We began with some musings about our Thanksgiving trip and what the boys thought of our last topic. And then we spoke with Paul Golin, Executive Director of the Society for Humanistic Judaism. We talked about having an expansive definition of what it means to be Jewish, secular Judaism, Pops’s interest in igtheism, and so much more. I found his not…

Heads up - this was recorded before the election, but we only discuss it very briefly at the end in a way that hopefully won’t make you feel more awful than you already do. That being said, we began with a story about watching Tig Notaro specials with the boys and what an amazing role model she is. Then Moms explains how she thinks the atheist comm…

We started out talking about our visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - the big feelings it created in us as parents about the hopes and dreams we have for our kids and ourselves. And what does success really mean anyway? Then I included a bit more of our interview with Betsy Deville about her book, Grief for Atheists: A Compassionate Guide with…

Squeee! First interview in the books. We started out talking about seeing The Wild Robot with the boys. And then we spoke with Betsy Deville about her book, Grief for Atheists: A Compassionate Guide with Evidence-Based Strategies to Navigate Your Loss. Grief may not sound like a fun topic, but discussing ways to handle grief for kids and parents wi…

Do one topic I thought. Make it short and easy I thought. Annnndddd… cue the Divine Mocker (who definitely doesn’t exist, but when things go off the rails it makes me happy to think about someone getting joy from my situation). We started out talking about how our move has shown us just how adaptable the kids can be while at the same time being per…

We have been in the thick of moving, and it has been… at time. We didn’t even think to mention the weird AirBnBs and hotels we had to stay at. (If you’re going to categorize something as a bedroom, it should have a door, right?) But we’ve been coping, and we discuss how much skepticism has played into handling these kinds of situations better. We a…

We’re back - again with questionable audio issues. If my computer noises are too much for you, skip to the 31:00 mark because they basically resolve in the last topic. We begin by talking about how we choose movies for the boys and use Common Sense Media - probably not as it’s intended. Then we briefly return to the topic of posting the 10 Commandm…

We begin with a long discussion of the boys’ feelings about their martial arts classes and Pops’ changing perspective on them. Then we review our different feelings about clutter. And we finish up talking about Louisiana’s awful new law requiring that the ten commandments be posted in classrooms…twice. This one ran a bit long, but we may need to do…

We start out talking once again about how this whole parenting thing can be rough - this time during a picnic at the kids’ new school. Then we review things we might want to discuss with Reader and Go about the Trump verdict. And we finish with book bans (they suck) and a whole lot of librarian love. A little behind-the-scenes: Pops had a bit of a …

We begin the episode with a big update on Pops’ neurodivergence, get derailed on an X-Men tangent, and finish up with a discussion of Trigger Warnings. What is the best way to think about them? (As a heads-up, the section on Trigger Warnings includes some discussion of things that might need a trigger warning, so skip it if you’re not in the place …

We start the episode with a discussion of just how hard parenting has been. Then we delve into the topic of whether or not parents should feel proud when their kid doesn’t know who Jesus is, and finish up talking about interfaith couples. Could we handle it? Now to links: The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. Relax, It’s Just God:…

We open the episode talking about going to the American Atheists Convention. It was great. We…are not. Then we dive into important things we learned at the conference and finish up discussing the concept of “You’re doing a good job” from the One Bad Mother podcast. While the conference was a blast, this episode is about some serious stuff, so just …

Hi hi hi! I hope we have a few new folks joining us from the American Atheists National Convention, and in classic, I-don’t-know-how-calendars-work fashion, we are dropping an episode pretty uncharacteristic of our show. So if you choose to start here, we usually don’t go over an hour and throw in two extra mini topics just for funsies. But here we…

We’re headed to the American Atheists National Convention. Definitely look for us if you’re there. Then we talk about things we want to make sure the boys know about porn. And we finish up discussing sex ed. (And just like we mention on this episode, the best advice we’ve ever heard is that the sex talk isn’t one talk. So we’re going to be followin…

We begin by discussing a few interesting moments in parenting, including Go’s take on Jesus and the problem of evil. Then, in honor of Valentine’s Day, we delve into our relationship - what has made it work, how we still don’t have it figured out, and just how exhausting polyamory sounds. We finish by talking about the concept of a “soft life” - wh…

We open the episode discussing our many, many, many, many, many Christmases. And then we get into parenting advice and how we try to think about it skeptically. Instead of introducing a true second topic, we instead introduced a subplot of Pop’s incredible work coming to grips with his neurodivergence and the criminal lack of psychological services…

This isn’t a real episode - just a compilation of random things. A short check-in. The only part of the segment that the Goblin’s ate that was worth fighting for and grabbing back from their grimy fingers. A little chat with Reader and Go - including Go’s big Santa revelation. And random musings on our unprofessionality. We are so excited for 2024 …

We had so much fun talking about trad wives and church last week, that we’re doing it again! We begin by discussing Reader’s tonsillectomy. Then Moms has some expanded thoughts on trad wives and where they could be damaging for their followers. But she's still really likes one of the moms she's following. And then we discuss what to do when teens a…

This was a really fun recording, and we may have gotten a little loopy at the end of it. We begin discussing our epic week and the complexity of happiness. Then Moms dives into her thoughts on trad wives. And we finish up discussing whether or not we think secular parents should bring their kids to church when their kids express interest. Now the l…

Ooooooohhhhh. It’s almost Halloween. And apparently the spooky season is also where spooky things happen to this podcast. (See the description for our last Halloween episode: MMMmmmm. Logic.) We actually don’t discuss anything about the holiday because we still don’t know how to calendar episodes apparently. But we do give an update on our How To G…

Spoiler alert - we don’t know! We start discussing the death of our beloved cat and the weird things that come up at these time as atheists. Then we talk about our own experiences with a fear of hell and what helped us start to escape from that fear. We know everyone is different and none of what worked for us may work for you, but at the very leas…

Pops opens the show by surprising Moms with a discussion of our dear dying cat, and then Moms tells two stories from BAHACON, one about Atheist community. And we finish the show discussing how violence against women plays into the conversation about masculinity, ending on a story of who Reader and Go say they want to marry. And so so many links: Th…

We start out by discussing an octopus mishap, and then Moms has some advice for religions who want to gain members. (We’re looking at you Mormons.) We finish up by trying to create a modern definition of masculinity, and it definitely includes nail polish. And now for the links: Seth Andrews is wonderful both on his podcast, The Thinking Atheist, a…

We start out discussing our recent trip to visit family and Go being extra brave. Then we talk about things we’ve read that have changed our view of the world and helped shape our morality (that did not come from the Bible). And we finish up just scraping the surface of the current discussion of masculinity by trying to come up with healthy example…

I mean, what really did we talk about? I feel like almost every one of our conversations went a bit off the rails this episode, but we started talking about our lax attitude to Reader and Go’s YouTube consumption, then we somehow got to our ghost/alien sightings (because we’re skeptics), and end up discussing whether children owe their parents anyt…

We begin the episode talking about Moms’ disappointments with the books she’s been reading with Reader and Go. Then we discuss parenting in the Bible and have some serious notes for the authors. And we finish up with Heaven, which might not be all it’s cracked up to be. And now for the links: Here are the Amulet graphic novels. And here is So Sorry…

We open the episode solving the mystery of “flippin” and introducing some weird audio that we can’t explain. But we swear no one was actually sharpening knives during the intro. That would be a weird vibe, even for us. Then we discuss Moms’ realization that we may be reading more into the Bible than we even realized. And we finish exploring the con…

We open the episode with Moms justifying her misunderstood superstitions. Then we discuss Reader and Go swearing. And we finish up talking about sex in media, which devolves into a confused discussion of Witness and Bladerunner, that won’t make nearly enough sense if you aren’t familiar with Witness. In short, Harrison Ford is a cop who has to hide…

We talk with the kids about Easter. Go has some choice words about it. (And yes, we allow the kids to swear - just never at school or with people who would be offended.) Then Moms gets all conspiracy theory-esque about actresses playing moms. And we finish up discussing how we feel about violent media. And for once, there aren’t really any links. J…

It’s a short one this time around. We discuss one topic: “Would you want only atheist coaches for your kid if that was somehow an option?” And now for all the links: I think this is the episode of Pardon the Mess that our question comes from, but honestly, I’m not 100% sure. And this is the podcast For Crying Out Loud that mom references. The Famil…

It's lucky Episode 13, and honestly, getting this one finished before our Spring Break trip turned into a bit of a fever dream. In our first segment we discuss the comic book trope of refusing to sacrifice your child to save the universe. And then we discuss a Tik Tok about blasphemy. And our final segment will remain a mystery for the ages. As pro…

In our first segment we discuss…shoot. We can’t remember any more. But then we go on to explore which fictional family we would have wanted to grow up in, and finish out discussing how much teachers should share with parents - and end up talking about how to make a home where kids feel comfortable opening up to their parents in the first place. Mom…

We’re back! In this episode we recount our Christmas trip, introduce a new segment and discuss when it’s appropriate to give unsolicited parenting advice, and finish out on the anecdotal fallacy. Take a listen to Mom and Dad are Fighting to see if you agree with our read on their episode, Can I Tell Someone They’re Parenting Wrong? The Family Skept…

We’re working on a few interesting things for the new year. This is a bit of recording I did with Reader and Go about our holidays. (And just to be clear, their motorcycle ride was very slow and on a private road with no other traffic.) We'll be back soon with a full episode. The Family Skeptical: We’re a married atheist couple raising two wonderfu…

It’s the final episode in our series on education and of 2022. Though we weren’t kidding when we said we were a bit loopy. Moms did an inadvertent jump into the past and we had to cut a whole section because she kept referring to the year as 2020. Though maybe that’s appropriate for an episode about history. We mention a few things in this episode …

We’re taking a little break from talking about education to discuss a logical fallacy: The Appeal to Authority. And this goes a few places we weren’t expecting. In this episode we reference a whole lot of stuff, some of it that we’ve certainly forgotten, but you can find several links here: Here’s a classic Skeptic Generation call with Xeno. Here’s…

We talk evolution! Why is it so scary to teach? Why are kids books about it so limited? Why does popular media get it sooo wrong? In this episode we reference Forrest Valkai. And Seth Andrews, The Thinking Atheist, just recently had him on and introduced him as a Biologist, so maybe Moms was right about that? The Family Skeptical: We’re a married a…

Happy Halloween! Go has decided he wants to celebrate Halloween all month again - so welcome to our Frankensode. We talk about the possibility of teaching formal logic in schools - in two parts - sewn together poorly. You can find the two videos that we reference here: Teach Formal Logic: TRICK OR TRUTH Game! Trolly Problem Memes The Family Skeptic…

We introduce a new series we’re going to be starting about education and hear a little from Reader and Go. You can find the three episodes of Raising Freethinkers that we reference here: When Science Goes South - Part 1 The Word - Part 2 (This is the one we talk about the most) The Conflict Avoiders - Part 3 The Family Skeptical: We’re a married at…

It’s our last episode discussing Relax, It’s Just God: How and Why to Talk to Your Kids About Religion When You’re Not Religious by Wendy Thomas Russell, and we spend the whole time on it. (Spoiler Alert - Moms is going to explain in the next episode that she totally disagrees with one of the points she made in this one. Can you guess which comment…

Trigger Warning! We start very briefly discussing the case of the 10-year-old in Ohio who needed an abortion and the prevalence of child sexual abuse (if want to skip this discussion, feel free to skip to 03:20), then talk about the New York Times’ article “How to Raise Kids Who Are Good at Getting Angry,” and finish out dissecting another chapter …

We talk about the recent Dobbs decision by the Supreme Court (if you’ve had enough of podcasts about Dobbs at this point, feel free to skip to 21:40) and continue discussing the book Relax, It’s Just God: How and Why to Talk to Your Kids About Religion When You’re Not Religious by Wendy Thomas Russell. You can find The Atheist Experience call we re…

We talk about why we call ourselves atheists, and discuss the book Relax, It’s Just God: How and Why to Talk to Your Kids About Religion When You’re Not Religious by Wendy Thomas Russell. The Family Skeptical: We’re a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine h…

It’s our first episode! We discuss why we’re doing this podcast, and our TikTok Triumph seems like a very positive Christian response to doubt… but is there more under the surface? You can see the full TikTok here. (Also - we make mention of next week’s show. That was our slip. Initially we’ll be releasing every 2-3 weeks, so it might be a good ide…