Minimally Acceptable Parents Podcast

Minimally Acceptable Parents

Benjamin Long
A podcast documenting our journey through 12 parenting books over 12 months as we tackle being intentional parents. Join us as we explore excellence, but will most likely attain imperfection!
Are My Kids on Track: Boundaries, Reflection, and COVID-19
We spend some time talking about COVID-19 and it's impact around us. Then we explore excellence with chore time, practicing spelling, & finding the silver lining during this difficult time. Then we attain imperfection with missed moments and dinner interruptions. We wrap-up our last book review of, "Are My Kids on Track?" by Sissy Goff, David Thomas, and Melissa Trevathan. We discuss the social milestones of awareness, reciprocity, ownership, & importance of boundaries for young men. Then we discuss spiritual milestones of foundation, identity, mercy, and meaning. We finish by reflecting on the past year and how we have grown in this season. Then we add our last quote for the Parent Board and read through our quotes for our vision statement for parenting. Show Notes - COVID-19 3:50 Exploring Excellence 7:42 Attaining Imperfection 15:14 Book Review 18:27 Parent Board 1:10:14
Mar 30, 2020
1 hr 17 min
Are My Kids on Track?: Vocabulary, Entitlement, and the DMV
We explore excellence with practicing restraint and keeping new year's formations. Then we attain imperfection with distracted evenings and trying patience at the DMV. We kickoff our last book review of, "Are My Kids on Track?" by Sissy Goff, David Thomas, and Melissa Trevathan. We discuss the emotional milestones of emotional vocabulary, empathy, perspective, & resourcefulness and touch on masculinity and femininity, rating anxiety, creating space, and emotional entitlement. Then we save our last quote for the Parent Board for the season finale. Show Notes - Exploring Excellence 1:23 Attaining Imperfection 7:12 Little Things in Between 8:55 Book Review 11:57 Parent Board 41:21
Mar 11, 2020
43 min
The Gardener & The Carpenter: Imitation, Technological Pessimists, & Spats
We explore excellence with new books & animal facts. Then we attain imperfection with sick days and a difficult weekend. We complete our discussion on Alison Gopnik's book, "The Gardener & The Carpenter" with a discussion on some cool developmental psychology experiments, exploring how children learn through imitation and testimony, as well as touching on essentialism, why kids ask why, curiosity and play, playground culture, & technological pessimists. Then we end with a new quote for the Parent Board from the last sentence in the book. Show Notes - Exploring Excellence 2:40 Attaining Imperfection 09:50 Book Review 16:51 Parent Board 1:03:20
Jan 23, 2020
1 hr 5 min
The Gardener & The Carpenter: Zombies, Oxytocin, & Vaccine Hesitancy
We explore excellence with exciting career news, removing ingrown toenails, and avoiding zombies. Then we attain imperfections in our budget and exercise routines. We start our discussion on Alison Gopnik's book, "The Gardener & The Carpenter" with a discussion on why the "parenting" model is insufficient, the connection between immaturity & prolonged lifespan, and the powers of oxytocin to "tend & befriend" but also to make ingroup versus outgroup. We then take a major to detour to discuss ingroup versus outgroup in the context of institutional racism and vaccine hesitancy. Then we end with a new quote for the Parent Board! Show Notes: Exploring Excellence 2:45 Attaining Imperfection 07:28 Book Review 10:48 36:19 - The book I mention - Divided By Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America by Michael O. Emerson & Christian Smith Parent Board 47:11
Jan 3, 2020
50 min
Simplicity Parenting: Cool Runnings, Blockbuster, & Crafting Rhythms
*This episode is PART B of Simplicity Parenting & picks up in the middle of our book review. So, we suggest checking out Episode 19A first.* In Part B we continue our discussion on increasing predictability & crafting rhythms through pause, dinner, and bedtime. We reminisce on our childhood family dinners and blockbuster video. Then we touch on letting go of control, simplifying schedules, boredom, Sabbath, screens, & filtering out the adult world.
Dec 15, 2019
43 min
Simplicity Parenting: Tree Climbing, Toy Marketing, & A Blue Moose
We explore excellence with simplified rooms, climbing trees, & after-dinner walks, then attain imperfection in shifting schedules and shower meltdowns. In Part A of our discussion on Kim John Payne's book, "Simplicity Parenting," we talk on the pillars of "Too Much" and cumulative stress reactions. Then we chat on simplifying our environment through noticing marketing influences and sifting through all those toys.  Plus, a couple of detours into waldorf salads, the soul, & a blue moose from Montana. Show Notes: Exploring Excellence 2:15 Attaining Imperfection 04:55 Book Review 07:35
Dec 5, 2019
43 min
How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t: Soccer Game, Panic Attack, & Sleep Hygiene
We explore excellence with soccer games, abstaining from eating out, and The Lord's Prayer with a detour talking about The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard. Our imperfection is evident in lying, panic attacks, and ticking time bombs. Then we finish our discussion on Carla Naumburg's book, "How To Stop Losing Your Sh*t With Your Kids," by sharing our thoughts on some BuRPs (button reducing practices) to include sleep, support, self-compassion, and space. Sydney gives a great example of Single-Thinking during our book review. Plus, Sydney has a quote for the Parent Board! Exploring Excellence 2:15 Attaining Imperfection 08:10 Book Review 13:30 Parent Board 32:38
Oct 22, 2019
34 min
How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t: Budgets, Triggers, & Multi-Tasking
We explore excellence with budgeting and after-school talks and attain imperfection with hyperfocus on budgeting and napping wars. We start our discussion on Carla Naumburg's new book, "How To Stop Losing Your Sh*t With Your Kids." We talk on why we lose it and the importance of writing a new story, social media, prefrontal cortex with fight-or-flight response, and multi-tasking/multi-thinking. Then we end with a new quote for the Parent Board! Exploring Excellence 1:40 Attaining Imperfection 06:45 Book Review 11:11 Parent Board 46:52
Oct 3, 2019
48 min
Hands Free Momma: Marriage Journal, The Principal's Office, & Forgiving Your Mistakes
We explore excellence through finding time to play and "The Marriage Journal." Then, we attain imperfection with parent-teacher conferences and a visit to the principal's office.  We finish our conversation on "Hands Free Momma" by Rachel Macy Stafford with a discussion on clarity, simplification, acceptance of your mistakes, and compassion moving forward. Finally, we update The Parent Board and announce that we're moving some things around.   Show Notes: 1:25 - Exploring Excellence 3:00 - Anastasia 4:15 - Love Letter Life & The Marriage Journal 11:10 - Attaining Imperfection 19:05 - Book Review 30:28 - Parent Board 30:45 - Family Teams
Sep 16, 2019
35 min
Hands Free Momma: Pre-K, Residency Woes, & Connectedness
We find excellence on the first day of Pre-K, the joys of school pick-up, and our initial thoughts on "The Marriage Journal." Then, we attain imperfection with screaming matches and a long venting session about all things residency - the weight of expectations, the burnout, physician suicide and experiencing breakthrough.  We introduce "Hands Free Momma" by Rachel Macy Stafford with a discussion on our first impmressions, presentness (with a detour into safe sleep), connectedness in the family (and another detour into connecetedness in medicine), and deliberateness. As always, we wrap it up with The Parent Board. **Although not explicit, this episode contains discussions that some parents may deem too mature for little ears**  Show Notes: Exploring Excellence 01:02 Attaining Imperfection: 11:02 Book Review 26:03 Parent Board 50:10 40:10 - American Academy of Pediatrics article from 2017 discussing digital dedia, anxiety, and depression in Children 53:10 - "The Greater Good" reference to Hot Fuzz *spoiler alert!*
Aug 28, 2019
53 min
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