Go Ask Your Mother

Holidays pre-children are a relaxing affair filled with only things you want to do, post babies they become expensive palavers, filled with mascots, kids clubs and theme parks. Is a family holiday even a holiday for the parents? And all this is hard enough without having to decide whether to pay the fine and take your kids out of school or pay the extortionate prices to travel during the summer holidays. Let's face it getting away as a family is never cheap but can you really put a price on broadening your children's horizons and perspectives of the world? In this episode Sindy & Vanel unpick their own childhood holiday woes and the two discuss all the places they would like to go - with and without the kids! And, like many of us with family abroad, they debate when is the right time to see family and when is the right time to see the world.

From baby showers to graduations, celebrations become a key point in any parents journey. And when it comes to celebrating, every family has their own traditions to keep, whether that's the obligatory game of charades at christmas or the family matching costumes at Halloween - it's all part of the fun….right? Not to mention the all important birthday parties and the politics that comes along with them - who to invite, who not to invite and how much is too much to spend? In this episode Vanel and Sindy talk about how their families celebrated growing up and what they intend to celebrate with the girls - or not. We even get to hear of how a young Vanel who never got to celebrate halloween used to hand out stock cubes to trick or treaters as revenge.

A child's curiosity is inevitably going to lead them to question how we all came to be? And with the many, varied answers out there - whether religious, scientific and everything in between - parents have to make a choice. Even then, there may be different approaches from nursery, from school and even within the family. So how do we let our children know that this fundamental question is essentially up for debate? In this episode Vanel and Sindy tell us all about their own religious journeys and their experiences of a religious upbringing - for good and bad. The also talk about how they pan to navigate raising their children Christian in 2020 and what happens if the girls turn their back on faith.

Social media is rapidly changing the world we live in and Vanel and Sindy better get prepared to help the girls navigate this online life. From seemingly ‘perfect' influencers to trolls & bullies, there are a lot of people your children may encounter on social media but how do we protect them from the often treacherous online world? Let's face it, many parents are guilty of posting those cute baby snaps on their own socials but how old is old enough to have an online presence? Is even keeping them offline an option when social media pages are the new CV and like and follows the new currency? It's all so confusing, but in this episode Vanel and Sindy tackle all these tricky questions and more, whilst trying to figure out the line between the pros and cons of social media. As well as telling us of all their embarrassing parental online interactions - what is it with Mum's and Facebook forwards!

Yep, it'll happen and you are going to have to talk to them about it...or do you leave it to their peers and the online world to answer their questions? Every parent dreads having “The Talk” with their kids but in this episode Vanel and Sindy talk about the consequences of not having it when they were growing up. We also hear about peer pressure and how a younger Vanel felt being the only one at the party to still be a virgin. They both try to tackle their own anxieties about having “The Talk” with the girls and is Vanel off the hook when it comes to dealing with these awkward conversations? We shall see, when some expert advice changes their mind about the whole topic!

With more and more people choosing to bypass the marriage route - is being married important to parenthood? In this episode we hear all about how Vanel and Sindy got engaged! The two also tell us how they were raised to think about marriage and discuss just how important it is in raising children. Plus, the amazing Marvyn Harrison of Dope Black Dads drops by to give Vanel some pretty unique marriage advice.

As a music lover Vanel cannot imagine a world without it, and it's influence on his life is something he wants the girls to have too. But what kind of influence does music actually have on how we raise our kids? Does playing an instrument actually make them smarter? Should we be worried about the kinds of music they may listen to? Well in this episode Vanel and Sindy find out. They talk about their musical childhood memories, how it gave them a link to their cultures and they even talk it through with a very musical family member!

Recognising when your kid is sad is obviously important to all parents but understanding how to approach mental health with them, whilst taking care of your own is just as important. Dealing with things such as postpartum depression, overwhelming responsibility, or financial struggles - parenting can often be its own mental challenge. In this episode Vanel and Sindy get some expert advice on how to check in with each other and the girls, whilst revealing some of their own mental health struggles.

Keeping the peace in a household goes beyond just dealing with sibling rivalry; if it isn't the kids getting at each other, it's the parents! Let's face it, every family bickers but the challenge lies in finding the line between learning conflict resolution skills and creating a damaging environment. In this episode Vanel and Sindy discuss how to argue in front of the kids without them knowing and how they plan to deal with the inevitable future arguments between the girls!

Public or state school? Uni or no Uni? When it comes to educating our offspring there are often too many questions. Considering that in reality, teachers are often raising our kids with us, school is something that has the potential to go oh so right or oh so wrong. What happens if your child is gifted? What happens if they are not? In this episode Vanel & Sindy talk boarding school, the struggles of homeschooling through lockdown and what they would do if they could do school all over again.

Having children is one of the biggest decisions we can ever make… and that's a best case scenario. Sometimes it's not a decision we can make at all. In this episode, Sindy tells us about her PCOS diagnosis and having to accept that she might not be able to have another child. So fast forward to when she did fall pregnant for a second time, it wasn't just a shock for Vanel. Sindy and Vanel also dive into the childfree movement to see if the grass may be greener, and explore what actually makes us ‘ready' to have kids.

Everyone knows it's wrong to have favourites...right? Is it possible not to have a natural preference, at least some of the time? Kids have no problem letting mum and dad know who's top, and this can be a bone of contention for the rejected parent. But what should you do, if anything? In this episode Vanel and Sindy reveal who was the favourite growing up and how Sindy would feel if her two girls turn out to be Daddy's girls!?

Are screens our make-do babysitters? Some parents are blamed for giving their children too much, while others - including Bill Gates - insist on raising their kids “screen-free”. Let's face it, screens can be a helpful distraction, for those long car journeys or even when Mum just needs five minutes, but we all know too much isn't good. In this episode Vanel and Sindy get some expert advice on how to navigate screen time, not just the kids' but theirs too. They also discuss the right age to give your child a phone and whether kids should actually be offline and outside, away from those addictive devices.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Footballer, teacher... Youtuber?! In this episode Vanel and Sindy get their career counsellor hats on to talk hard graft and dream jobs.

Vanel and Sindy talk head lice, keeping healthy and those trusted home remedies.

Our friends have a huge effect on us, helping define who we are as we grow, so how could we possibly leave such an important aspect of our children's lives up to them? Whether it's keeping your kid out of the wrong crowd or trying to be their best friend, in this episode Sindy and Vanel tackle all things friendship.

From tattoos to crazy fashion trends, Sindy and Vanel talk appearance.

Vanel and Sindy talk about a tricky issue all parents face - lying.

Vanel and Sindy talk pocket money, the cost of kids and Sienna's thrifty ways.

Vanel and Sindy talk the ups and downs of sibling life and just how well the girls get on

In one family you can have a grandparent who was hit with a cane, a parent who was spanked and now a child who is... reasoned with? Discipline is a touchy subject, but whether your child throws a fit in public or tries to stick their fingers into a plug socket, every now and then kids need to be set straight. But how? With naughty steps, timeouts and groundings all on the table, what is the best way to discipline your child? In this episode Vanel and Sindy reveal just how disciplined their own upbringings were and what they find most difficult when it comes to laying down the law at home. They even have an expert nanny to give them some tips on how to manage those terrible twos.

A top school, a solid community and of course a 24-hour corner shop. Vanel and Sindy talk hometowns, and debate the perfect location to raise their kids.

Organic, low carb, vegan, or carnivore, diet has never been so debatable. In this episode Sindy and Vanel tackle food - from picky eaters to keeping cultural food on the table

What's in a name? Everything - From the traditional to the unique, Sindy and Vanel talk names, why they matter, and the importance of getting it right!

From a Twitter storm to introducing a pregnant Sindy to Vanel's family for the first time - all within a year! But would they be happy for their kids to follow the same path?

How do you even make a trailer!? In this episode Vanel and Sindy tackle intros, teasers and what's to come across the series.