Kids & FamilyParentingEducationSelf-Improvement

Parenting, apparently

Pok Pok

Parenthood doesn't come with instructions, and neither does building a company. Melissa and Esther are figuring out both on opposite sides of the world, as friends and founders of award-winning kids’ media brand Pok Pok.

Since 2021, running Pok Pok has been a front-row seat to the inner world of parents: the real wins that don’t make it to Instagram, as well as the unspoken fears and questions that everyone is waiting for someone else to say first.

Parenting, apparently, is a space to come together and take the pressure off parenthood by celebrating the fact that there is no “right” way of doing it. Each episode is a reminder that you’re not supposed to have all the answers, but that the way to get closer to them is by getting curious.

Whether Melissa and Esther are sharing their own “WTF” moments, reflecting in real time, or passing the mic to guests from the community, you’re invited to come get curious about your own parenting journey. We may not have a manual for this thing, but we do have the creative freedom to make our own along the way.

Watch us on Youtube!

And check out Pok Pok!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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31 episodes
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Avg 42 min
English

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S3 · E14
Thursday · 32 min
Best Of: Honest Founder-Mom Talk — The Motherhood Penalty & Parent Guilt
What does ambition cost a working mom, and what does it give back? This best-of brings back two conversations between Melissa and Esther about being mothers who also run a company. They look at the motherhood penalty from both sides of the hiring table, from raising money while pregnant to weighing a candidate who's about to go on parental leave, and at the guilt that comes with splitting yourself between your family, your team and your co-founder. It's an honest look at how two founder moms try to keep ambition and family in balance, and where they still struggle to. From the episodes The Motherhood Penalty: Our Take as Moms & Employers & Two Founder Moms On Career Guilt and the Real Cost of Ambition. 00:00 The candidate with a newborn on her lap 04:26 Pregnant while fundraising 07:36 Mothers are efficient 10:07 Would you hire a pregnant candidate? 17:50 Founder guilt 23:02 A first soccer goal 26:46 Filling their cup before you leave 29:48 Leaving your partner to solo parent Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently, a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 · E13
October 22 · 31 min
Best Of: Letting Kids Lead with Elan Lee & Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek
What happens when you stop just playing with your kids and start letting them lead? This best-of brings back two conversations on what kids can teach adults about play. Game designer Elan Lee, co-creator of Exploding Kittens, and developmental psychologist Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek come at it from different sides: one by building games with his four-year-old daughter, the other through decades of research on how children learn. Between them, they make the case for treating kids as collaborators, finding play in the most ordinary parts of the day, and building a world with real room for children in it. From the episodes How Boredom Led to a Global Line of Family Games with Elan Lee & Why Play Is Key for Child Development with Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek. 00:00 Meet Elan Lee 01:50 How having kids changed his work 04:07 A house built for play 08:05 "Let's fix them": making games with his daughter 12:12 What happens when you let kids in the room 13:46 Meet Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek 15:05 Raising three sons 18:49 Making everyday moments playful 24:45 Playful learning landscapes 29:26 Does a bench have to be a bench? Learn more about Dr. Kathy's work: https://kathyhirshpasek.com/ Learn more about Elan Lee: https://www.elanlee.com/ Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently, a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 · E12
October 15 · 47 min
The Art of Motherhood: Creativity, Ambition and Identity with Madeline Donahue
What if motherhood doesn’t diminish creativity, but gives it new urgency, meaning and material? Brooklyn painter Madeline Donahue joins Melissa and Esther to explore how becoming a mother helped her find her artistic voice in her mid-30s, and why the everyday realities of caregiving deserve to be treated as seriously as any other subject in art. Through Madeline’s vivid, playful paintings, they explore the contradictions of motherhood and creative work: missing your children while you work and missing your work when you’re with them; finding joy inside exhaustion; and trying to remain an artist, a parent and a whole person at the same time. They also discuss the invisible labor of family life, the pressure to entertain children constantly, and the difference between portraying motherhood from the outside and expressing what it actually feels like to live it. The conversation moves from art and ambition to parenting, screen time and family connection: when screens support family life, when they interrupt it, and how parents can make room for creativity and what matters without chasing impossible standards. Find Madeline's work at https://www.madelinedonahue.com/ And follow her https://www.instagram.com/madelinedonahue/ Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently, a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 · E11
October 8 · 48 min
Why Adults Need Play, Daydreaming & Wonder — Creative Health with Katina Bajaj
What happens when adults stop playing, and what does that mean for parents? In this episode of Parenting, Apparently, Melissa chats with Katina Bajaj, a creative health scientist and co-founder of Daydreamers, a company helping adults bring creativity, play, and wonder back into their lives. They explore why so many grown-ups—especially parents—feel creatively unfulfilled, and how the pressure to be productive can crowd out play, curiosity, and imagination. Katina explains the difference between creativity and play, why adults may lose the fearlessness of childhood but not creativity, and research-backed nuggets like how the presence of flowers can reduce pain. Melissa and Katina also explore creativity in everyday life: seeing a chaotic morning through a more playful lens, taking an “awe walk,” doodling when you're overwhelmed, and letting yourself daydream instead of reaching for your phone. They discuss why frustration and experimentation are essential to creative growth, how parents can model creativity and joy for their kids, and why we need to resist optimizing every part of our lives—including with AI. If you've been feeling burned out, disconnected from your creativity, or like parenting has left little room for your own identity, this episode is a reminder that play, imagination, and wonder aren't things you outgrow—they’re actually essential to our wellbeing. Follow Katina @katina.bajaj and https://www.katinabajaj.com/ Learn more about Daydreamers at https://daydreamers.co/ Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently, a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 · E10
October 1 · 43 min
Parenting Expectations vs. Reality: Snacks, Bedtimes, and Behaviour
Before you have kids, you picture the parent you’ll be and the kid you’ll have. But what happens when kids grow into humans that don’t match the ones we daydreamed about while pregnant? In this episode of Parenting, apparently, Melissa and Esther talk about parenting expectations vs. reality—from food rules and bedtime routines to chores and surprising behaviour. They compare how their parenting standards changed between their first and second children, how much of our parenting style comes from our own parents, the habits we want to keep (or break), and the age-old question: are kids shaped by how we raise them, or do they arrive with their own personalities? Plus, they get into showing affection in front of your kids, the brutal ways kids push buttons (“you’re a stupid mom”), our responsibility to let go of our preconceived notions, and what kind of parents they hope to be when their kids become teenagers. If you’re navigating the gap between parenting expectations and the messy reality of raising kids, this one is for you! Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently, a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 · E9
September 24 · 45 min
Two Founder Moms On Career Guilt and the Real Cost of Ambition
This week it's just Melissa and Esther — no guest, just the two of them, picking up a thread left over from last week's conversation about ambition: what were they actually chasing when they started Pok Pok, and is it still what they want? Is founder guilt just parent guilt with a business attached to it? Can you really measure balance by the week instead of the day? And where's the line between setting a high bar for yourself as a leader and never actually clocking out? Melissa and Esther get honest about what the company costs them and what it gives back — including the guilt they carry toward each other, and whether each of them feels like she's holding up her half. They talk about protecting weekends, running a company split between Toronto and Belgium, missing soccer games, and the Dr. Becky "fill up your cup" trick for leaving your kids before a trip. It's a candid look at what founders don't say out loud, and why neither of them calls being one "golden handcuffs." Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently, a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 · E8
September 17 · 49 min
Ambition, Motherhood, and the Millennial "Do It All" Script with Amil Niazi
In this episode of "Parenting, apparently," Esther and Melissa sit down with Amil Niazi — whose viral essays and national bestselling memoir have made her one of today's most talked-about parenting thinkers. The conversation grows out of the premise behind Amil's book, Life After Ambition, and her column, The Hard Part, for The Cut: what role does parenting play in our relationship with ambition and selfhood? How much of who we are should be defined by our job, versus everything else that makes up a life? Is "balance" a myth, or does it just work better as seasons than as a pie chart? And what does "good enough" actually look like on an ordinary morning — first day of school included? Drawing on her own winding path — from producing at CBC and BBC, to bylines in The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Washington Post, to finally settling into writing on her own terms — Amil shares hard-won lessons on letting go of the millennial "do it all" script. She also opens up about a small but telling choice: she tells her three kids she writes, rather than that she is a writer. It's a distinction that gets at the heart of her conversation with Esther and Melissa, and it raises a bigger question for the rest of us: does how we talk about our own careers shape how our kids will frame theirs? Read Amil's work at the cut: https://www.thecut.com/tags/the-hard-part/ And pick up a copy of her book Life After Ambition: A "Good Enough" Memoir: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/750349/life-after-ambition-by-amil-niazi/9780771005213 Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently, a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 · E7
September 10 · 42 min
Your kid has 8 senses, not 5! With Laura Petix
Melissa and Esther welcome back pediatric occupational therapist Laura Petix (the pod’s first return guest!) who arrives with a new book: The Sensory Code, out October 6. They start where her book does, with the nervous system budget. Everyone wakes up with a certain amount in the tank, and every ordinary thing costs something. Socks might cost Laura a dollar and cost her sensory-sensitive daughter five, which is how a kid ends up at zero, or into the negative, by the end of a school day. Laura explains how parents can better navigate their day with small sensory strategies. Laura outlines the three senses nobody learned in school: vestibular, proprioception, and interoception, which she calls the missing link to emotional regulation. It's why a kid can be genuinely unable to notice they're hungry until they’re home from school. Then Melissa asks a question many parents wonder: at what point is supporting your kid actually coddling them? Laura's answer is surprising. It's a warm conversation about what's going on underneath the behaviour, and why knowing about it makes everyone in the house easier to live with. Get Laura's new book: https://theotbutterfly.com/thesensorycode/ Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently, a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 · E6
September 3 · 42 min
Rethinking What School Offers Kids
In this episode of “Parenting, apparently,” Esther and Melissa rethink what school really offers kids. From exploring the differences between the Belgian and Canadian education systems to imagining what they would change as school principals, they dig into homework, academic pressure, and what kids actually need from school to thrive. Is it better to hold kids back as often as Belgian schools, or push them through like those in Canada? Is homework as important as hobbies after a long school day? Is it better to have the diversity and life experience of public school or the extra support of a private institution? Drawing on their personal experiences as kids in school and as parents now navigating these systems, they unpack what they think is supporting kids, and what needs to be retired. It’s a thoughtful conversation about education, childhood, and how school shapes us, while questioning how much children learn within the walls of a classroom versus everything they learn outside of it. Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently, a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 · E5
August 27 · 44 min
Surviving Your First Back-to-School Season
It’s back-to-school season, and Melissa’s son is starting kindergarten for the first time, while Esther is six years in with her two boys. Together, they chat about the practical and emotional realities of getting the family ready for a new school year. Melissa shares how she’s preparing for the transition (including her very real dilemma of whether she needs multiple lunchboxes), while Esther explains just how wildly different her boys’ lunch preferences are—one basically requests a charcuterie board—and helps Melissa get realistic about her planning. They talk about the logistics of dropping kids off in different directions, dividing the workload with their partners, and surprising differences between schools in Toronto and Belgium from early exams to whether teachers can hug students. Between rants about abolishing homework and stricter rules in North American schools to discovering bizarre Belgian snacks, it’s a funny, honest conversation about surviving back-to-school season and getting mentally ready for everything that comes with it! Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently, a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 · E4
August 20 · 40 min
The Motherhood Penalty: Our Take as Moms & Employers
In this episode of “Parenting, apparently”, Melissa and Esther unpack the “motherhood penalty”: the bias mothers can face in hiring, pay, promotions, and how their boundaries are perceived at work. The conversation was inspired by a recent interview Melissa had with a candidate for a role at Pok Pok. It was a mother who arrived on the call with her two-month-old on her lap, nursing on and off throughout the interview, and (correctly) assumed it wouldn’t be a problem. For Melissa, it became an unexpectedly emotional moment of trust in a world where being a mom at work can come with real consequences. Melissa and Esther reflect on their own experiences as moms and founders, including Melissa hiding her pregnancy while raising Pok Pok’s seed round. They also explore the hard question of: would you hire someone who’s seven months pregnant when your company needs help now? They also discuss the privilege of budgeting for parental leave as the company grows, if there is a fatherhood penalty, Belgium’s daycare shortage, and speaking at a tech conference five weeks postpartum. Read our blog about the Motherhood Penalty Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently, a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 · E3
August 13 · 50 min
What Can Millennial Childhood Teach Us About Parenting?
Melissa and Esther were 90s kids with very different upbringings. Growing up in Canada and Belgium, they compare notes on their millennial childhoods—from peanut butter lunch rules and being latch-key kids to weekend chores, screen time, and the freedom they each had growing up. Now that they’re parents, they ask: what parts of our 90s childhoods could never work today, and what might actually be worth bringing back? They explore how today’s parents are more informed and resourced than ever, yet face more pressure to get parenting “right”—from managing screen time and safety to raising independent, resilient kids. It’s a nostalgic but thoughtful conversation about ’90s childhood, millennial parenting, giving kids freedom, and what we can learn from the way we grew up. Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently, a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 · E2
August 6 · 51 min
Raising Feminist Boys & Growing Up in a Matriarchy with Edith (Esther’s Sister)
This week on “Parenting, apparently”, Esther is joined by her sister Edith for a conversation about childhood, motherhood, feminism, and the lessons we carry from the way we were raised. Edith works in TV and film in Belgium and is mom to four-year-old Louis. Together, Esther and Edith reflect on growing up in a matriarchal household and the challenge of raising sons with feminist values while helping them build confidence, empathy, and a strong sense of self. They revisit stories from their childhood, including Esther’s witchcraft phase, and talk about the pressure of modelling behaviours you’re still working on, navigating kids’ swearing, creating secret hand signals to communicate without words, and the invisible parenting lessons passed down through generations. It’s a funny, thoughtful conversation about sisterhood, motherhood, and raising the next generation, ending with a page from their mother’s real parenting philosophy playbook: have a fun day! Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently, a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 · E1
July 30 · 43 min
The Artist Parents Revolutionizing Kids’ Screen Time
Melissa Cash and Esther Huybreghts, hosts of Parenting, Apparently, share the story behind Pok Pok—their award-winning kids’ app built to rethink screen time through creativity, calm, and imaginative play. After struggling with the arrival of her second child, Esther searched for a digital experience for her toddler that didn’t exist yet: something that felt more like a real toy than a typical app. As artists, she and her husband Mathijs began creating a prototype that eventually pulled in Melissa, a former Disney designer. They share how Pok Pok grew from living room floor sketches into a globally recognized kids’ app, why they chose to build without addictive engagement tactics (despite investor doubt), and the intentional choices behind its gentle, open-ended design. From no ads, points, or levels to keeping the artwork hand-crafted, every decision was made to create a calmer experience for kids. Esther also reflects on how design choices she made intuitively, influenced by her own neurodivergent experience, have since resonated with neurodivergent families in the Pok Pok community. It’s a conversation about parenting, creativity, taking chances, and imagining a future of kids’ media that protects curiosity instead of competing for attention. Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently, a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 · E12
July 23 · 49 min
Can We Build Safer Social Media for Kids? With Leah Ringelstein
Is there such a thing as safe social media for kids? If so, what does it actually take to build it? This week, Melissa and Esther are joined by Leah Ringelstein, co-founder and CEO of Zigazoo, the kid-safe social media app designed to help children create mindfully instead of scroll. Before launching Zigazoo, Leah taught in Phoenix, Tanzania, and the Bronx, experiences that shaped her vision for a healthier online space for kids. Leah shares how Zigazoo moderates every video before it reaches the feed, how the platform encourages kids to lead with positivity, and how its moderation system uses a detailed behaviour matrix to flag everything from inappropriate language to subtle sarcasm. Beyond the inner workings of the app, the conversation explores the stigma parents face when letting kids use social media, and how platforms like Zigazoo can serve as a "practice playground" for building a healthier relationship with it. Leah explains how the app fosters digital citizenship and creativity instead of endless consumption, using positive role models to inspire kindness and empathy in young creators. If you're wondering how to keep kids safe online, what healthy social media for kids could look like, or whether there really is a better alternative to TikTok and other platforms for children, this episode is for you. Learn more about Zigazoo; https://www.zigazoo.com/ Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently, a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 · E11
July 16 · 38 min
AI Slop and the Future of Healthier Kids’ Media
This week, Esther and Melissa dive into the world of YouTube, AI slop, and the challenge of finding healthier media for kids. After creating their own low-stimulation kids’ channel, Studio Pok Pok, and navigating the YouTube Kids approval process, they question how so much low-quality content still reaches children and who should be responsible for changing that. They share why neither family uses YouTube Kids at home, how content being on the platform doesn’t guarantee quality, and the problem with autoplay. They also unpack real examples of AI-generated kids’ content, from alphabet videos missing letters to confusing traffic safety lessons like “green means turn right.” Beyond YouTube and AI, Esther and Melissa get personal about struggling with their own phone habits and how being the first generation to grow up alongside this technology shapes the concerns we have for our kids. While this conversation may not leave you with answers, it offers honesty, reassurance, and new perspectives for families trying to build a healthier relationship with the media their kids consume. Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently, a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 · E10
July 9 · 49 min
Identity After Kids, Birth Stories, and Redesigning Maternity Clothes with Sam Doll
Sam Doll is a musician, writer, filmmaker, and creator with over a million followers online. In this episode about finding yourself after kids, Sam joins Melissa and Esther to talk about the identity shift that comes with motherhood, postpartum struggles, and how becoming a mom has changed the way she shows up online. Inspired by sharing their birth stories, they unpack why so much of parenting can feel like a competition and why the hard parts are talked about more than the joys of parenthood. Sam also shares the story behind Riot Bbby, the maternity clothing line she created after getting frustrated with poorly designed maternity clothes. Follow Sam! https://www.tiktok.com/@sam_d0ll https://www.instagram.com/sam_d0ll Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently, a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 · E9
July 2 · 51 min
Finding Calm in Summer Parenting with Courtney Phillips Spoehr
Courtney Phillips Spoehr, senior creative executive at Calm, joins Melissa and Esther to talk about summer parenting stress and the pressure of the “18 summers” mindset. This conversation explores what real summer parenting looks like behind the highlight reel—from juggling work meetings, summer camps, and travel logistics to the guilt of not feeling present enough amid the overstimulation of the season. They unpack the cultural pressure to “make every summer magical” and how that expectation often clashes with parents’ mental health and capacity. Each mom shares honest reflections on staying regulated in hard moments, what repair looks like after losing patience with your kids, and how it’s okay to grieve that things aren’t always as easy as we’d hoped. Despite the pressure to create the best family memories, they point out how these often happen in the unplanned in-between moments. By protecting alone time and having realistic expectations, we can feel more present for the meaningful moments we’ve been chasing all along. Learn more about our summer campaign with Calm: https://playpokpok.com/blog/this-summer-myth-gives-parents-core-memory-anxiety/ Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently, a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 · E8
June 25 · 45 min
Donor Conception & Answering Kids Honestly with Freya Lyon
Freya Lyon — known online as The Queer Mama — joins Melissa for a chat about queer parenting, donor conception, and how to answer kids’ questions honestly about identity, death, and their bodies. Freya grew up donor-conceived in a two-mom family and is now raising her own two donor-conceived children with her wife, offering a second-generation perspective on queer family building. In this episode, the pair explore raising children when the world outside the home doesn’t always reflect their values — inspired by Freya’s personal example of her daughter’s school potentially pulling back LGBTQ+ inclusion. Freya shares how she’s navigating advocating for her family while not wanting to become “that parent at the school gates,” or intrude on her child’s safe space and autonomy. They also cover topics like: Does being honest with kids help or confuse them more? Why Freya’s post about donor conception honesty went viral The intentionality that comes with creating queer families Book recommendations for talking to kids about diversity and inclusion Follow Freya at: https://www.instagram.com/thequeermama/?hl=en And check out her book recommendations: Mai Story Book Library - https://www.instagram.com/maistorybooklibrary/ Lucy Catchpole - https://thecatchpoles.net/books-by-lucy-and-james-catchpole/ Nosy Crow - https://nosycrow.us/ Julia Donaldson - https://www.juliadonaldson.co.uk/ Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently, a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 · E7
June 18 · 50 min
How Boredom Led to a Global Line of Family Games with Elan Lee
This week on Parenting, apparently, Esther and Melissa sit down with Elan Lee, the award-winning game designer, storyteller, co-creator of Exploding Kittens, and, most importantly, a dad. Elan shares how becoming a parent changed the way he thinks about play, creativity, and game design—including how his 4-year-old daughter helped him create a successful line of preschool games. Together, they explore what makes a games fun for both kids and adults, why children are often the best collaborators in creative game design, and how play can help kids build confidence, executive function, problem-solving skills, and emotional resilience. From board games and puzzles to pizza-making, boundaries, and the joy of watching your child get better at something, this episode is a thoughtful conversation about family play, child-led creativity, play-based learning, and designing experiences that respect our kids’ intelligence. To learn more about Elan Lee: https://www.elanlee.com/ And follow his Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ElanLee And find his games: https://www.explodingkittens.com/ Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently, a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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