Married with Kids

Emily and Ben talk about their use of natural family planning and how it has impacted their relationship. In this episode, we use the audio from Emily’s other podcast, “Wholly a Woman,” where she interviewed Ben about their use of NFP. They talk about some research studies that have looked at NFP and the effects on relationships and their own experiences. We even talk about sex (nothing graphic). Get ready for the most intimate episode of Married with Kids yet!

Ben and Emily talk about exercising before and after kids. We talk about how we have made our routines work over the years and discuss some strategies for fitting in exercise even with the busy-ness of kids.

Emily and Ben go over what they learned from the First Name Basis podcast (www.firstnamebasis.org). The worst thing you can do is NOT talk to your kids about the difficult topics of race and racism. Here are some good things you can do: 1)talk to your kids about differences in skin tone, 2)teach them that race was made up and our society is UNFAIR, 3)question your own biased thoughts and teach your brain to think new ones, 4)seek out new opportunities to meet people who are different from you, and 5)when someone tells you that you do or say something racist, apologize and ask how you can be better next time. These are tough conversations and you will probably screw up, but it’s better to do that than not have the conversation at all. Check out the First Name Basis podcast and their website for even more information on how to have important conversations with your kids

Emily and Ben talk about their kids being creative and using their imaginations. You don’t have to do much to foster creativity - keep it simple and have an open mind.

Ben and Emily talk about how they are parenting their kids while dealing with the loss of a family member. Parenting can be tough when times are tough, but asking for help and recognizing when you can provide extra help for your spouse are important. And sometimes kids are the best distraction from the hard stuff and they can help you remember the good.

Ben and Emily discuss how they were disciplined, how they discipline their kids, and how they would like to discipline in the future.

Part 2/2. In the opposite perspective from last week, Emily and Ben discuss the things they enjoy about life with kids.

Ben and Emily reminisce about life before kids. They discussing missing things like time-freedom, cleanliness, and quiet. Stay tuned for next week’s episode when they will talk about all the things that are now better with kids

Ben and Emily discuss the costs of child-rearing. They talk about how they thought about newborn expenses (needs) and the decisions they are making about toddler expenses (wants). They explain how they’re trying to teach their kids about money now and what that may look like in the future

Ben and Emily talk about navigating friendships with small children. We discuss different kinds of friends your kids may have, including imaginary ones. Friendships can be difficult, even into adulthood, but we are all influenced by the people we surround ourselves with, so it’s important to be mindful starting when your kids are young

Emily details her weekend alone with the kids while Ben gets some time away at the cabin

Ben details his weekend alone with the kids. Emily got to spend a quiet weekend away at the cabin and Ben handled two toddlers. Stay tuned for next week’s episode when their roles are reversed!

Ben and Emily discuss bedtime routines with kids from babies to toddlers. The key is to keep it simple and consistent

Ben and Emily discuss how to deal with toddlers who can’t handle the thought of one parent putting them to bed over another one and other similar situations. We offer some practical strategies and some thoughts about how to handle the emotional burden that can come with figuring out how to deal with kids and their big emotions.

Emily and Ben talk about their approach to feeding their kids, from when they were babies up to the toddler years. This is an area we are still working on, but we wanted to share our reality

Today we have a special treat for you: we have some guests on the podcast!! Our good friends, who are also married with kids, join us to talk about how important it is to have friendships as parents. It is helpful for both the parents and the kids!

We explore our life through second hand goods and our opinions on how to view them in your own life

Emily and Ben describe how being involved in a church community and living their faith help them parent their young kids. Leading your kids by example, creating a safe space, and teaching them new prayers are all things Emily and Ben are doing to help enrich their faith and family lives.

Ben and Emily talk about the various illnesses their kids have gone through and how they’ve dealt with them. Listen for a pro parenting tip and a pharmacist tip!

Ben and Emily talk about avoiding becoming THAT parent - you know the one who is constantly looking over their kid’s shoulder (aka helicopter parent) OR the one who is never paying attention to their kid. They discuss how to find a happy medium while parenting young kids

Ben and Emily discuss how to handle it when your spouse is gone. They talk about tips to help make the time pass and to make it a special time with the kids. Giving yourself some grace and honoring some alone-time for your spouse are both important. Overall, being the only parent is not easy, but it can be really meaningful.

Ben and Emily discuss celebrating important days like birthdays and anniversaries with young kids. How to make these days feel special while also planning around your family life

What do you do when your toddler asks you about your private parts? How do you handle questions about death and dying? What if you don’t know the answer to your child’s question? Emily and Ben explain their approach to talking to their young kids about difficult-to-talk-about topics

Ben and Emily discuss their approach to reading with kids. Plus a discussion on the best and worst children’s books. The moral of the story is: read with your kids!

Emily and Ben reflect on the past year of parenting and discuss what they will start, stop, and continue for the next year

Ben and Emily talk all about their Christmas experience with a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old

Emily and Ben talk about their daycare experiences. Topics include choosing a provider, interviewing, and determining what is important and not when it comes to someone else caring for your child

Ben and Emily discuss those times in parenting when you honestly have no idea what to do: crying infants, crying toddlers, setting arbitrary rules (and then sticking to them!). DOUBLE EPISODE! Stick around to hear about meal times at home

Emily and Ben discuss how they use schedules and calendars and how these have helped their marriage and their parenting

Costumes (family or not), candy, and cold temperatures - you will hear it all in this holiday-themed episode

We talk about how we accumulated all the toys we have, what toys we had for different ages, and which toys we like (hint: rhymes with rocks) and dislike (if it makes noise and doesn’t come with batteries, don’t get it)

While kicking off a weekend away from the kids, Ben and Emily talk about what it is like to spend time away from their kids. Plus a special guest and new mom joins the podcast for another perspective on the topic

Car seats, snacks, music choices

Newborn poop, breast milk poop, colored poop, pooping issues. We cover it all.

We discuss the precious moments with our children and how documentation may not always be necessary.

Ben and Emily dive into the story of the birth of their first child.

Ben and Emily reveal what their new podcast is all about - spoiler alert - being married with kids!