The B Word: Setting boundaries to help you survive December (and the rest of the year too!) Transcript

Please note: Transcripts for the No Guilt Mom Podcast were created using AI. As a result, there may be some minor errors.

JoAnn Crohn: Welcome to the No Guilt Mom podcast. I am your host, JoAnn Crohn, joined here by the lovely Brie Tucker. 

Brie Tucker: Well, hello, hello, everybody. How are you?

JoAnn Crohn: And we are right at the beginning of December, which is otherwise known as Hell Month for moms.

Brie Tucker: It’s like hazing time. you get dropped into the thick of it this time of the year. It’s just crazy. 

JoAnn Crohn: the happiest month of the year. No, it is. It is the happiest month of the year. especially if you have a lot of boundaries in place, which we’re discussing today 

Brie Tucker: Yes, today’s episode is brought to you by

JoAnn Crohn: letter B. B is for 

Brie Tucker: boundaries. And our guest happens to be… You know,

JoAnn Crohn: of parenting. com and frequently writes about the latest and greatest gear for parents and kids, as well as health, women’s lifestyle, pop culture, home, and food topics. Her work has also appeared in People, Real Simple, Shape, and Parents. And she’s the author of the book, Like a Mother, Banish Guilt, Blaze Your Trail, and Break the Rules to Create a Life You Love. and she is the mom to two boys, Elias 11 and Jake 8. And we hope you enjoy our interview with Bethany. That’s Bree’s intro music right there. Bree, you need to give us the intro music. Do it again.

Brie Tucker: Papa, Papa, 

Bethany Braun-Silva: Okay.

JoAnn Crohn: podcast, you will always hear the Brie transition music. But we have a guest. Bethany, welcome to the podcast.

Bethany Braun-Silva: Oh my gosh, I’d love to hang in with you guys. Thank you so much.

JoAnn Crohn: We first got to hang with you at our Mom Ignited summit, and you were one of the favorites there, gave such great and reasonable advice to moms. and I’m excited to dig into all the self-care stuff because self-care is something that gets such a, a complicated rap on social media about what you should do and what you shouldn’t do. So how have you seen moms be critical of themselves, Bethany?

Bethany Braun-Silva: Well, I think we’re all super hard on ourselves, especially, when it comes to parenting or maybe it’s not, we’re not at that pre-baby weight, like physically, like how we’re looking, how we’re feeling. It’s, it’s, it’s garbage. Like it’s, I don’t know really where it comes from, like outside influences, internal influences, maybe someone in your family, but it is so not what we need to be focusing on for ourselves, for our kids, for anybody.

So I’m especially hard on myself. When it comes to my career, you know, I feel like I’m always way behind, where I should be, and now I’m gonna, I’m working on for the new year to,really start to manage that a little bit.

JoAnn Crohn: That way behind kind of, I guess. mindset, you would call it. I have that too. this thing that you’re looking at everybody else out there and you’re thinking, Oh my gosh, they have it so together. And I’m not doing like a, B and C. And then you just like pile on the shoulds on yourself. Do you get that?

Bethany Braun-Silva: I get that a ton. I get that a ton. and then I go into a little bit of, the woo woo stuff, which I don’t know if you guys are into, 

JoAnn Crohn: Oh, tell me the woo woo stuff. 

Bethany Braun-Silva: it’s the universe’s timing, it’s not my timing, it’s happening, it’s just not happening right now, like, all of that. So I’m like, very big into, like, my Instagram, I don’t know, I fed it, I liked one post, now the algorithm just feeds me all of this, manifestation, the universe has got your back stuff, and I’m like, I just eat it up, I eat it up. 

Brie Tucker: Isn’t it crazy? It’s like, that’s how it goes. I, okay, I’m sorry. Somewhat related. Brie’s going to go a little bit off, off on a little bit of fork of a left here, but just last week I had that or two weeks ago. I don’t know. one of the Instagram followers and Joanne knows that I love to follow animals.

I like dogs. I like cats. that’s what I try to do with my social media. But Hammy and Olivia, shout out to Hammy and Olivia, poor little Olivia, the corgi passed away unexpectedly and they’ve had a really hard time with the passing, right? And there’s been a lot of posts about it. And I remember looking at my husband being like, I feel like there’s something going on with the universe.

He’s like, why? I’m like, because… Olivia passed away. It’s all over my feed. And then another friend of mine, their dog unexpectedly passed away and it’s all over the feed. And then now another friend, I had four people that had their animal passed away and their feeds pop up on my Instagram. And it’s funny, Bethany, cause you’re like, is it the universe or is it the 

JoAnn Crohn: It is totally the algorithm. It is. That is the algorithm for sure.

Brie Tucker: So like on top of all the holiday stress of Thanksgiving, I was terrified my dog was about to die. 

Bethany Braun-Silva: Oh my goodness! 

Brie Tucker: that. 

Bethany Braun-Silva: have

JoAnn Crohn: But it’s interesting because social media really has a part to play in how moms are critical of themselves. Cause Bethany, like you said, you liked one post and then you got fed all of this stuff. So if you like one of those posts about these perfect family pictures, guess what you’re going to see all the time.

Bethany Braun-Silva: to constantly remind myself, that a lot of these perfect, beautifully curated homes, this is their job. This is what they get paid to do, to have this home. This is, I’m, this is not my job, so my home will never look Like, that Yeah. 

Brie Tucker: with the whole, like you were talking about, I might not be at pre baby weight. you look at celebrities or people on Instagram and you’re like, God, how did they get, themselves put back together? They have time, they have a chef, they have a nanny, they have all of these resources! And 

Bethany Braun-Silva: Or Photoshop.

Brie Tucker: or, like, right, it is, that person’s job to do X, Y, Z. So yeah, giving ourselves that grace 

JoAnn Crohn: It is really interesting though, like what we’re exposed to and what we can manifest into the universe because I kind of am like iffy with woo, but also it gives you something to believe in rather than being so hard on yourself. Because if there’s some other factors in play that you have no control over, that’s something that you can let go, especially in terms of anxiety and stuff like that. How does that anxiety play in with you, Bethany?

Bethany Braun-Silva: I can get really wrapped up in my anxiety. I think, a lot of mothers, I actually, for a really long time, I don’t know if you call it like dealt with or suffered from those, what is it called? Like that? I might say the word wrong, but like that, uh, catastrophic thinking, right? 

JoAnn Crohn: Oh, yes. I’m, I’m, I’m, I’m an 

Bethany Braun-Silva: Yeah, yeah, like something really irrationally bad was going to happen to my Children or me or something and but really in the context of motherhood of being a mom, like I wasn’t going to be there for them or they weren’t going to be there for me. And, then I don’t know how comfortable I am talking about this, but I think it’s worth saying I went on, Lexapro like for a little while. I don’t know. I’m just like putting it out there because

Brie Tucker: girl, join the club, girl. We’re with you. We’re with you on that. 

Bethany Braun-Silva: it wasn’t for it wasn’t. Yeah, it wasn’t for depression It wasn’t for and it was mostly for this anxiety and it’s catastrophic thinking So I and part of what I do as a parenting writer and an editor and on my own pie podcast is I really work hard to de-stigmatize these sorts of things for mother.

So it’s important for me to be honest about where I was at with my mental health for so long. so I was taking that medicine for anxiety and, and it helped. Now I’m sort of like the kids are older. I’m able to kind of manage my own,in certain ways. And I know when I’m feeling off and things like that.

But I think when you’re really in the thick of it with young kids and if you’re, dealing with other things. And then I think a lot of it is like the outside influences, but know that there’s, there might be a solution for you. And maybe it wasn’t something that you had traditionally thought of. I was

JoAnn Crohn: Yeah. No, mental health is a huge thing. And I don’t feel like enough people talk about the medication. Like you hear the natural stuff on Instagram. You’re like, I did all this without taking medication. And it’s just so important to realize that meds are a tool. They’re a tool in the toolbox. There is no shame associated with it.

There is nothing. I mean, Glennon Doyle, for instance, I always remember this. 

Brie Tucker: Yeah. Yeah.

Bethany Braun-Silva: I know exactly what you’re going to say. 

Brie Tucker: Glennon, if you’re listening, we need you to Come join us. Come join us. 

JoAnn Crohn: But I love that. I love it was so de stigmatizing and then other Celebrities and stuff when they come on and say those things and gosh, I’m totally blanking on her name, but she was on the good place

Brie Tucker: Kristen Bell? No. 

JoAnn Crohn: I’m going to look it up. Her name is Jamila Jamil.

Bethany Braun-Silva: I guess I know her.

JoAnn Crohn: Yes.

Bethany Braun-Silva: outspoken about like body positivity and stuff like that. Yeah,

JoAnn Crohn: I see her posts and it brings me such joy. And it was. Seeing her admitting that she is taking anxiety meds that actually got me to start taking anxiety meds because she mentioned something when she was on Jennifer Hudson’s show she like tripped over a couch and she just handled it so perfectly that it was due to her anxiety medication.

And so when you see people in a public sphere saying Hey, this is the stuff that I struggle with and, here is like what I’m doing about it. It is so. refreshing because it just helps. .

But Jamila is really great on that. So we’re going to get into now what we can actually do to take care of ourselves. Now that we know that this is an issue for so many women and we’re going to go into the steps that you recommend right after this break. Okay, Bethany. So we know that so many women are self critical of themselves. So if you’re listening right now and you’re like, yes, yes, and yes, you are in the absolute right place because there is a way that moms can start prioritizing self care beyond the typical manis and petties. So what is one of the first things you recommend for self care?

Bethany Braun-Silva: boundaries. And it’s such a, 

JoAnn Crohn: love boundaries.

Bethany Braun-Silva: it’s such a like overplayed word. People are saying it all the time. And I really recommend mothers to set boundaries with their own

Now that might seem really scary, but I re I want to reassure you that setting boundaries with your Children on your time and your space does not mean setting boundaries on your love.

there’s not, there’s no limit on the love that you’re going to give them, but there might have to be a limit on the time that you give them during certain periods of the day, certain, peaks in your career or anything like that. So I’m really I know when boundaries are being crossed.

I’m an only child. I need space. I need silence. And as any mother knows that it could get really heavy sensory, overload very quickly when you’re raising young kids. So I 

JoAnn Crohn: be touched anymore in 

Bethany Braun-Silva: Don’t, I don’t want to, and I don’t want to hear them.

JoAnn Crohn: I don’t want to hear them. They need to go in a room.

Bethany Braun-Silva: Yeah, so and I know that I really know that about myself. So for me, I need that time. I need the time to just sit in peace and quiet to be uninterrupted. I work from home and I think that a lot of these kind of boundaries are blurred right like now that a lot of us are working from home. We had a pivot during the pandemic and where I sit in my bedroom and work, but this is also my office.

So just because I’m home and you’re here doesn’t mean that come in the endless interruptions during work as a writer is, is really, really horrible. It’s horrible. And it was driving me so insane. So now I put a sign on the door or talk to them really just about having respect for like my time, like as I’m working.

And they get the cool thing is what I am able to do. So I’m able to show them okay, you gave me this hour, here’s the article that I wrote, or here’s like the segment that I put together that’s going to be on television. So in a way, it helps them understand like tangibly, like when they give me this space, here’s the product, here’s the outcome of that.

I’m not just trying to get away from you. I love you. My, both of my kids are eight and 11 slept in my bed last night with me. so it’s not about boundaries no, like you can be all over me. We, I love you. Like, that’s it. We’re very, we’re very close.

Like, cause you know, but, but when I’m working and I know this about myself, I need that space and time.

JoAnn Crohn: There’s so much in there to dig into, though I see Bree, you want to say something. 

Brie Tucker: was just going to say, it’s, I say this a lot. It’s such a gift to your kids because you’re teaching them that completely giving yourself up to somebody else is not the way to communicate love, nor is, I mean, it’s just, I’m going to say it’s not the only way, but it’s definitely not a healthy way.

It’s teaching them that you can be your own person. You can do things that give you that space and that make you happy instead of them coming with, can you notice that perhaps Brie had this ideology when she was little? I always blame it on watching too many eighties romantic comedies 

JoAnn Crohn: Which are problematic all in themselves now, if you look back at some of romantic comedies. 

Bethany Braun-Silva: right? Like the, 

JoAnn Crohn: abedancy!

Brie Tucker: Like growing up thinking like that’s, oh, love means that I sacrifice everything for everybody else. that’s what that means. No, it doesn’t. And then you’re miserable. and then it starts that spiral. I’m doing something wrong because I’m miserable. No. No. No.

JoAnn Crohn: another thing that really like starts that thinking process that you’re doing something wrong is that kids will have some pushback when you start setting boundaries. And that pushback is a really. hard and emotional thing to deal with. And it brings up all of that guilt in you. so one of my big boundaries, like I need my sleep.

I need sleep. if it is past 10 PM, do not come in my room asking me to do something for you. That’s not going to happen. And my son, he’s 10 and he still has a bedtime, which is like nine 30. So nine 30, he’s in bed. Cool. My daughter’s almost 15. She doesn’t have a bedtime anymore. there’s no giving teenagers bedtimes.

And I tell you, the other night she went to go see the new Hunger Games prequel movie with some friends. And she came back at 1130. My husband went to pick her up. I’m there sleeping. There is a sleep mask on my face. And all of a sudden I am woken up because she has my hand. And she’s like, mama, mama, let me like tell you everything about the movie right now at 1130 at night. And she’s being so sweet about it. And what I found is she’s, been sick over the weekend. So she has bloody noses and my husband said that she was anxious about her bloody nose and needed that, but that’s what she did. She was like, mama, I love you. Oh, and I’m worried about this. So we had a discussion the next day and I’m like. If you see me asleep, like you cannot wake me up. And what I found from her is that she thought I easily fell back asleep after being woken up. So she was totally 

Bethany Braun-Silva: no. 

JoAnn Crohn: with 

Brie Tucker: My kids have that thought process, too! I don’t know where it came from, that, oh, I can just come in and wake you up, whatever. No! No. No,  That’s not how 

JoAnn Crohn: was an easy one. 

Brie Tucker: night.

JoAnn Crohn: That was an easy one with her. But a harder one was like when I set a boundary, like I was working and she basically accused me of ignoring her for

Bethany Braun-Silva: Oh, my, my eight year old does that all the time. I’m always on my phone. I’m always this. And I, maybe I am a little bit too much. And I, and you know what it is. It’s you try to explain to them, this is important to me and this is for work, but it’s hard for them to grasp that, they’re not, everything to you at every moment, right?

And maybe they are, but it’s sort of like those, like the glass balls, the plastic balls, like which ones can drop in a certain moment. And if your kids aren’t like in dire need, but this is like something that fills your cup, then I say, go for it. and the guilt, I’m a big proponent and I go like, I’m not a psychologist, but I push the guilt a lot because it doesn’t serve me.

And my father taught me that I’m an only child. I have a lot of guilt, like how I was with my parents. And he’s this is like a completely, this emotion does not serve anybody. Anytime I’m feeling it, I don’t sit with it. I just push through it. So I don’t know if that’s the right thing to do, but I push through it and I feel better.

JoAnn Crohn: No, I actually love that because a lot of the reading I’ve done recently about guilt is that you cannot make guilt go away. You have to learn ways to tolerate it until it passes. And I think what you do right there is you push through it and eventually it passes for you, right?

Bethany Braun-Silva: Yeah, absolutely. That’s actually that’s good. 

Brie Tucker: think a great thing you said there too was this emotion is not serving me. that’s a big piece that a lot of us have to be able to move on with. if you, again, like Joanne and I have talked about how we both have anxiety. Like it does this right now, is this situation serving me or not?

and if you can get to the point where you can move forward through it, that is awesome. But that one question right there is a game changer. 

JoAnn Crohn: it’s good to know that. And it’s good to know also, when you set boundaries, you do have people who push against them and 

resist them. And that’s the hard thing about setting boundaries. It’s not just the initial, I need this time. It’s the, what do you do when somebody else doesn’t respect that time?

So what do you say for that, Bethany? what do you do when someone else does not? Respect your boundaries. And we’re going to get your answer right after this break. 

Brie Tucker: Okay. 

JoAnn Crohn: what do you do, Bethany, when somebody pushes against your boundaries?

Bethany Braun-Silva: So I actually, if I could quote or reference another woman, Erica Day, who is incredible. And I actually interviewed her for my book and she is sort of a boundary expert. You’re like really fantastic woman. And when I asked her that question, I said, what do you do when the boundaries broken when it’s not respected, she goes, set it again. you just have to keep setting those boundaries. It’s like when you’re trying to teach your kid anything, it’s never just a one and done thing, right? You don’t potty train and one time and then it’s, and then expect your kid to have learned it. So it, you just have to, don’t be afraid to set the boundary and then don’t be afraid to reset it.

And if you have to tweak here and there, because you see, maybe your child really is struggling during that time from not being away from you to be able to be adaptable right in the moment. Right. So, and that’s sort of my, what I, if people ever ask me like what my parenting style is, I say that too, I’m just very adaptable to the moment, but keeping those boundaries in place.

When they really are serving everybody, they have to serve the person who they are, you know, the boundary, the boundary person, right? It was, it was protecting, but you know, when you’re dealing with kids, it has to also serve them in a way. and when, if it’s not and reset it, reevaluate and do all of that, but that was really.

something that I think about a lot too, because my kids still feel little to me. And when they’re feeling neglected or not listened to, that’s hurtful to me. I feel bad. I feel it’s not a, it’s not a great place to be as a mom, but then we just reevaluate. Let’s figure this out.

Okay. Maybe this isn’t the best time for me to be away from you so I can work. I’ll figure out, I can figure out another time.

JoAnn Crohn: Yeah, with kids in particular, like, it’s a really hard thing to, to set those boundaries with little ones. as they get to teenagers, you can use those more adult tactics of setting boundaries because they need that they need to know that something that I found that’s really helpful for boundaries is like defining them in three types.

So you have your rigid boundaries and those are the boundaries that you don’t move for anything, which really aren’t great for parenting. You have your porous boundaries, which is basically like when you set the boundary and then you’re like, Oh, this happened. Oh, I’m just going to let it slide right through.

Oh, this happened. I’ll change everything I do for that. So that doesn’t work either. But you’re talking about healthy boundaries, which is setting them and evaluating the situation in terms of your goals and your values in particular for your kids and reevaluating them and then resetting them. cool. 

Bethany Braun-Silva: that’s I live by that.

JoAnn Crohn: It’s a hard thing. Boundaries are a hard thing. And, it’s self care in particular in dealing with boundaries. what’s an instance, Bethany, that you have really had to set a boundary and outside of work, something that replenishes you outside of work that may have been just for yourself, not serving your kids, but that you had to do a boundary for.

Bethany Braun-Silva: Yeah, I think I mentioned a little bit before. It’s really just like having that alone time. my husband came from a really loud family, lots of people always in and out and having my boys and it’s just for some reason. an hour before bedtime is the time that everyone decides they want to start wrestling.

And it’s it is it’s crazy. So I get, I’m very sensitive to that kind of the sensory overload. I don’t, you know, my kids could have the TV on and music and be screaming and everyone’s cool. So me, I’m not cool with that. And so what’s really helps to serve me is really just removing myself.

So if I can’t set the boundary in the home where, where, you know, more often than not, when I’m not working, and I feel like I need to leave, I’ll just have to leave. I’ll have to remove myself in some kind of way. And sometimes all just goes in the car. Sometimes it’s a drive. Sometimes it’s, I don’t know, just getting out, removing myself because it’s not fair to ask them, right?

turn this stuff down. Like you’re being so loud, right? Like they’re having a great time with their dad, it. Like I’ll go. So for me, that mental health aspect of just having time to decompress in silence is really important. and I didn’t realize how important it was until I was burnt out realizing like, why do I feel so bad when, you know, work is okay and my relationships are okay, but something’s off, like something’s just not sitting well at in my home with my family.

And I realized it was just like the constant noise, the, just like everything, the visual, the auditory, the touching, like everything. And so for me, it’s just, instead of asking them to not do that, it’s, I’ll just. I’ll go ahead and remove myself. And if I can’t go outside, then I go up into the bedroom and until they find me

JoAnn Crohn: Yeah.

Bethany Braun-Silva: quietly, remove myself. Yeah, 

Brie Tucker: the fact that you found a solution that also gave you Because having the solution was like, okay, everybody be quiet. Everybody come, everybody like bring down. You still have the fact that they’re all right there and the touching possibly, especially if you’re like over sensory there.

I like that your solution. Is able to give you a break your kids are with their dad. Dad is chill Awesome, let’s do this and you get to just extract the mental load because there’s also the factor too anybody else here? That’s oh my god, they’re wrestling. Oh my god. So and so’s gonna get hurt.

They’re gonna break that face They’re gonna like mess up that couch. They’re gonna knock over the juice like it’s like 

JoAnn Crohn: They’re going to go too far and make their brother cry, and then I’ll have to deal with all those emotions. So then I’m like,

Bethany Braun-Silva: which I have been there. I’ve been there and it’s, and I actually like, yeah, and that really is the only way. Not only can I like help serve like all the sensory stuff, but yeah, all that anxiety around like breaking the house, breaking somebody’s face, breaking, like spilling stains. and I’m just like, you know what? Yeah. Like he’s got this. Dad’s got this. I’m going to go. 

JoAnn Crohn: Totally. Well, we know a big part of mental health is to always have something to look forward to. So what are you looking forward to right now, Bethany, that’s exciting you?

Bethany Braun-Silva: Yeah. I’ve had a lot of good momentum. I know I was saying like, Oh, sometimes I get down on myself for my career about, but I also think about how far I’ve come and this 2023 brought me like a lot of really good, planted a lot of seeds and I’m really excited to see them blossom in 2024 and beyond.

And maybe it’s with expanding the podcast, writing more, working on a second book. but for me, I do feel like in many ways I’ve hit the sweet spot, like in my life, I’m approaching 40. the kids are really, they’re older. they are more self sufficient. things seem good. And it was not without tons of work leading up to this part this time.

so I, in many ways I’m able to really turn inwards, put that attention. And that self care like back into myself, my career, the things that really make me happy. So I’m excited to see where that goes. and I haven’t felt this hopeful and like really having such a positive outlook in a long time.

because when you’re really in the thick of parenting, sometimes you’re kind of just like heads down grinding, just getting through day by day and survival mode. And I just feel like I’m on the other side of that now. And it feels really good. It feels 

JoAnn Crohn: That’s a huge, huge celebration to have. Well, it has been amazing talking to you, Bethany. We have learned so much about boundaries and how you set them in your own life and how it looks like setting them working from home with kids. And we just love you and thank you so much for being here.

Bethany Braun-Silva: I love you guys. Thank you so much. 

JoAnn Crohn: And I just want to say B is for boundaries. That’s good enough for me. B is for boundaries. That’s good enough for me. I can keep going. 

Brie Tucker: that. What is that from? 

JoAnn Crohn: I think it’s a Sesame Street song, but I just made a B is for boundaries. Oh, C is for cookie. That’s what I’m doing.

Brie Tucker: Oh, I was Like, I 

JoAnn Crohn: I get that tune? 

Brie Tucker: was impressed. I’m sitting here going wow, Joanne’s just like Weird Al Yankovic in this, just like creating it on the fly. And here we go. I cannot do that. 

JoAnn Crohn: That’s what we do in my house. We make songs about things that we just. I’ll sing randomly and then we’ll make funny lyrics to it. my kids are both pretty quick like with the, they’ll do the insults or they’ll do the quick comebacks, especially, my daughter. So 

Brie Tucker: yeah, I’m 

JoAnn Crohn: I have to keep up my game.

Brie Tucker: trying to think,the quickness in our house is how fast can Miguel or I quote an 80s song or 80s movie,

JoAnn Crohn: Yeah. I 

Brie Tucker: the quickest comebacks we have. There’s nothing original. It’s just… Did you say something that gets one of us to go say something and I’m like, now all I can think of is that’s what she said, but that’s not our normal one.

JoAnn Crohn: I got in so much trouble with my daughter for saying that there was some line. And I was like, I said under my breath, that’s what she said. And she’s like, Mom, did you just say that’s what she said? And I’m like, yes. She’s like, people don’t say that anymore, Mom.

Brie Tucker: old people do. And we’re Old people that I was actually, my, my big favorite one is like, where’s my 2. And only some people will get that reference. 

It’s a it’s okay for our age group for yours and mine JoAnn Like it’s a movie that is not everybody has seen it’s called Better Off Dead with John.

Yeah, John Cuzak Yeah, and there’s this scene where like the paper throughout the entire movie the paper boy is trying to get his money and he’s like Stalking the main teen character. It’s not even his house It’s his parents, but he’s stalking him and he’s like I want my two dollars So Whenever anybody asks for anything in this house, Miguel and I we’ll be anywhere and all of a sudden you hear somebody run downstairs Where’s my 2? And my kids are just like you guys are idiots. You’re idiots. We don’t know. 

JoAnn Crohn: we do that with Dora. I’m a fire chicken. Bonk, bonk! That’s from a Dora episode.

Brie Tucker: Dora pretty well, but I do not know the fired chicken one

JoAnn Crohn: It’s a chicken dressed up as a firefighter. That’s all you need to know.

Brie Tucker: Well, that sounds very, I need to see that now. Now I’m gonna have to look that up. I’m gonna 

JoAnn Crohn: I’m a fire chicken. Bawk, bawk! It’s what we do all the time. And then there’s this other Dora episode. It’s not, it’s actually not a Dora episode. It’s a YouTube video of a parody of a Dora episode. It’s talking about burying dead bodies, in my house, and it’s like, 

Brie Tucker: a dark turn, I can tell.

JoAnn Crohn: Where 

Brie Tucker: Never seen, 

JoAnn Crohn: Let’s go! 

Brie Tucker: I have never seen non dark spoof of Dora. They’re always very interesting, but 

JoAnn Crohn: There, yeah, just the dark humor combined with children’s, things. It’s funny.

Brie Tucker: yes.

JoAnn Crohn: There’s one family guy episode I think about all the time, especially when my kids are whining about something or saying like, Oh, I can’t believe this is happening. It was, just one of those little inserts and family guy where he was, Peter Griffo was watching TV and it was a fast animal, small children.

I spilled honey on myself and then it cuts to the tiger with music. What am I going to do with this honey? That’s what I think about each time like my kids are like, Oh, I can’t believe we’re having pizza for dinner. Tiger’s running. You got to get through it somehow, 

Brie Tucker: Oh, my good Lord. Oh, there’s a glimpse into the minds of No Guilt Mom of the two of us.

JoAnn Crohn: It’s how we keep sane 

Brie Tucker: is, because, 

JoAnn Crohn: the day to day.

Brie Tucker: because this is a rough time of the year, and that is why, I’m gonna tie this back in, that is why you need healthy boundaries, and you need to excuse yourself so you can giggle in silence in your room, or wherever, about whatever it is that brings you that happiness, 

JoAnn Crohn: Yes. And if your kids are whining about something that they don’t have for Christmas, just think fast animals, slow children.

Brie Tucker: There you go. that is our holiday season gift to you.

JoAnn Crohn: So remember the best mom is a happy mom. Take care of you. We’ll talk to you later.

Brie Tucker: Thanks for stopping by.