#121 Sleep Witchcraft, Gender Burnouts And Existential Questions With Wippa

Matthew, Yes, when your girls were a lot small.

Now, now, did you have any funky sleeping techniques?

We did one thing with Marley, only Mary, not Lola.

But when she would go to sleep, the way that we would get her to sleep would be us rocking her in our arms. We would then transition her while she was asleep in our arms into her bed, her cot and as you know, when you take your hands away, they wake up, see you, then rock again.

So every sleep took at least forty five minutes, the dreaded transition. What did you do? We had the butt pat, of course.

And we speak about it in this episode with Whipper and matt You know Whipper from.

Where Nova back in the day used to work with them, did you, well?

Not really, I had a Saturday morning radio show. He had a real radio.

You would know him from Fitzy Whipper and Kate Ritchie in the mornings.

Yes, and he talks about a really strange type of technique that he is with his daughter Francesca back when he was trying to get hurt asleep.

Mister Whip is married to wife Lisa and they have three kids, Ted, Jack and Francesca.

Oh what did you call it Frankie, Friend Friend Frankie. We tried.

We cover a bit about sleep in this chat, and we also hear how Whipper tackles those random existential questions that young kids tend.

To ask, like what is God? There was a condom question in there too, wasn't there.

In sex as well? All the good stuff anyway, I hope you enjoy it.

Let's get into it.

Welcome back to three doting dads. I'm so sorry. Good I am Maddie, Jay, I'm Ash and I'm Michael John Whipley from the Whippley Family.

Tell that you've done X amount of years of a lot of flying time on the Best.

This is a podcast all about parenting. It is the good, it is the bad and related.

I only said you were London.

We apologize, mister Whipper. We do not give any advice on this podcast. But I can only assume that today's episode is going to be a drenching of knowledge and ash Ni are ready for it, sure.

That he can. I bring something up quickly.

I was really keen to get one of some of your merch not the calendar we were talking about earlier.

But there must be nice because I just I've got to mate by the name of Hamish Blake. Oh yeah, we've got We've got five. You didn't honestly, it must be nicer, did it?

I mean it's fine. I mean it's the podcast world and the entertainment world is a friendly area, is it?

So?

What about just thinking if we put a French flag on it and it was just must.

Be niece and you could sell them internationally?

Right, so sort a rep shared deal with some tourism stand.

Where are we must be niece? That is gold? I don't know, We're very good. What do you think? People have responded very positive? One review we go Hamish? Is that aymous?

It's anonymous? Hey, no, one's perfect. Definitely not us.

No, they're not anyway back to the drawing, Sorry, where were parents?

Don't we do a bit of a how you say, like psycho analysis on the guests? We always try ash and I talk about what was the guest like when they were younger?

Do you think?

And we feel like we figured you out and tell us if we're way off the mark here off, we're flying pretty close to home. I feel like as a youngster, you were somebody who was everyone's best friend. I feel like the students would have loved you, the teachers would have hated you. Would have had a few favorite teachers, but you would have been the disruptor.

Class clown is.

I would say everyone's friend. Yeah, I was that kind of guy, that kind of guy, very arrogant. You said it first.

I could have just given a thumbs up for the podcast. You're on the right train. You can hear the thumb But.

Then no, goody two shoes, not class clown, but was very much.

Now you do that, now you do that, encourage. I was the backing to make sure that the real class clown could do it. Job puppet masters you will. I did very quick to do it.

It was him that is disgusting behavior.

Kick him out.

So yeah, I would swap very quickly from supporting role.

How did you figure that out? Was did something happen? No?

I just didn't want to get in trouble. My dad was very strict with things like that, and when he would say to you, you're better than that, that's when you knew not to behave badly. So like a spitball from the back of the classroom onto a TV would have been outrageous behavior for me.

So that's where I hadn't made it. Eglinn, I would do a lot of Eddie. I've got a great idea for today. Yeah.

I even talked to England into wed like an assembly hall that had a fire extinguisher up the back. I even talked him into putting a rubber between the handle, right, rubber like an eraser, putting in between the handle that you squeeze down.

On a firing extinguished, and then putting fishing line around the rubber, which ran down the side of the wall all and then nailed across you know those hoop nails, so he could stand outside assembly and pull the rubber, which sprayed the fire hydrant. And once again it was him. I mean I bought them to school.

I gave him all the parts to make the bomb the silent, and then sat there and enjoyed the spray until until she too. What sir, If I knew anything about that, I would have stopped that guy.

He now he's imprison He lacked away, he's doing nine.

Even the color red's bad for him.

Did you ever have in your report cards wish he would apply himself NonStop?

Did you pick that as well? Yeah? Psycho analysis, Yeah, yeah, mine's the same they pulled me into class. I mean I got yet twelve.

I got sixteen point six rounded up to seventeen out of one hundred on all of it.

Yeah, yeah, which was what was I'm a Queensland so we had is it like golf in the lower the school about? Unfortunately not? She can't flip it on its head. Essentially, you got seventeen percent. Yeah, brains, So what's so funny seventeen jumping in? What's so funny about it's just a little bit lower? Yeah? I expected as well. Did that surprise you at all? No?

I didn't do anything at a great time at school, but never applied myself academically. It just wasn't my thing. But I remember they had there was sort of two rankings in year twelve to join a hierarchy, so you could become a school officer, and there was maybe I don't know eighty school officers.

Is that like a prefect?

Well, the prefect was a graduation from the school officer, and I would say there was probably twenty. And they called a meeting and I was in the meeting with mum and dad and the head of year twelve, and they said, we really like Michael, and I said escape really well, I'm flying here, guys both streaming him, and it's terrific that he is a school officer. We'd love to make him a prefect, but he just doesn't. He doesn't do anything. Why don't you do anything?

Just the presence was the energy guy, I was like a personality, higher personality, the energy, the moods high. Did you want to be prefect? Did you want that?

About if I had to work? But I don't think so, But I sort of, I don't know. There was a moment where I thought you ignorant fools for thinking that the academic assessment equaled prefect when as a school officer.

Highly ranged, Yeah, popularity, contest, house captain.

You knew that too.

A sports house captain, no, just house captain, house captain.

Overall, so not sports house, Well, sport was under house. You're over yeah, sort of the.

Lordship and that's where you so when you directed the orders as house captain, people would have to just follow with our question.

Yes, without question.

So I've always been in a very very powerful position throughout my life.

How do you think the podcast is going? At what point did you think I think I'm going to work in media. I always thought it would be fun. I mean, I remember doing I don't know, I sort of I played in I played in a little band for a while. The cover band was a little platinum. Yeah, platinum, Platinum, Yeah, Platinum. Performed probably once or twice ever. Yeah, So it was really weird, chicked down venues. We picked our times.

It didn't take off, but we used to play guitar at a few twenty firsts. And around that time too, Andy Lee had a band with his brother and he was doing twenty first as well, And then we had so many parties going on. We'd be emceeing or giving speeches and Andy would be there with his guitar doing this thing with his brother. They're do an acoustic set, probably not as advanced as Platinum, but that's kind of how I think. I don't know, the entertainment started.

You've got the taste for it.

Yeah, what's your dad's opinion of how this is unfolding? Knowing that you've got the sixteen point six. Yeah, you're now a musician, which is a tough.

Industry, playing at lots of clubs. He dad's different to me.

He's quite a straight guy, but he'll always say he'll make you know what he does, he delivers sort of it's a loaded compliment.

So he'll say I had the show the other day.

Like, oh yeah, what'd you think? And he goes, well, I suppose you need to ask yourself the question what do you want to be known for? That was so he'll say that, he'll go between the lines, oh yeah, oh no, because he'll call me Mikey, Mikey, and what have I done here?

And then he'll make his comment.

Then he'll go but I know nothing about the game, but I know nothing about the industry and the tracks.

Was he trying to steer you in a different direction?

No?

He was always supportive of whatever I wanted to do. So when I left school, I went and did a TAFE course in building management.

So I could.

He looked like a foreman, more hands on them, the tools. But so I did that for a while and then like project management, worked on site for a while and then but always wanted to get into radio.

Did a short course. That's what I did. Did your dad approve of Lisa? Then? I issue, ah, yes he did, still does, which is great news. How is that initial meeting? I think it was good. I don't think it was a nervous time.

I just remember when i'd met her and I realized I met somebody very special, and being in the car with Dad, wanted to tell him now he don't know how to approach those conversations, whatever it might be.

Sports. I remember sitting down, I completely forgot about this. Oh here we go. I was telling Mom and Dad that I was going to propose to her, and.

Then I said, do you know what, guys, at least and I going away in June, and I'm.

Going to propose to her. But Dad must have missed something because he goes proposed to who? I mean, what do you mean? Who?

I've just done my whole spiel about how much she means to me and how exciting it is.

How long have you guys been again? Year? Eighteen months? You still saying?

And I was like emotional, and I said to I think Mom started to tear up.

Dad was still trying to put the pieces. He misread the whole. When you're excited to share something with someone so close, you know you're waiting for that moment.

Oh my god, Dad will remember the moment I said that I'd found my life.

But who oh John, please keep up.

That was a battle, but he gave it when he realized who it was. Two thumbs are he's on board.

Yeah, he was always on board.

And then what I did was I wanted to do the traditional thing of asking Lisa's parents, Deborah and David, if I had their permission to marry their daughter. But they lived on the Goldie So I said to Lisa, you know what, I need a new suit. So I'm going to go into the city and I'm going to.

Look for a suit all day long. You know, I'm going to spend eight hours looking at them. I hate trying to straight to the airport, got on the fly. I had them for lunch. What came back. I couldn't ring them. I didn't want to do that. I wanted to sit down and eyeball them.

I wanted to, But when you wanted their reaction from when you organized lunch, they know what you're flying in?

Yeah, oh yeah, I don't. Just I just wanted to talk about a future finance. What do you think about the state of politics? Let me fly up to the Gold Coast of talk you through. Yeah. They were they've like nicely dressed and it was wonderful.

We had a great lunch, and then I got home, got back on them playing, got home and least it was like, where's the suit. By that stage, I'd forgotten about the suit story because I was so you know, swept up.

And in the moment of you know, the meeting we just had. And then I said, oh, yeah, found the tailor.

It's getting measured and stuff. They're like alterations. I'll pick it up next week.

So I then had to go and buy a suit after that, And now you have a nice suit and wife and she still loves me.

Do you remember when you and Lisa started having the conversation about starting a family?

Yes, yes, I remember. You never know, you never know how long it'll take. I suppose you go through those times, but you're also kind of deciding the level of commitment you want to make to making the baby.

How do you mean, well, do.

We just get it on, you know, randomly in the routine and we're already in like, oh my god, it's Chuesday and art and there's nothing on TV, you know, or do we want to go Okay, well, let's find out when you're ovulating and then we'll try and strike when.

The iron's hot more. Do you do that theory of thirty days by bank can't miss? I would ruin.

Well that's what I was, that it could ruin. So yes, I remember having that conversation. I think we just kind of randomly cruised through it for a while until we got the ovulation thing that you spit on on.

We've never done that.

You put it on the tongue, and it says if maybe she wheezed on it, it would make more sense to we.

On it does? It does?

Hang on?

Sorry, The tongue was the drug test that was different when right now, I'm sure you can do it with saliva. I think either way, it'll tell you where the ovulation period is, and then you get in and fight for your life, you know, let's wrestle. But we were lucky enough that it worked quite easily, I think until two months, and you hear some really challenging stories. So I remember thinking that's fantastic. Then Ted was born, and then surprise, surprise, wonderful news seven months.

Later, a whole birth of Ted. Shit, she was pregnant again. Well yeah, and I was the father, so we got we found some consistency there. But Jack was a wonderful surprise to us, but you know, we couldn't have wished for anything more. And then we were lucky enough to strategically think, will we go again in the hope of getting a little girl? And we did? Was the plan always for three? Was that always on the card? Yeah? I think so. If we could have a third, we would go for it. And we did.

We did, which was fantastic, and Francesca came along quickly. Too personal, But yes, there are different techniques to get the girl to the.

Boy, Jack and THEO. Did you find out at birth the sex?

Did you do a reveal? How did it happen with your first two? Ted? We didn't find out. I don't hate people do that, but my god, I was so excited.

H just a big plum like bull bag.

I'm thinking, man, that's the best set of plums ever. Did wild swingers you know?

Were they like long or they hopefully listens back?

Did you say anything to those in the room midwife? He's beautiful, But yeah, I think every parent gets quite a shock at the look of the the Genitalia.

I got a shock just looking at the at him, at my because my eldest is a boy too, and he popped him out.

He was screaming. I was like he was, and that was the fathering instinct straight away. You got to protest. It's a one way it's a one way ash.

But then I found out with Jack that it was going to be a boy, just from a planning point of view, and then with Francesca it was taken out of my hands and fits he very generously.

Gender reveal.

I absolutely love gender reveal. You did you have any input at all in the concertle.

No, he was kind enough to organize. It's so nice to him. Do you know what we did? We did a gender reveal cake for Jack.

Forgot about that, so Lisa's mum cut the cake on her birthday. We found out it was going to be a boy. That's how we knew about it.

Appropriate.

So in my mind, gender reveal was done like we didn't have to do a gender reveal.

Enter Ryan James Fitzgerald. Oh mate, I've got the best plan. Or you're gonna love it, mane, you're gonna love it? Is it very mean? Is something I'd really like? Because yeah, yeah, yeah, we're going to Easton Creek Speedway. You are there quite often.

That's the thing I would have loved some on this podcast earlier, but you know I'm always doing Yeah.

I get.

So he organized a gender burnout, which and the kids were there. So FITZI was in the back of some I don't know. I don't know anything about cars.

Let's say it was a holding commodore, ill a commodore.

It was Commodore, and I don't know what model it was for something, but the tires were perfect. It was ready to go. All we had to do was stand there and wait to see if the smoke from the rubber.

Tires was pink or bloody blue. Mate, while FITZI was in the back seat with a helmet on, yelling out the back we would have it. Yeah, we need it's just spinning around in circles.

Why we were pretended to be emotionally moved by the reveal, but more devastated we were watching fits in the back of a commodore.

There's nothing more astral nothing more Australian, than that people.

Are dying with gender reveals.

Have you seen that someone will fly over dropping a color of smoke out of a.

Plane and you guys wanting to say that there's another baby on the way.

And I've had a sexy oh a crowd owner of congratulations, thank you.

I was wondering why you had that so brave? Is it sore? Still? Some people live with soreness? Show on the scarce? Okay, did where did we're in the sack? Did they go so? Isn't it they go? No? Underneath? I thought it was under the balls. He had one of these done, and I said, where do they go in? They go in?

I don't know, mate, have you not even looked you've had an incision made in your testicles?

I already had a scar on my nuts from what from? You don't know this story?

Your first sectomy?

Call it a sext to me? No, No, I had it to what they called it, twisted testicle?

Oh right, when I was fourteen years of age. I was saving it for this episode.

Oh my god, let's go into this because Ted said to me the other night, the teacher spoke to us about twisted testicles.

How did they get twisted? You're playing soccer? I was surfing.

I surfed a lot that day, and then I got this really big picture when you ball up a rubber band that they said when they opened me up, that's what that's what it looked like and then they had to untwist it stitched to the sidewalls.

I've already got a scar down the middle, like in the middle of my nuts. Not yet.

No, there was a guy at school who in a similar situation, and his name was we used to call him Buchers.

And because I had missed like two weeks of.

School and the this was in your nine Bruce Brown was the year later. Bruce Brown got up and said, now you might have been a bit concerned about Bukers. He's had a twisted testicle, so his testinges are going to be fine, but he'll be back to school very soon.

He's had an operation on his balls, so what do you reckon? He was called for the rest of school. He was twisties. I was one nut.

Well, my friends used to see me wonder Wall, but instead of wonder Wall, it was one ball classic classics.

That's not funny, that's not yeah.

I had a friend that was very insensitive when I did have just after I had the surgery, he saw me a couple of days later. He would pretend to sackwhack me so that he wouldn't actually hit me, but I'd squeek my nuts were so swallen. I'd squeeze my legs together and the stitches would like it.

Back to the incision of the sector. Where is it.

It'd be in the same area of the scar down in the middle. So they do is they cut you open. There's two holes something.

I hope I got me going. They actually.

It's a bull ring actually, and they go in and they actually melt the tube.

So there's a lot of smell of burning skin. Oh, I was this smell. What's that smell? It's your balls, burning.

Flesh and boiled seamen, boiled.

I was sweating profusely, so much so they had to peel me off the bed like I was stuck to it like the leather the hospital, but like medical bed. And then you meant to rest and recover a bit. In said I went. I went out to the pub with the boys, and.

Were you able to enjoy yourself?

I clocked up fifteen k's on foot and I was swallowen, bruised up to my belly button.

Yeah, up in the gay bar. My nuts are out. The whole night, was just showing everybody my black testicles.

Actually, they I was bruised up to my belly button because I.

Because you went out dancing all night. You know, I was prepared to do that. Except when Lisa, because she had a sea section, they tied her tubes during the sea section, so took the baby out and then you clamp the tubes so she can't get pregnant. The third one.

Yeah, okay, was that always part of the plan or was that in the surprise the plan got you.

I mean I would have been happy to get the vasectomy. But then while we're in there, we mate what about your second marriage? So then that was kind of done, that was sold, it was fixed, so you know you don't have to have it anyway. Yeah, if you can show me the right gay club to go, Surry Hill, I love that.

When you If you were to have a map, let's plot out. Teddy come THEO.

Not many, no one does.

I've never heard him called to the I'll call him Teddy, then ted Jack, Francesca friend.

Never Frankie.

Frankie has been considered. Frankie was out initial idea. She gets a bit of cheska like.

That asco sounds like a cocktail.

Comes with a lot of attitude. When you look at who was easy, who was hard? Where do they rank? On that graph.

It was a map. Yeah, what do you want? Ted was easy being the first and when they talked about the second being hard, Oh my god, Jack was hard in what way? Sleep? What we found out with Jack too, he was just it was grumpy. He was bloody grumpy.

And then we got a baby whispering and we said, hey, what's wrong with this kid? And she said, he's exhausted, And I said, what do you mean? She said, he's not sleeping.

So then we looked in his mouth and he had the world's biggest tonsils. Oh massive, He had a five milimeter gap down his throat. Could he breathe? Probably? So he had sleep app near So I would hold him.

This was the most unnerving thing. You would hold him at night. He's a baby, he's one and a half. You'd hold him trying to get him to sleep. He'd fall asleep, and then he'd go like you would see a sixty year old man who's had far too much to drink, who's fallen asleep.

He has probably got a bit of goup also, who's thirty three.

So we very quickly then had his tonsils out and everything was fine.

Took us a while to realize why he was angry.

It's crazy how much impact tonsils and ad noises I have on and different impacts I haven't.

Like I was telling you about, Lenny had his hour, he splk speaks completely different. Yeah, they do get completely changed Japanese. I think it's a former.

Yeah, I can't understand, but that we've had it with all three of them. They all had massive tonsils, yes and tons.

So that was a big game changer. And Francesca has been a hard sleeper as well from the get go.

Yeah, but I think this feels more tactical than what Jack presented. Jack was just a bad sleep because he couldn't sleep and he was tired, and Francesca was a little feels like it's been a little more loaded. Okay, I'll get them back in. Yeah I'm tired, but I'll get them back in. I make them work for this.

Watch this. I've got them right here. What would you have to do?

So we tried all sorts of stuff, anyone by one of those dolls that even had like a heartbeat or a vibration.

We did that kids, so you feel loved by.

But then we hired like with Tommy Ivy who you know Maddie from our radio show Great Man, Great Man, Thomas Bryan. He had like a like I'm not saying witchcraft, but someone who would almost perform a level of magic. So she would give us the routine of what you needed to do, and you'd follow that, and then what would happen?

A rabbit would come, Rabbit, is this your car?

You would do things where you had to like tap on the door, so you'd go, Francesca, it's time to sleep, and.

You would do it again, Francesca, it is time to sleep on the door. It's sleep time now, Francesca. And at least I would be paid with a fortune with that going. This feels like one of the great cons Yeah, did you think is this a bit for radio?

Like?

Am I being conned?

Here? It's a pink smoke stuff. If that didn't work, it would be Francesca, it's time to sleep.

A scrap. Yeah, And what's the thought that.

Maybe it was just creating some sort of sonic trigger to make her realize that we're not coming in anymore. But we're here, Yeah, we're here. So the art would be that you would then cut it back to just a.

I've never heard of it it's good. It's really good.

Morse code. Yeah, she's just gone back.

But it worked. I mean now she's older, so she's sort of four now. So are you still tapping? Not tapping? Anyone tapping out? I'm gone. But do you know what's hilarious? Isn't that fascinating when you're a parent, how well you get to know every sound in your house. So when you're creeping.

Out of a bedroom after padding a head or holding a hand, you then have to creep out of the house.

You know, to walk on that side of the hallway. You know where the creek is, like it's going to creak. Really, hold on, old tap, you'll go to the one time there's the floor here it is that you are back out.

Guilty you would you know every you know the creek and then my tap, my shower is on the other side of her wall.

So then you have tactical times about when you can shower or you go downstairs to another bathroom.

All those little things you pick up. You become like a bat with sonar hearing.

If you're to be lying there and you and in your phone or vibrate where the message will come from.

Oh my god, yeah, hell hell, we call me?

How how were you and Lisa at this point when it before you got the witch for one of a better word into the house.

Hard really hard, as any parent would know. It's a killer, isn't it?

Did it hurt more because it's your third and you think we should have it kind of dialed at this point.

I think one to two was harder. Really you always hear that, you do hear that, And I think the one is a shock where you have these moments of oh my god, what did we do with our time before we had this? What do we talk about? Yeah? And then two is just an extension. Two is a major shock and then a made of mine too.

Back to Eddie Glenn, the fire hydrant guy, the fire exting chef, he's like he thinks he's a wise old man and he goes, mane, you've got no time when you have two. So what difference does it make when you have three? About thirty three percent? Yeah, it's a third harder.

Again, So when Francesco, were you taking turns? And who's putting her back to sleep? Because was it you had to hold her hand.

Or there's a lot of hand holding, and you would lie even when she was in the co Just lie on.

The floor, wouldn't you. Yeah, and you just your hand is through the slats of the cot and you just holding in prison. Are you doing Morning Radio two? Yeah? Do you know those times where I sat there and it would be midnight and to stop her crying. I don't know if you ever did this. You put your little finger in their mouth and they just like a glassifier and they just suck on your fingers. So you wash your hands. I put a glove on like they

To give me something to mean, I couldn't do riddle time on a Friday, Sidney would be lost. So you'd lie at midnight and they'd be sucking on you pinky like it was a nipple, you know what I mean, like a titch, and.

You're like, what the fuck was doing in my life? And you think and they'd stop, and you go, can I move it now? And then you'd move and you'd be back in again.

So it was just well, you know those times where you think, I don't know how I'm going to get through the next ten minutes.

Do I bang my head against the wall or do I just drink?

Did anyone say anything at work when you're coming in and you're operating obviously a much lower percentage because you just got no sleep. Is anyone saying, hey, whipp are you okay?

No? Not really? Duty of care?

Do you know what the hardest part is, Like we are on this podcast, it's a relief to share stories like it's a relief that you know that I know that we know what you've gone through and what we all do.

But it doesn't make it easier. It doesn't take away the thick of battle and when you're in there and you're going, oh my god, I don't I feel physically sick. I'm so tired.

Yeah, you know, Lisa had some postnatal depression. I'm there trying to do the right thing where half your job too as a dad. I think he's trying to do the right thing by the newborn. So you learn trying to learn it one hundred miles an hour, but then almost play a kick in front of your wife to work out what she's going to need and how I can help for whatever's around the corner. So that was sort of the panic, and I think a lot of Dad's experience as well.

That is how I've dropped the tone slightly.

No, I did highly impactful with the feelings and emotions.

Man, am I right? Fellas Yeah, well said.

When you talk about the fact that we're not sure whether we go for a third or night, and it does send a bit of a shiver down my spine when you talk to people who have, you know, when they're reminisced of time in the trenches, because for me, I've kind of erased all that, and you do because you like it.

Was just forget fucking hell moments that were great. I'll never forget we w I'm going to after this record message.

Laura and be like, I think we should just reconsider it because it's it's.

What's life like now? Sensational? Okay, just the best. So tonight I'm going to her school for wild night and I'm dressed as a tiger and I can't wait wild I don't know, let's have wild night.

Where you can turn up dressed to something. And I think because because because of radio, I think that the staff there at the kindergarten, feel like I must be village idiot.

So I go all, can't wait to see what your dad Whipper's gonna wear it.

So she comes home and says, are they really excited about what you're going to wear? Can you wear the cat suit? I don't have a choice. If I don't turn up, I'm a disappointment.

Yeah, the bars there disappoint my daughter.

So tonight I will be a cat and I can't want to be good luck with your eldest is nine nine now at the moment, I'm kind of thinking about the future with Marley.

She's turning six next year. The kind of conversation. She's becoming very aware of the world around us, asking big questions.

How is it with Ted?

Ted and Jack are sort of a team, so quite often they'll be in the same position regarding questions, and there's some fascinating topics.

What have you had to tackle?

Like the other day we watched I get sick of watching YouTube shorts. Right, I watch a lot of YouTube shots like no, no, no, no, too much, too much, too quick. I want you to understand concentrationspan and really engaging in something, so I don't mind YouTube and I say, why don't we. I want it to be a learned experience, so I want adventure builds in or I want how's it made? So we watched how Crayon's made the other day and where they come from and how many crowns are made.

I'm so bad.

I mean, crowns are amazing. When they first launched, Crayola was the dominant playback then and still is today.

Is it made out of rocks?

No?

I can't remember. What is it? That's fat? That's fat? Yeah, it's fat. Let's filap Yeah, like horse, it's made from horse. Yeah, they take it.

They'll take a fourth leg off a dog. If you see a three legged.

Dog, that's twenty four cranions right there. Wow, plus the one he's got. Still the next.

Time, he's a crayon. Anyway, the prompt came up for the next video, how to make condoms?

Okay, and then Jack said what's a condom? And Ted knew. I think I'd had a chat to Ted about it.

For some reason, We've never really shied away from being honest about how things work. And Ted said, oh, yeah, I know that, and said to Jacket, it's like a balloon and you put it on your dude all and it'll stop you from making a baby.

That's what I did. Was this the YouTube video or jacket?

So then Jack said, this is where the extension of all these topics is where it gets interesting.

So Jack then says, right, well, why would you have sex if you didn't want to make a baby? Very valid, very valid question.

I said, it's because it can feel good and it can be fun. It's fun and it's something you do with someone that you love. Right, so then I want to have fun. Did you say, come into that? So I said, well, what does it feel like? And I said, well, it's like I said.

It's like a massage, a massage a message the other day with the os that we went to. It's different to that.

So it's different to So it does does it feel like when you go to Tanya.

The messusses that feel the same as when you're with Mom? Sometimes it depends if it's really dark, and I don't actually know, it.

Depends how much I've got and I don't know how to answer, you know, those questions.

It's funny.

I have this vivid memory of being so concerned. I can't remember how old I was, but I was like, Mom, how do you make sure you don't we whilst you're having sex?

Right? Question? Just a sum it would come out. That was my biggest question.

I was like, but how do you how does it not I've got I'm slightly traumatized. There's a school in my area called Santa Augustine that we used to call them and orgasms.

And I said to my mom, oh, yeah, you know, and orgasms And she was like, would you like me to tell you what an orgasm is?

And I was like twelve, and I remember this vividly and I was like, no, please don't and she can. She carried on, you know at that time, No, Nope, and she carried on to tell me intricately for forty five minutes what an orgasm was.

That's a vivid memory. You've turned out like April's a lucky lady.

Is because we still had an August because we then.

Ted said had said earlier, you know how like when we got prior to this, how is the baby made?

So I'd explained it, but then he still couldn't get his head around it. So he said, okay, so this so if it was this room in here.

The sperm comes out of your painis it would go across the floor and then into's Johnny.

We're not traveling that. If you can do that, they go back back. You got yourself an industry. So I once again I had to explain that the dude Ale goes into the Johnny and all of this, so they're always just I love that you're learning at the same time, so you don't have the written down answer and at the same time this you don't have any prep. You don't know when the question is going to come, which direction is going to turn? Quiz do you know the other one that I mentioned Because they go to a

Now I don't care what you believe in religious wise, whatever faith might mean to you, there are some basics which I think they need to understand, but it's hard to explain. So I want them to have a level of religious education so when they're older, you can make the decision whether you want to partake and follow by all means, and I think that's healthy for them to

God made Australia. You know God did Australia. Well you could say that way to creation of the world was for good. That might quickly so it gets to this point where.

And then at the end of dinner, we'll sit the dinner and I go, okay, make sure we thank mom for dinner, and I'll say, well, yeah, God did go to dinner, and what you saw who made dinner?

Thanks Mum for making dinner. That'd be awesome. I can't wait till Oscar. Oscar is already.

Like so painful like that as well. And he's the same turning six. And he's always been such a good talker from like he came out screamingly, didn't stop screaming, and then just started talking.

So well, yeah, and just.

His line of questioning, break anyone down in the car and he's continued asking, You've asked a lot of really good questions today, buddy, but can you stop.

Isn't it funny how Quie Often when you say, hey, great question, you're buying yourself time.

If he didn't, I'll answer it.

And at the moment, you know, we have Christmas on the way. So the elf on the shelf is out. Oh so elf on the shelf is out? Jack said the other day, hang on a minute, is the elf moving? Or are you moving the elf? And I said, well, I'm not going to tell you that, but I'm going to tell you something and I'll be very clear about it and go on. What's going on now? It's called

Are you going to say it's God, God, move the elf? Callt me down.

We have to congratulate you, by the way. Yes, you have been campaigning in recent months. I'm talking about thirty six months. You'll push to get the age for youngsters on social media raised from thirteen to sixteen. I wanted to know, Ash, and I weren't quite sure how you initially became involved involved in that campaign.

It was a moment where, if you want all the detail, I was sitting on the toilet and I that great thinking time on the toilet, and I saw something and I've been talking about it with a mate, Rob Galutzo for a while, and then I saw something that's stayed by state.

There were changes going on in.

The US, and I just had this sinking moment where I thought, imagine, like in your Wireless dreams, it was almost a hypothetical. Imagine if we could change the age of kids joining social media from the platforms from thirteen to sixteen or that thirty.

Six month period. And then I thought to myself, do you know what if you're not going to act on.

A gut feeling like I had. That moved me so much in that moment. Shouldn't have said the toilet? But should I shouldn't have said the toilet bit then I thought, then what are you ever going to do? We're ever going to stand for? So Rob and I had been talking and then I said, hey, mate, why don't we do this? Why don't we launch this thing called thirty six months and drive a campaign to change the age

Wow. They talk about I mean, Dove ran a fantastic campaign and it's the impact of social media, and their statistics read that one in two young girls will experience some psychological damage from the impact of social media. One in two.

So we sit here now as parents and we think, imagine if there was a product on the shelf, like a shampoo, and every second person that used it had some sort of psychological damage, that product wouldn't be on the shelf for a second. More So, why does it exist now? And there are so many layers to this. So there's so many layers to the bullying and the creepiness, and the other side of the coin is the attention span of kids that they're selling and the smart algorithms.

So that's why we launched. When was that How long ago? That was in May? So it's all happened really quickly, point where we've almost been surprised. And what's interesting, ninety five percent of the signatures are mums. Wow, the power of the mother army is massive. One last question before you go.

When your children are all grown up, they're no longer at home, when Cheska Jack got it so close, mate, when they're no longer living with you under the regime, what's the one thing they'd.

Like them to remember about the house they grew up in. I would like to say fun.

I know that sounds basic, but my dad was an only child and he said, you know what I love about coming to your house to have dinner and things.

It's always just fun.

But also the ridiculousness of the games that we make up in the backyard, the little pro decks that are all designed for bonding experiences. So recently we built a swing. Every time we build something in the backyard, it costs more than buying the bloody thing, but it's not about that. So we built like a timber seat that we hung

Kids in hospital. But it was it's not about the swing. Like jack said the other day or for Mother's Day, we made flower presses and Jackson, dad, I'm not interested in a flower press, I had to say to a mate, neither am I do you know what?

Do you know what it is about? It's about drilling the hole, It's about choosing the flower. It's about going on the adventure to Centennial Park to go and pick the flowers we want to choose. And it's about going to buy a frame to put it in for mum and writing some nice words to much which we get all to do together. That's what it's about. Like we have a tinny that we go fishing in. It's a four point two meter Quinn tracks. It's nothing flash and

Have you actually caught any fish?

Well, we take we put a GoPro down, so we always go, we've caught something on camera, it's attached to the.

So, yeah, we catch something on film. Yeah, my own microsman. What's the Quinn tracks? Beautiful brand on mate, I'll take you out.

Oh yeah, we've It's been an absolute pleasure you guys a great dad.

Thank you very much, Thank you for having me. Guys. Congratulations on a wonderful podcast. Thank you so much. Appreciated.

What an absolute gentleman. Loves the chat, loves it very funny, very funny guy funny than I remember. I felt like you guys really bonded over the renovations.

Yes, we have to.

We'll have to cut out nine percent of the renovation chat because everyone's like, shut up, we.

Know it now, you know how I feel. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review or you can subscribe.

Subscribe to make sure that every brand new episode is delivered direct into your inbox on Apple Podcasts or Spotify wherever you listen to us, and also social media.

We have a.

Beautiful, gorgeous, thriving, pulsating community online.

TikTok Pulsating Robin. If you want to pulsate with us, join us on Facebook. Two Doting Dads. We will accept you into the Pulsation party and until next see you later.

Two Doting Dads podcast acknowledges the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia and the connections to land, see and community.

We pay our respects to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torrestrate Islander peoples today.

This episode was recorded on Gadagal Land