Parenting, apparently

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 viralThe intentionality that comes with creating queer familiesBook recommendations for talking to kids about diversity and inclusionFollow Freya at:https://www.instagram.com/thequeermama/?hl=enAnd 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/

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/@ElanLeeAnd find his games:https://www.explodingkittens.com/

In this episode of Parenting, Apparently, Esther and Melissa sit down with developmental psychologist Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek to talk about why play is one of the most powerful ways children learn. From everyday moments like walking to daycare or waiting at a restaurant, to bigger questions about screen time, school readiness, and achievement pressure, they explore how parents can bring more curiosity, connection, and play into daily life without added stress.Dr. Kathy shares why kids do not need perfect parents, flashcards, or constant milestone tracking to thrive. Instead, she makes the case for open-ended play, human interaction, and child-friendly environments that support creativity, language, problem-solving, and emotional development. For parents wondering how to help their kids learn without turning childhood into a race, this episode offers a grounded, science-backed reminder: play is not extra. Play is the work.Learn more about Dr. Kathy's work:https://kathyhirshpasek.com/And find her book: Einstein Never Used FlashcardsCheck out the study she mentions on human excellence and world class performance by Barth and Güllich:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41411418/And her book recommendation "Raising Humans" by Dana Suskind:https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/811792/human-raised-by-dana-suskind-md/

This week on Parenting, Apparently, Esther and Melissa speak with Ben Drury, co-founder and CEO of Yoto, the screen-free audio platform for kids designed to support independence, imagination, and choice in what children listen to.Together, they explore what it means to design intentional media for kids, how their own parenting experiences shape their views on children’s technology, and reflecting on growing up with different forms of media.The conversation moves beyond business into the real parenting questions behind products like Yoto and Pok Pok: how kids develop taste, why audio can support autonomy, and how families navigate screen time in a world of AI-generated content and addictive algorithms. Ben also shares how Montessori thinking and his experience as a parent shaped his approach to building for children.For parents thinking about balancing calm screen time for kids, screen-free activities, and more thoughtful children’s media, this episode explores how different types of technology can support a healthier relationship with tech as kids grow.To learn more about Yoto;https://www.yotoplay.com

This week on Parenting, apparently, Esther and Melissa explore how parenting can make the world feel big again. From dinosaurs, outer space, and gemstones, to basketball, poisonous plants, and library deep dives, they talk about the strange and joyful ways kids’ niche interests reignite curiosity in adults, too. The conversation unpacks learning alongside our children, supporting open-ended play, respecting kids’ obsessions as meaningful, and finding ways to nurture curiosity without turning every moment into a lesson. It is a warm, funny episode about parenting, child development, fostering creativity, and the lifelong value of asking “why?”.

What happens when we reject “bounce-back” culture and bounce forward into who we’re actually becoming?Marlie Cohen, founder of Bounce Forward, has joined Esther and Melissa for a chat that celebrates the postpartum transformation and eases the pressure of getting back to our former selves. Marlie shares how postpartum anxiety, physical injury, COVID, and two young children pushed her to reject the “bounce back” narrative and create a more realistic fitness platform for moms.This isn’t just about exercise—It’s about designing supportive habits that respect the actual conditions of motherhood.For more about Marlie and her company Bounce Forward Co;https://www.instagram.com/kale_and_krunches/https://www.bounceforwardco.com/

Have you ever felt like the thing you really want for Mother’s Day is not flowers or macaroni art but… a break from your parental duties?Melissa Cash and Esther Huybreghts are back for a new season of “Parenting, apparently” (FKA “We’re Doing Great). This new name embodies the kinds of honest conversations they feel we could all use more of—like acknowledging the complicated feelings around Mother’s Day. They explore what it means to be a mom while also trying to stay connected to the person underneath it all. Like how this experience is affected by everything from their respective countries, hormonal changes, and career ambitions, to more systemic factors like parental leave.In the spirit of this new season, you will not be sold solutions or spewed off advice, but rather given permission to accept that there is nothing to solve. The uncertainty and constant evolution is parenthood, and normalizing that is how we find more peace on the journey.If you’re interested in the research Melissa mentioned from the TED Talk with Susana Carmona, Michael Feigelson, and Lee Gettler, you can explore more here:The Maternal Brain ProjectSusana's writingsDecreased Testosterone in Fathers Study

What happens when you stop directing your child's play and simply let them lead?In this episode, Esther sits down solo with multidisciplinary artist and mom Mills Brown to explore the deep, sometimes surprising, places where play, creativity, and parenthood overlap. You'll hear about Mills's sensory play sessions for children as young as six months at Modern Art Oxford, her upcoming solo exhibition, and the Montessori philosophy that shapes everything she does, including why the most powerful thing you can do in a play environment is step back and say nothing at all. Whether you've been wondering how to nurture your own creativity or simply how to make more space for truly free, open-ended play at home, this conversation is warm, curious, and full of gentle reminders that you're doing better than you think.Mills Brown is a multidisciplinary artist whose work lives at the intersection of painting, illustration, animation, and sculpture, with play as the thread that ties it all together. She's the Producer of Early Years and Young People at Modern Art Oxford, where she creates sensory play experiences for children as young as six months old, and is the creator of the upcoming immersive solo exhibition Where We Overlap. She's also a mom to an 18-month-old, which means her studio, her gallery, and her living room all tend to blur into one big creative experiment.Thank you to Mills Brown for being on our show!Learn more about Mills at https://www.millsbrownart.com/ or by following her Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/mills_brown_