Have you bought your mom (or your mom friend) a Mother’s Day gift yet? If you’re reading this and it’s too late to order flowers, text her a list of these mom-centric parenting podcasts instead. They’ll keep moms laughing, informed, and feeling way less alone for way longer than a bouquet of flowers will stay fresh.
Parenting Is a Joke
On her podcast Parenting Is a Joke, stand-up comedian, former NPR host, and Moth Radio Hour favorite Ophira Eisenberg makes even the most frustrating things about parenting really, really funny. She sits down with fellow comedians like Tig Notaro and Samatha Bee to talk bedtime negotiations, getting heckled by your own kid, playdate horror stories, and tooth fairy secrets. If your parenting could use a few more laughs, or you’re a creative of any kind wondering how to balance the reality of raising kids with pursuing your craft, Ophira will be your new best mom friend.
Didn’t I Just Feed You?
Moms, you’ve said it before—maybe a few times today, already. It’s not until you become a mom that you realize how much—and how frequently—kids need to eat. Didn’t I Just Feed You? acknowledges this and provids real advice about feeding your family, served with a side of laughter with hosts Stacie Billis and Meghan Splawn. They’ll bring in guest experts to tackle all things food, from making multiple dinner times work, to cooking faster and cheaper, to what Stacie and Meghan are making for their own families that week.
Kelly Corrigan Wonders
Kelly Corrigan Wonders is launching a limited series to celebrate Mother’s Day. Co-hosted by Christy Turlington Burns, it's called Tell Me About Your Mother, and will feature five episodes with some very special guests, including Jennifer Garner, Robin Roberts, Amy Schumer, Cindy Crawford, Edward Burns, Spike Lee, and Bono, with each guest sharing stories about their own moms. It’s all in support of Christy's charitable foundation Every Mother Counts.
Parents Who Think
Danusia Malin Derbin is a C-suite consultant with 10 kids (one of them, Seraphina, has her own podcast called Seraphina Speaks). She’s also a mom who thinks. Parents Who Think isn’t about the safe, comfortable conversations parents are having in the parent pick-up line, it’s about the stuff everyone is too terrified to bring up. It’s for moms who want to think a little deeper about the paradoxes of parenting, Is having a favorite kid OK? Should we be teaching gender identity and sexuality in school? It’s not about hearing opinions you agree with, it’s about hearing different points of view. Hot button topics are split up into three episodes—you’ll hear from someone from each side of the argument, and then you get Danusia’s two cents. There’s also a newsletter.
Is My Child a Monster?
After 40 years of experience working with thousands of families as a licensed clinical social worker with a specialty in parenting, “is my child a monster?” is a question Leslie Cohen-Rubury has heard more times that she can count—and it’s even one she’s asked herself. Leslie knows what it’s like to be worried about your child and to want to better understand them. On Is My Child a Monster? she invites you into her office so you can listen in on her therapy sessions with her clients. Through multi-episode sessions, Leslie discusses cases of anxiety, depression, and other mental health struggles among children ages 4-18. During each session, parents and listeners learn strategies to try out, then discuss how things went in the follow-up sessions. It truly is a fly on the wall experience, full of lessons to be learned no matter what you’re going through with your kids.
The Longest Shortest Time
The Longest Shortest Time is a podcast for parents, but it’s really a podcast for anyone interested in stories about one of the craziest things humans do—raise other humans. It covers every facet of parenting you can think of: feeding, loss, babies, big kids, sleep, sex, childbirth, couples, going kidless, work, and more. Created by Hilary Frank in 2010 after her own rough childbirth and recovery, The Longest Shortest Time is now over, but remains one of the best parenting podcasts that’s ever existed. Dear Daughter
When Namulanta Kombo became a mother, she started worrying about what would happen to her daughter if Namulanta was not there to help her navigate through life, or if her daughter didn’t want to open up to her. She knew she wanted to make a “handbook to life,” a book full of the best advice people give to their daughters. After realizing the advice she was gathering was too good to keep to herself, Namulanta created the podcast Dear Daughter, where she collects parenting advice and extraordinary personal stories in letter form, from mothers to daughters of all kinds: biological, non-biological, future daughters, daughters of friends, or daughters who are lost or never even existed. What do you want to say to your children?
The Queer Family Podcast
Queer moms, they’re just like straight ones! They wipe baby butts, check their iPhones at parent pick-up, and get annoyed when they have to tell their kids to put their shoes on for the 100th time. On The Queer Family Podcast, host Jaimie Kelton (author of If These Ovaries Could Talk, which is what the show used to be called) talks to queer people about their families, covering everything from donor conception, to surrogacy, to healthy queer parenting amidst a rise in anti-LTGBQ laws, and more. It’s a show that amplifies the voices of queer parents through the power of storytelling.
Childproof
Gwenna Laithland and Tori Phantom host Childproof, a parenting chat show that on its surface doesn’t seem unique. But Childproof is, to quote Mean Girls, "not like other moms. She’s a cool mom." Gwenna and Tori are funny, real, and full of no-nonsense tips about staying sane while wrangling kids (they each have three). Topics revolve around helping kids identify their emotions, feeding little tummies, and the joys and annoyances of being a mom 24/7. I listened to this show before I was a mom, and I picked up smart tips (like how to make the best use of time while waiting to pick your kids up from activities) that stuck in my brain. Now that I do need the tips, I'm very thankful.
Mommying While Muslim
With their podcast Mommying While Muslim, Zaiba Hasan and Uzma Jafri have created a place where Muslim moms who are raising American kids can connect, find support, and learn from each other. Their episodes are hosted at their kitchen tables, where they talk to guests about being a queer Muslim mom (or queer Muslim kid), the spiritual nature of sex in Islam, and how to make sense of the news coming out of Palestine—plus universal parenting stuff like surrogacy, sex, and not trying to do it all.
Good Moms, Bad Choices
On Good Moms, Bad Choices, Erica and Milah are two moms having quite possibly more fun than anyone else on this list. With rawness and authenticity, they talk self-worth, tarot and spirituality, sexual expression, and how to shed any mom shame you might have about literally anything. They’re not exactly here to give you tips (though you'll get some); they’re here to release you from feeling you have to be a certain kind of mom. This show isn’t G-rated and it’s not packed with potty training tips, but you can turn it on when you need to hear from friends you can relate to.
Good Inside
Dr. Becky Kennedy is famous for inventing a new way of parenting, shifting moms and dads from the behavior-first, reward-and-punishment model to focusing on the parent behind the parenting and the child behind the behavior. On her podcast Good Inside, she drills down on leadership, parent-child connection, practical strategies, bite-sized learning, and community, to help bring out the good inside of everyone. She answers questions from real parents, and her gentle voice will calm you through tantrums, sleepless nights, and sibling fights.
Childish
Did you know your best friend Alison Rosen (of Alison Rosen Is Your New Best Friend) has a parenting podcast, too? On ARIYNBF, she’s known for being funny, relatable, and totally honest about everyday life stuff (pop culture, relationships, skincare, snacks), but on Childish, which she co-hosts with Greg Fitzsimmons, she hones in on stuff you talk about with your best parent friends. The show is like what might happen if two of the funniest people you know showed up at the block party. It will make you feel less alone whenever you find yourself in need of some adult conversation, plus some truly great parenting advice.