We're talking about misinformation with a recent study to round us out as we dive in by soon-to-be doctor of Psychology, Evan Orticio. Matt and Max tackle the crucial topic of equipping our kids with the skills to navigate the chaotic seas of falsehoods and dubious claims. Is shielding them from misinformation doing more harm than good? Spoiler alert: it might be time to lean in instead of shielding! Join us as we explore a cool study that shows how engaging with misinformation can actually boos...
Oct 23, 2024•27 min•Season 3Ep. 80
Part Deux of a two-parter! In this half of the episode, Matt opens up about the looming threat of losing his cool as the kids grow and their needs evolve, while Max reflects on the challenges of balancing individual attention with collective chaos. Whether it’s mastering the art of co-parenting during the newborn phase or navigating the inevitable sibling rivalry, Matt and Max are once again joined by Sam to explore that wild moment when your family goes from only child to man-on-man defense—and...
Oct 17, 2024•39 min•Season 3Ep. 79
This episode dives deep into the emotional rollercoaster of expanding one's family. Max and Matt are joined by returning guest, Samuel "Iceman" Stolper, who's days away from welcoming baby number two. Together, they unpack the highs, lows, and unexpected gut punches of bringing a second (or third) child into the mix. From sibling dynamics to parental sanity checks, they explore everything—from how much your first kid might lose in the attention department to the importance of celebrating the mag...
Oct 15, 2024•31 min•Season 3Ep. 78
Matt and Max unpack the unexpected magic of a one-on-one hotel stay with only one of your kids. During a soccer tournament in Boise, Max finds himself bonding with his son over card games, Coldplay, and a healthy dose of nostalgia. But as they reminisce about their mini-adventure, the boys dive deep into the bittersweet nature of those one-on-one moments that make parenting so rich—while also grappling with the guilt of missing the whole family dynamic. Tune in as they brainstorm ways to carve o...
Oct 09, 2024•24 min•Season 3Ep. 77
There really is nothing better than those hours that pass with your kids when nobody is trying to get anything done, nobody is multitasking, and everybody is totally present. We spend so much time thinking about how to "parent right," yet some of our best interactions with our families come when nobody is really thinking too hard about anything at all. But man, can that vibe be elusive! Finding a moment when nothing needs to get done and everybody is in the right place to truly sink into the mom...
Oct 04, 2024•27 min•Season 3Ep. 76
We've all been there. We're innocently driving the kids to school, and from the backseat you hear: "Daddy, what's that?" You look out the window and calmly respond, "Honey, that's four bloody skeletons hanging from a tree with their skin peeling off." Mysteriously, bedtime is suddenly incredibly hard. Don't get us wrong, Halloween is fun as hell, and it can be a time for kids to dip a healthy toe into the world of fears, and death, and monsters... and all that other stuff we wish we could shelte...
Oct 02, 2024•26 min•Season 3Ep. 75
Max reveals a game-changing parenting strategy: losing it on his kids… in a good way. When his kids do something overly kind, he doesn't just give a pat on the back—he matches the intensity of a negative dad-freak-out, but flips it to pure joy. The result? Kids who get a huge reaction and a ton of attention when they least expect it. Matt chimes in with his own stories of dialing up the energy and why it's important to notice the little victories. Expect plenty of laughs, a shirtless moment, and...
Sep 26, 2024•23 min•Season 3Ep. 74
The Boys tackle the struggle of giving kids independence without losing the emotional connection. Matt shares a recent bedtime standoff with his 6-year-old that led to a breakthrough in how he handles her growing need for autonomy (spoiler: there’s a silent ‘f*** you’ involved). Meanwhile, Max reflects on the pressure to always be the "good dad" and how that sometimes leads to over-parenting—even when all the kid really needs is space. Expect hard truths, a lot of laughs, and a reminder that as ...
Sep 25, 2024•26 min•Season 3Ep. 73
Matt and Max talk about when Matt had to break some news to his daughter about the nonexistence of a magical creature she had believed to be real for as long as she'd been alive. Warning: Matt cries a little bit. Love, Max Buy Violet Archer on Amazon Here Milkless on Instagram Milkless on TikTok...
Sep 19, 2024•21 min•Season 3Ep. 72
Matt and Max talk about why they took a random week off. Spoiler Alert: Max's dad was med flighted for an emergency surgery. They talk about aging parents and how they look at their own health. When=Now Episodes are a second bonus episode we drop some weeks. The topic is something that's going on in our life right now. Less research, more gritty, no editing, and more free flowing. Enjoy! Buy Violet Archer on Amazon Here Milkless on Instagram Milkless on TikTok...
Sep 18, 2024•29 min•Season 3Ep. 71
As parents, we're often told how important it is to guide, nurture, and protect, but what about just being silly? Humor plays a critical role in child development, and in this episode, Max and Matt get rounded out as they dive into a study highlighting the importance of being a parent who embraces humor. Whether it’s being the silly parent, encouraging kids to crack jokes, or just watching funny stuff on TV, The Boys break down the different types of humor kids develop at various stages and how ...
Sep 04, 2024•36 min•Season 3Ep. 70
This is part 2 of a two parter. So if you haven't listened to episode #67, maybe hit that one first. This is a continuation of a wide-ranging conversation with Caitlin Murray of Big Time Adulting ( @bigtimeadulting ). We started off talking about how social media sometimes makes us feel like lousy parents, but in part two we wander into everything from the heartache of getting ready for school, to nasty hangovers, to learning to forgive ourselves for our inevitable failures. You don't have to li...
Aug 28, 2024•28 min•Season 3Ep. 69
Matt and Max talk about how Max has been tired for the past four days and how his kids have been annoying him to no end. When=Now Episodes are a second bonus episode we drop some weeks. The topic is something that's going on in our life right now. Less research, more gritty, no editing, and more free flowing. Enjoy! Buy Violet Archer on Amazon Here Milkless on Instagram Milkless on TikTok...
Aug 22, 2024•23 min•Season 3Ep. 68
One of the toughest parts about parenting is all the other examples we see of it around us every day. Whether it's a parenting influencer telling you how to handle tantrums better, or your high school friends posting pictures of the amazing arts & crafts they've done with their kids, it's easy to feel like you're not stacking up. Max and Matt have their good friend Caitlin Murray of Big Time Adulting on to explore why sometimes getting parenting advice from experts makes their blood boil. Is...
Aug 21, 2024•36 min•Season 3Ep. 67
Matt and Max talk about how Matt broke his headphones in an angry moment yesterday and how that might have some parallels with parenting. When=Now Episodes are a second bonus episode we drop some weeks. The topic is something that's going on in our life right now. Less research, more gritty, no editing, and more free flowing. Enjoy! Buy Violet Archer on Amazon Here Milkless on Instagram Milkless on TikTok...
Aug 16, 2024•24 min•Season 3Ep. 66
This is part two of a two-parter (Part 1 is Episode #63). We don't really love the whole concept of "Parenting Hacks," because any trick that promises to make this sh*t-show easy is typically a load of hooey, and one-size-fits-all solutions don't work nearly as often as they claim to. But there are a handful of things Max and Matt have figured out over the years - mostly through trial and a comedy of errors - that have made certain aspects of the grind a little bit easier. On this Hot Takes epis...
Aug 13, 2024•19 min•Season 3Ep. 65
Matt and Max talk about a very recent moment when Max screamed at his kids. When=Now Episodes are a second bonus episode we drop some weeks. The topic is something that's going on in our life right now. Less research, more gritty, no editing, and more free flowing. Enjoy! Buy Violet Archer on Amazon Here Milkless on Instagram Milkless on TikTok...
Aug 08, 2024•34 min•Season 3Ep. 64
We don't really love the whole concept of "Parenting Hacks," because any trick that promises to make this sh*t-show easy is typically a load of hooey, and one-size-fits-all solutions don't work nearly as often as they claim to. But there are a handful of things Max and Matt have figured out over the years - mostly through trial and a comedy of errors - that have made certain aspects of the grind a little bit easier. On this Hot Takes episode, The Boys are sharing those hopefully helpful strategi...
Aug 06, 2024•23 min•Season 3Ep. 63
Matt and Max talk about how friendship is so important in today's world and how sometimes we can get different things from different people in our life. When=Now Episodes are a second bonus episode we drop some weeks. The topic is something that's going on in our life right now. Less research, more gritty, no editing, and more free flowing. Enjoy! Buy Violet Archer on Amazon Here Milkless on Instagram Milkless on TikTok...
Aug 01, 2024•15 min•Season 3Ep. 62
Trying something new here folks - it's our first ever Milkless Mailbag! Listeners sent in questions, and Max and Matt did their best to say useful things - with the help of good friend and returning guest Sam "Ice Man" Stolper. We cover topics ranging from overbearing grandparents, to sharing the load within a marriage, to the challenges of maintaining a clean home (and the value of recognizing that not everyone shares the same definition of "clean"). This is the hardest we've laughed making an ...
Jul 30, 2024•39 min•Season 3Ep. 61
Max and Matt are joined by the famous Bez, as the three Dads dive into the often tricky balance between firm boundaries and gentle parenting. What does it look like to put your foot down kindly with a kid who's truly ready to test your limits? What can we do before that meeting of the wills that will hopefully make it go better? How do we calm our own worries that those necessary limit-setting clashes will create long term ripples in the relationship? We also talk a lot about how different this ...
Jul 24, 2024•40 min•Season 3Ep. 60
Matt and Max talk about how one of the great mistakes of humankind is how we are more apt to follow consensus over what might yield the best outcomes. When=Now Episodes are a second bonus episode we're dropping each week. The topic is something that's going on in our life right now. Less research, more gritty, no editing, and more free flowing. Enjoy! Buy Violet Archer on Amazon Here Milkless on Instagram Milkless on TikTok...
Jul 18, 2024•20 min•Season 3Ep. 59
The data is overwhelming: adults who commit themselves to acts of service and make volunteering a part of their life are just way happier. And, like everything else, that's a muscle you start building when you're a kid. But unless you belong to a religious community, you've kind of got to bring your own beer in terms of incorporating service into your family's life. And with young kids, your options can feel a little limited, because... well, no offense, but five year olds suck at a lot of stuff...
Jul 16, 2024•30 min•Season 3Ep. 58
Matt and Max talk about how important it is to have adult time away from kids and then meander into how strange the parenting social media universe can be. When=Now Episodes are a second bonus episode we're dropping each week. The topic is something that's going on in our life right now. Less research, more gritty, no editing, and more free flowing. Enjoy! Buy Violet Archer on Amazon Here Milkless on Instagram Milkless on TikTok...
Jul 11, 2024•16 min•Season 3Ep. 57
If you haven't listened to Part 1, go back and start there at Episode #55 (which is Part one of this two part episode). We know we keep talking about this, but we (and just about every other parent we know) keep struggling with it. How is it that - no matter how many times it happens, no matter how aware we are of the dynamics, and no matter how much we work against it - sometimes the temperature in the house just gets turned up so high that things explode? Luckily, we've got a new brain and a n...
Jul 09, 2024•28 min•Season 3Ep. 56
We know we keep talking about this, but we (and just about every other parent we know) keep struggling with it. How is it that - no matter how many times it happens, no matter how aware we are of the dynamics, and no matter how much we work against it - sometimes the temperature in the house just gets turned up so high that things explode? Luckily, we've got a new brain and a new perspective entering the conversation: our old friend and father of one Matt Rose, who pushes us into whole new ways ...
Jul 02, 2024•38 min•Season 3Ep. 55
Matt and Max talk about how when you have a second child often times the older child feels like they are pushed out of the way and sometimes fight for attention. When =Now Episodes are a second bonus episode we're dropping each week. The topic is something that's going on in our life right now. Less research, more gritty, no editing, and more free flowing. Enjoy! Buy Violet Archer on Amazon Here Milkless on Instagram Milkless on TikTok...
Jun 27, 2024•15 min
There’s a fair amount of research to support the notion that spirituality and religion can be awfully good for people (and for their kids). But organized religion doesn’t exactly have a spotless track record - no matter what faith you’re talking about. Plus Matt and Max both grew up pretty much full-on heathen, so even if they do buy into the benefits, is religion really something that they could genuinely incorporate into their families’ lives? The Boys welcome the refreshingly open-minded Dan ...
Jun 24, 2024•41 min•Season 3Ep. 53
Matt and Max talk about how kids are doing travel sports younger and younger with their good friend Simon Salgado. When = Now is a new episode format for us. This will be the second episode we drop each week! The topic is something that's going on in our life right now. Less research, more gritty, no editing, and more free flowing. Enjoy! Buy Violet Archer on Amazon Here Milkless on Instagram Milkless on TikTok...
Jun 20, 2024•16 min•Season 3Ep. 52
Has one of your kids ever asked you to look at them? How about in the last hour? How about in the last five minutes? This one seems to be totally universal, and boy can it drive you up the wall. It is simply not possible to live a full adult life while looking at your kids every time they ask you to. But the son-of-b*tch is that it's also really important for kids to consistently feel seen by their parents. So how do you balance this impossible task? How do you handle those moments when your kid...
Jun 18, 2024•31 min•Season 3Ep. 51
