's A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving to (much better) modern specials from Hey Arnold! and Craig of the Creek.Malcolm on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MalcolmRambertPar Kurt & Denise

Kurt and Chris discuss crappy children's YouTube channels, faceless content mills, the evils of advertising, and Baby Shark. Plus, we unmask a well known children's YouTube host.Par Kurt & Denise

We're talking Halloween, spooky stuff, and the 2014 gothic folk adventure Over the Garden Wall with returning guest and new cohost Chris Woodward. Truly, the Grinch is gonna getcha.Check out Kurt's new digital magazine Blood Knife at https://bloodknife.com and https://www.patreon.com/bloodknifePar Kurt & Denise

Hey folks, we're back! And we're joined by Brett Payne of Street Fight Radio to talk about the 1990 anti-drug mega-crossover event Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue. We also discuss leftist parenting, DARE, beautiful shroom experiences, Reagan-era deregulation, and — shockingly — a little-known U.S. senator from Delaware.Listen to Street Fight: https…

We're joined by writer and journalist Andray Domise to talk about depictions of cops in kids cartoons and their role in normalizing police violence against black, indigenous, and other marginalized communities. We also discuss parenting in times of social and political change, the late-80s sci-fi cartoon COPS, the sci-fi western Marshall BraveStarr…

Kurt & Denise went on This Might Be A Podcast to talk about the They Might Be Giants song "I Am A Paleontologist!", parenting, dinosaurs, science, and a whole bunch of other stuff. This is a great podcast and you should check them out!https://www.patreon.com/ThisMightBeAPodcastPar Kurt & Denise

After recording our Hobbit episode, Chris was kind enough to stick around to share his perspective on a topic a lot of parents are grappling with as a result of the COVID-19 crisis: talking to kids about illness, health, and medical care.Par Kurt & Denise

We're joined by fellow parent and friend of the show Chris Woodward to discuss J.R.R. Tolkien's 1937 children's fantasy classic The Hobbit, as well as the 1977 animated version from Rankin-Bass.Par Kurt & Denise

Podcaster and childcare worker Ben Udashen of the Unpopular Front podcast returns to talk about parenting and childcare during a pandemic, the political economy of childrearing and household labor, universal childcare, and the swift changes in parenting norms we're seeing as a result of COVID-19.Ben's Twitter: https://twitter.com/marxistmanny?lang=…

This week, we're joined by Jack Allison of JackAM and Struggle Session to answer the question: "When's the right time to talk to YOUR kids about The Force?" We discuss the Star Wars Forces of Destiny children's web series, why and how kids have connected with Star Wars throughout the years, and what they can (and can't) learn from it.Jack on Twitte…

This week we're joined by podcaster & music teacher Greg Simpson of This Might Be A Podcast to discuss a unique band that's just as popular with small children as with adults: They Might Be Giants! We also discussed music education, curating the soundtrack of a childhood, what makes for good children's music, and why terrorizing babies with loud so…

This week, we're joined by Podside Pete of the sci-fi & fantasy podcast Podside Picnic to explore a throwback to the golden age of cartoons: Jonny Quest! We explore the show and its latter day descendants (The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest & The Venture Bros, as well as the history of boy science adventures, pulp literature, racism and xenophobia,…

This week we've got one from the archives! In an ep that was previously lost to the mists of time, Kurt sits down with James the Anonymous Gamer Dad to talk about video games from childhood to parenthood. We discuss managing screen time, micro transactions, what kids can learn from games, and whether or not James's kids are actually any good at For…

Denise and Kurt take on Disney's modern cultural juggernaut: Frozen and Frozen 2. We discuss how to smash the patriarchy, why eco-terrorism is cool and good, conservative media having a meltdown about cartoons, and the full range of Frozen tie-ins and spin-offs. We also spend a few minutes catching up about what's been on the TV in the Schiller hou…

We're joined by Justin Roczniak, better known as urban planning and Cities: Skylines aficionado donoteat01, to discuss the labor politics and mass transit infrastructure of Thomas the Tank Engine. We dig into Sir Topham Hatt's troubling history of strike-breaking, Sodor's surprisingly durable residential housing, and the nature of locomotive sentie…

Trevor and Jordan of Trevor Talks Titans stop by to talk about Cartoon Network's DC Superhero Girls, a new kids cartoon from Lauren Faust (of My Little Pony fame). We discuss representation in media, compare and contrast superhero shows, and explain why Poison Ivy's eco-terrorism is totally cool, actually. And check out our sick new theme from Matt…

We're joined by Leslie Lee III (@leslieleeiii), Batman scholar and host of the leftist pop-culture podcast Struggle Session, to talk about Batman: The Animated Series. We explore the show's unique style and legacy, how it connected with both kids and adults, and how it compares to other superhero adaptations past and present.For more Batman content…

This week we're joined by Emma Bowers (@hyenasandgin), anime correspondent for the leftist pop-culture podcast Struggle Session, to talk about Hayao Miyazaki's all-time classics My Neighbor Totoro and Princess Mononoke. We also discuss what it was like being an anime fan in the VHS era, working with children, and reveal Emma's anime origin story.Em…

SPOILERS! You've been warned. Here's some bonus discussion with Ben & Karlo from our His Dark Materials episode where we delved into the overall plot of the books, what it was like growing up in the shadow of the Christian Evangelical movement and the rise of New Atheism, and SLAYERRRRRRR. (Audio got a bit spotty at times, sorry about that.)…

We're joined by podcaster Ben Udashen and fantasy author Karlo Yeager Rodriguez to discuss the massively popular His Dark Materials series, which uses YA fantasy to explore weighty topics like growing up, authority, the nature of belief, and magical talking animals. We also offer up our thoughts on the first two episodes of HBO's new TV adaptation,…

We sat down with 2018 Newbery medalist Erin Entrada Kelly (Hello, Universe; Blackbird Fly) to talk about her new YA fantasy novel, Lalani of the Distant Sea, the story of a young girl from the island of Sanlagita who sets out on a dangerous quest to save her family from a mysterious illness. We also discuss depictions of folklore, the importance of…

Kurt is joined by Josh Lewis of the SLEAZOIDS podcast to discuss kids and horror films, from "family" horror flicks like Gremlins & Beetlejuice to more teen-targeted fare like Child's Play and the new Scary Stories film. We also discuss the history of horror as a mainstream genre and why you probably shouldn't show your kids any Lucio Fulci films. …

Bwahaha ha ha! Kurt & Denise kick off the witching season by discussing the role of witches in children's media, from the Wizard of Oz to Discworld and Harry Potter. We also rank our top 3 favorite fictional witches and debate who is and isn't a witch. So grab your black cat, pull up a broom, and let's get spooky with it.Outro: Mr. Rogers interview…

We're back from our fall break to talk about our love for "inappropriate" kids media. We discuss what makes for good children's media, what we do (and don't) worry about exposing our kids to, and why you should throw out all those Beethoven for Baby Einstein CDs. Plus, Kurt uses death metal to help babies sleep and Denise fights a one-mom battle ag…

GET YOUR HANDS ON THOSE BUZZERS! This week we're joined by special guest and game-show expert Jordan Hass (Game Shows, I Suppose), who takes Kurt on a journey through the freakishly interesting history of children’s game shows. We discuss the rise and fall of WW2-era “smart kids” shows like Quiz Kids, through legendary Nickelodeon shows like Double…

On this week’s episode, we’re joined by the excellent Reese (@DarthGuerrilla) of Gaming Buzzed to tackle the “kid-friendly” animated emotional trauma of 1988’s The Land Before Time and 1987’s The Brave Little Toaster. We explore depictions of loss, abandonment, and grief in kids media, the existential horror of tar pits, and whether The Brave Littl…

On today’s episode, Kurt & Denise dig in for a long-form review of the best kids cartoon on TV: Netflix’s Hilda. We discuss depictions of evil in children’s media, why dealing with talking birds is a parenting goal, and the urgent need for troll land reform. Plus, Kurt takes a trip to a park and Denise goes to the library. Not impressed? Well, you …

In our inaugural episode, Denise & Kurt discuss the dubious labor economy of True and the Rainbow Kingdom, Paw Patrol's disastrous canine nutrition standards, and the CGI nightmare of Word Party. Also, Kurt complains about the creeping militarization of Adventure Bay and one of our cats makes a weird noise. (Music: Thee Irma & Louise - Stranger Dan…

This is my Q3 podcast. Throughout this episode you will learn about how kids are obsessed with social media and video games. Their parents don't understand this. We will take you through a journey about some 6th graders life with video games and social media