What is Pop Culture Parenting?
This podcast is about finding the sweetspot between the textbooks and real life when it comes to parenting. Dr Billy (a developmental pediatrician) and Nick (a developing parent) are a couple of dads having honest discussions about parenting day to day
We'll be using iconic TV and cinema scenes from the 80's & 90's to give context to Billy's parenting advice.
Please subscribe and tell us what parenting topics and movie scenes we should talk about next
Depression Q&A
This week we reflect on last weeks chat about depression and answer your amazing questions. We talk about our role as parents, prevention, the details of therapy and medication and kids who won’t engage. Thanks for sharing your journey!!
We need to talk about Artax
Depression is more than feeling sad or low. It is a destructive mental illness that causes so much heartache and suffering in our communities. It is essential that we all understand depression to make sure we see and support those who are fighting against it. This week Nick and Billy chat about what is behind depression, how it presents in our kids and what we can do about it. We also learn about depression from the wonderful characters of the 80s fantasy classic - The Neverending Story!!
Screens, screens everywhere
In our follow up screen time we spoke about what kids watch on screens, different types of screen use, talking to kids about screens, strategies for screens and how to get grandparents in the same page. We especially loved people sharing their honest experiences with screens and a special shout out to those with broken TVs and remotes 😂
iPhones + Golden tickets
Screen time causes so much stress and guilt for families and feels like a new phenomenon. This week Nick shines (as always) with his honest and practical experience with screens, while Dr Billy delivers practical strategies and evidence back learning
Dealing with Biff
So many great questions from listeners about bullying this week. We talk about figuring out if it’s bullying or just fun between mates, at what age should we start talking about bullying, safe and healthy responses, sticking up for other kids, what to do if our kid is the bully and what schools can do. All of this plus a bonus question from Nick!
McFly? Hello?
Bullying can be one of the most devastating experiences for kids to go through and sadly too many go through this trauma, often alone. As parents and professionals supporting children and teenagers it is really important we talk to our kids about bullying to protect them from it’s destructive impact. In this episode Nick and Billy use Back to the Future to discuss Bullying and how best to support all kids when it occurs (even if they're doing the bullying)
ADHD questions answered
So many amazing questions this week about kids who can’t focus and ADHD. We cover how to talk to kids about it, emotional difficulties, the stigma, medication, education approaches and so much more! Thank you to all who guided us this week and we hope it helps you in guiding the kids you care for
Just keep swimming
Lots of kids can’t focus for many different reasons. ADHD is a common cause with 7% of Aussie kids aged 4 to 17 years of age having the condition. Difficulties with attention, hyperactivity and impulsivity can have huge impacts on not only learning but also relationships and self esteem. This week Nick and Billy chat about how we support all kids to develop the skills required to succeed when they need to focus and control their impulses.
Good grief
Huge contribution this week from listeners sharing their challenges and wisdom with grief and death. Part 2 is truly guided by loved experience thanks to one courageous and generous parents. Tough but important stuff for us and our kids.
Grieving loss
Grief can be really tough for us and our kids. This week Nick and Billy talk about loss (a death, a relationship, your own independence) and how we can help our kids navigate this challenging experience.
flying somewhere, bestie?
Dozens of questions from listeners for part 2 of 'the power of friendship' episode. We consolidated down to 9 questions in total, including dealing with undesirable friendships, exclusion, shyness and some more complicated questions.
BFF 4Real
Genuine friendships are one of the most protective factors for our kids through out their entire lives. Billy and Nick use Dumb & Dumber to frame how to build good opportunities for kids to develop strong friendships and if kids are struggling to develop them, then how we bring them back.
Anxious kids
Anxiety can be one of the most difficult mental health illnesses to pinpoint in kids.
In episode 30 of our series we answer listeners questions about how to manage performance anxiety, support kids as they're spiralling and develop tactics to help them through
Got a bigger boat?
Anxiety is the MOST common mental illness in kids, particularly after a pandemic. We don’t focus a lot on sharks, but on more common things kids have a fear of (dogs, tigers, school, etc).
Bad habits
Part 2 of 'Breaking bad habits' gives people practical tips to create good habits with their kids, break the bad ones and also provides support to parents who’s kids have a bit more going to create good habits. Here are the specific questions Dr Billy answers:
1. How do we build good habits about exercise, sleep, diet, money?
2. How to deal with bad habits pulling hair, picking skin, biting nails, screens.?
3. How to approach habits in children with neurodevelopmental or mental health concerns?
Wax on, wax off
Want to know how to form good habits with your kids? Or maybe you want to get rid of some bad ones? Dr Billy helps us understand how good habits are formed and how you can instil them with your kids in some easy steps. Enjoy
“How you like dem apples?”
Part 2 of 'our role in kids resilience' is JAM PACKED with more than 10 questions from parents, professionals and 'fans'(lol).
then there was 3
Our very first guest and what a way to celebrate episode 25 Good Will Hunting & our role in building kids' resilience!
Imaginative questions
AMAZING questions from listeners makes for a fun episode. Dr Billy talks about the link between imaginative play with developing empathy in children.
Resilience time
Our very first guest and what a way to celebrate episode 25 Good Will Hunting & our role in building kids' resilience! Bec Harris brings a wealth of knowledge about why and how we set our kids up to get through the tough times. Please send in your questions as Bec is going to join us next week to help answer them.
To learn more about Bec and her work please visit traumainformedpractice.com.au
Empathy phone home
Who knew Imaginary Friends and Empathy would be so closely linked?
Dr Billy takes us on a journey this week and talks about the history and benefits of imaginary friends with the help of a little alien named E.T.
Taking care of you
Nick and Billy share their stories about their own mental health and discuss how we can look after ourselves and those around us. Nearly 50% of adults experience mental illness in their lifetime🫂. The stress of parenting can have a big impact on wellbeing and 1 in 4 kids live with a parent with a mental illness
Treat yourself
Who could forget 'Big' (1988) with Tom Hanks? He received an Academy Award nomination for best actor, but now he'll truly be immortalised as we selected this film in Episode 21: Big + parental mental health. Critical concepts to understand what mental health is and steps to managing your own is what you’l learn about in this ep
Sleep relief
In episode 20 Dr Billy tells you how to get kids to sleep and keep them asleep. The team gets deep into the evidence about kids who won’t sleep to address the many amazing questions that came in. Please enjoy and let us know what you think..
Please GT*TS
Got a kid that won't sleep? Hop in to episode 19 with Dr Billy and Nick to learn the best skills and rituals to adopt to improve their overall sleep
Questions answered
Bad kids ep drove a bunch of GREAT questions from parents and professionals. We answer lots of questions including:
How many chances can we give a bad kid when the behaviours are breaking us? - How do we make a positive influence when there is so much negative intergenerational experience?
How to manage bad behaviour without impacting the relationship?
How do we make it fair on the "good" kids in the classroom?
How can we make sure these kids will be ok when they become adults?
Not so bad
We’ve all heard the term “bad kid” before. In this ep, Dr Billy tells us why why he loves to work with these kids and recounts some lessons he’s learnt along the way. We use the emotional campfire scene from Stand By Me where River Phoenix shines (the scene is on our Instagram channel - @popcultureparenting). Nick also catches Billy off guard by nailing some psychology theory!
Small bites
In part 2 of Hook (1991) + fussy eating we answer specific questions from listeners about diet, constipation and improving meal times!
Eat ya greens
Hook (1992) & fussy kids. This one’s fun, emotional and hopefully really helpful. Bangarang everyone!!!
Orchids & dandelions
In this ep we answer a few questions including; 'how do I parent a dandelion and an orchid?', 'how much support is enough?' and 'how can I support my kid in a Lord of the Flies type playground?' and much, much more.
Sensitive kids
Steve Martin's character Gill and his son Kevin give us the perfect backdrop to discuss what’s going on for sensitive kids, how we can support them and why that is so important. Please send in your questions so we can go deep in our reflective practice episode next week.
Toileting tips
In Part 2 of Billy Madison + Toilet training podcast we answered the following 5 questions which came from our listeners:
1. Can I ruin my child's life by messing up toilet training?
2. The 'dream wee'... myth or reality?
3. My kid is struggling after multiple setbacks... what do I do?
4. Any advice on Encopresis?
5. ?????? (#secretquestion)
Potty time
Toilet training. Something every child goes through. It's also not necessarily 'mastered' by late toddler-hood - 10% of 5 year olds and 5% of 10 year olds still have accidents during the day. We use Billy Madison's friend Ernie to help talk through the strongest approaches to achieve success - you can see the scene on our instagram page: @popcultureparenting
‘Howe’ good?
‘Howe’ good is reflective practice!? We discuss feedback and questions from listeners as well as supporting each other after difficult chats.
Save Ferris
Billy and Nick discuss Ferris Bueller’s Day Off & Kids who are struggling to attend school. Something for everyone as we talk about setting up kids for success, spotting that they’re struggling and getting them back when they go off track. Can’t wait to hear your feedback!!!
Shameless plug
Episode 8 dives into reflective practice and Nick surprises himself with some well retained knowledge and strong application of some key questions he asks himself before diving in to correcting/discipling his kids. Go Nick :)
1. What's going on for them (the child)?
2. What have I missed?
3. Have I pitched things too high?
A good short listen, well worth a spin. Enjoy
Shame, shame.
Have you ever used shame to correct a kids behaviour, only to watch them crumple in a heap?
In ep 7we've answered another listener question: "how do you parent without shaming your kids?" Dr Billy talks about the science around it, gives you practical alternatives and look closely at examples in 'Remember the Titans' (2001).
Numbers are in
In a follow up to episode 5, we discuss feedback from listeners on what the right amount of kids to have actually is.
How many?!?
Episode #5 is out and it was lots of fun answering a FAN QUESTION (‘How many kids should I have?’) 🎉 woohoo! We talk about the evidence regarding single children vs siblings and the classic movie about brotherly love…. Twins.
Pandemic parenting Pt 2
Wanna know how to thrive in a 7-day lockdown in a house where everyone has COVID-19? Then listen to this! A week after dropping tips about parenting in a pandemic (episode 3), Nick and his family put it into action after everyone contracts COVID. There are 5 practical tips in this episode so please enjoy
Pandemic parenting
Parenting through a pandemic is challenging to say the least. In this episode, Dr Billy Garvey shares evidence based insights on how to ease the pressure of parenting through the Covid-19 pandemic and the uncertainty that surrounds it. We lean on Sigourney Weaver's masterful performance as Ripley in 'Aliens'(1986) to give context to Billy's advice. We discuss Ripley's approach to building a bond and supporting a traumatised Newt.
Attuned T-800
It's tough to focus on your kids emotional needs when you've just escaped a T-1000.
Dr Billy Garvey provides an actionable set of steps to help identify and support your child when they're having some emotional difficulties in the moment. We use a scene from Terminator 2 to give context to Billy's advice. Follow on Instagram @popcultureparenting for show notes and more details on the topic and film
Oh Kevin…
In our very first episode we tackle the parenting technique of Time Out and talk through how to support Kevin in a busy household. Hot tip, don't send him to the attic.