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Explore every episode of the podcast The Family Skeptical

Dive into the complete episode list for The Family Skeptical. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.

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TitlePub. DateDuration
Talking the Creator Accountability Network with Sarah Tulien04 Feb 202601:13:23

We begin the episode talking about a change we made to the kids' screen time, and then we speak with Sarah Tulien, Executive Director of the Creator Accountability Network. 

I know there are a million places that need our support right now, but think about adding the Creator Accountability Network to your list. Even small donations make a huge difference to newer, growing organizations. CAN represents something we need to see more of in the world right now - efforts to take responsibility and repair harm instead of covering it up or sweeping it under the rug.

Here how to connect with CAN:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (12) and Jaeger (9), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1 and 61.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

The Wicked Of It All07 Jan 202600:56:16

We start out talking about the kids experiencing their first religious service. Then we delve into Candace Owens' Erika Kirk conspiracies. And we finish up with the discussion about body size that has emerged around the stars of Wicked. How do we want to talk to the kids about body size? How do we think about it in the first place?

In the Candace Owens segment, we did a terrible job giving context around some of the people we brought up, so I included links for them.

And here they are:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (12) and Jaeger (9), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1 and 61.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Let's Have Fun Being Wrong02 Jul 202500:53:34

We start out talking about everything that has happened in the last few weeks. Then Pops gives an update on his evolving thoughts on guns. Moms talks about a time when her skepticism briefly abandoned her. And we finish up discussing how saying that secular parenting is "hard" might not be the best description. If you want to skip the discussion of We're Here, go to 46:48.

Now the links:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (11) and Go (9), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

2.5 Takes On The Manosphere11 Jun 202500:56:59

In our first conversation we learn that we might have very different feelings about the boys and guns. Then we discuss why the manosphere may have done a better job than other media at reaching young men. And we finish up talking about Netflix's Adolescence. If you want to skip the discussion of Thunderbolts, go to 24:30.

Now the links:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (11) and Go (9!), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Defining Christian Nationalism27 May 202500:56:10

We start by discussing the fact that Go feels like he's been stalked by Christianity. Then we try to define Christian Nationalism. And we finish talking about why we call ourselves atheists and are even talking about this topic.  

Now the links:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (11) and Go (9!), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Stand Up…If You Love Trees (Not God)30 Apr 202500:32:54

This is a short one. We discuss an issue at Go's school that made him feel singled out as a secular kid. And then we talk about how we'd both like to be more involved in our community, but we're tired. But maybe we won't be soon. I think this is the great myth of adulthood - that there will be some time when we're not exhausted and stretched thin. So you just have to do the things anyway.  

Now the links:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (11) and Go (8), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

To Sleepover Or Not To Sleepover16 Apr 202501:02:13

***First things first, join Pops on CAN's first fundraiser! April 25th at 7pm ET. https://m.twitch.tv/dissonancepod/home ***

We start the episode talking about our Spring Break at Colonial Williamsburg. And then we hear a bit more from Alastair Lichten, a humanist activist and community organiser. He writes about political and social issues, parenting, family, relationships and life from the perspective of a progressive humanist parent, on his blog: A Humanist Dad. Alongside various voluntary roles, Alastair has led on education campaigns for the UK's National Secular Society, and local groups for Humanists UK, and in this discussion, I ask more about what he's learned about the effects of religious education. We finish up talking about two episodes of Dear Old Dads and how we feel about sleepovers and trusting other people with our kids. And the answer is…. I know this is going to be shocking… Complex.

Now the links:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (11) and Go (8), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Talking Progressive Humanist Parenting with Alastair Lichten (A Humanist Dad)26 Mar 202501:09:04

We begin the episode talking about a school project that inspired Go. And then we speak with Alastair Lichten, a humanist activist and community organiser. He writes about political and social issues, parenting, family, relationships and life from the perspective of a progressive humanist parent, on his blog: A Humanist Dad. Alongside various voluntary roles, Alastair has led on education campaigns for the UK's National Secular Society, and local groups for Humanists UK. The blog always makes me think about topics we could cover, and I love his advice at the end of the interview about not standing up to bullies alone. 

Now the links:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (11) and Go (8), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

What's a Real Dinner Anyway?04 Mar 202500:56:46

We begin the episode talking about finding camps for the boys. And then we speak with Katie from Camp Quest about secular fostering. And we finish up with a discussion about the expectations we have for our relationships in honor of Valentine's Day.

Now the links:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (11) and Go (8), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe, leave a rating and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Talking Camp Quest with Katie06 Feb 202501:08:15

We begin the episode talking about the LA fires and our inability to cover current events. And then we speak with Katie about Camp Quest, a summer camp founded on the conviction that all kids deserve fun, friends, and freethought. Not only does Katie give great advice about knowing when kids are ready for sleepaway camp, but the whole mission and vibe of Camp Quest is a lesson in treating children with respect and care. It's a reminder of how much work and thought it takes to create amazing spaces for kids, but also the magic that can come out of that effort. 

Now the links:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (11) and Go (8), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

We were included on a list of the Top 70 Atheist Podcasts. Check it out to find other great creators.

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

New Year's... Well, Not Resolutions15 Jan 202500:54:06

***Heads up - This was recorded before the LA fires. Pops and I lived in LA longer than anywhere else and we've been watching friends evacuate and places we loved destroyed. We'll be posting where we're donating soon, and we'll share if we have anything useful to say other than that this is horrible in ways we truly couldn't imagine.

We started the episode talking about a bit of our holiday travels. Then we discussed New Year's Resolutions - how they don't work, how we still aren't consistent, and how we might plan better and with a little more wiggle room for the weirdness life can bring. And finally we ran through some things that are on our minds for 2025.  

Now the links (we were reasonable for once):

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (11) and Go (8), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

We were included on a list of the Top 70 Atheist Podcasts. Check it out to find other great creators. 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Your Secular Christmas, Judaism, Life, Whatnot, Is Enough!25 Dec 202400:58:10

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Good job making it through the end of 2024!

We began talking about the kids' adventures in basketball and swimming. And then we spoke a little more with Paul Golin, Executive Director of the Society for Humanistic Judaism about my secular Judaism crisis. And finally, we discussed our interview on One Bad Mother, Biz asking if we have any fun, and all the things we think are super enjoyable about skeptical parenting - including storytelling, and how this all relates to Christmas and The Christmas Carol…and snails. I swear it hangs together a bit more than it seems in the description.

And did you catch the Scrooged quote at the end? I swear I did not manufacture that moment. We quote that film all the time, all year long.

Now the links:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (11!) and Go (8), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

2025 Review (Heads Up - More Santa Talk)17 Dec 202500:38:37

We start the episode with an announcement from Go, and then we talk about 2025. How do we feel? At sea, I would say. And we finish up with some thoughts from the kids.

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (12!) and Jaeger (9), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1 and this one apparently.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Talking Humanistic Judaism with Paul Golin12 Dec 202401:08:50

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 notes about the challenges of building community and how to do it anyway particularly useful during this time. 

Now the links:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (11!) and Go (8), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Should We Teach Our Kids to Lie About Our Atheist Family if Being Honest Could Bring Discrimination?20 Nov 202400:52:17

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 community could have done better. We went after the wrong Christian mom influencer. (Another heads-up that this involves discussion of miscarriage.) Finally, we think about how we'd talk to our kids if we lived in a community where our non-belief might bring discrimination. Lie altogether about our atheism? Teach them to lie? Do something else? It's so hard this even needs to be a discussion and our hearts go out to all the families in this position.

Now the links (buckle up):

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (10) and Go (8), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Indoctrination Station12 Nov 202400:55:44

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 Evidence-Based Strategies to Navigate Your Loss. Pops and Betsy got into a super interesting discussion on video games in times of grief. And we finish out discussing something I've wanted to talk about for a long time: indoctrination. Just how worried do we need to be about indoctrinating our kids to be atheists? 

And if you'd like to respond to Betsy's survey from our last episode and be entered to win a prize, go here: https://forms.gle/7rHqGEsGov5ppcxi7

Now to links:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (10) and Go (8), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Talking Grief with Betsy DeVille22 Oct 202401:08:25

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 with an incredibly thoughtful woman was a blast. Should atheists have their own grieving ritual? How do we make a safe space for children to grieve? Does Pops read any of our social media posts? 

And if you'd like to respond to Betsy's survey and be entered to win a prize, go here: https://forms.gle/7rHqGEsGov5ppcxi7

Now to links:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (10) and Go (8), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Therefore Science No27 Sep 202400:54:48

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 perfectly themselves. And then we discuss an episode of the Truth. Love. Parent. Podcast that talks about the "lies" of the developmental stages.  I don't think I've ever spent so long editing a segment. But there was a lot to discuss. And I had to phone a friend just to get a good read on why someone deeply religious would even care about the developmental stages one way or another.

Now to links:

  • Creator Accountability Network 

  • Truth. Love. Parent. - The Truth and Lies of Developmental Stages 

  • And I think these are the two The Thinking Atheist episodes that discuss if the human eye is actually well designed -  I Was the Intelligent Designer: Part One and Part Two. (And if they aren't - it's Seth Andrews and it's going to be great regardless.) 

  • Here is Dan McClellan's video on the study about how much people read the bible. 

  • Here's more on Erikson's theory of development. 

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (10) and Go (8), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

I'll Take My Coping Mechanisms From Skepticism, Not Religion, Thank You Very Much28 Aug 202400:48:56

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 also talk about working to be credentialed by the Creator Accountability Network.

Now to links:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (10) and Go (8), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Battle of the O States31 Jul 202400:59:26

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 Commandments in public schools. And we finish up discussing Oklahoma and Ohio who are both trying to get in on the "let's-shoehorn-religion-into-the-public-schools" bandwagon. Guess what - it's all gross.

Now to links:

  • Common Sense Media

  • Some Kind of Wonderful is the John Hughes movie that you probably haven't seen but should. Two words: Elias Koteas.  

  • And if you haven't dug into David Cronenberg's back catalog - what are you doing with your life? 

  • Code of Hammurabi

  • Oklahoma's plan to make all schools teach the bible might not be working out as planned actually.

  • And here's the law that Ohio is trying to pass to allow children to leave school for religious education during the school day. 

  • And to end on something happy: Camp Quest

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (10) and Go (8), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

The Ten Commandments Shouldn't Be In Public Schools10 Jul 202401:12:09

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 a few short ones during the move, so hopefully it evens out. 

Now to links:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (10) and Go (8), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Rough Picnic: Beyond the Trump of It All and Books Bans19 Jun 202400:45:08

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 panic attack halfway through recording the episode and you can thank me now for editing out about 20 minutes of me droning on wondering why he had stopped saying anything. Moving is hard y'all. 

Now to links:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (10) and Go (8), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Heads-Up: Trigger Warnings29 May 202400:50:17

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 to listen.)

And finally, I had to dub a few lines and I am clearly both not good at it or mixing that kind of audio, so sorry in advance if it's jarring.

Now to links:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (10) and Go (8!), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Talking Atheist Christmas with Betsy DeVille26 Nov 202500:58:59

It's beginning to look a lot like Atheist Christmas. We start the episode with a story about the Tooth Fairy, and then we talk with Betsy DeVille about her book, Christmas for Atheists, and what to think about when celebrating as a secular family. Listen to the end for some amazing gingerbread house tips. 

Now to links:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (11) and Go (9), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Interfaith Couples And Should Your Kid Be Able To Pick Jesus Out Of A Lineup?08 May 202400:58:56

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 Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (10) and Go (7), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

So Much Learning To Do17 Apr 202400:58:17

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 take note depending on how you're doing and who you're listening with (i.e. kids).

***If you want to skip the discussion of abuse, go to 23:30 and there's another minute at the end between 56:30 and 57:30 that you might want to hop over too.

Now so so many links:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (10) and Go (7), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Sex and Misrepresentation27 Mar 202401:08:34

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 are. We start discussing Readers issues with…reading. Or really, it's more about Moms' issues with Reader's reading. Then we follow up on our last episode about sex ed with a few extra thoughts. And we finish up talking about moments that we feel people have ignored or misrepresented atheists.  

Now Links:

  • This is the series, Reader liked. Trapped in a Video Game

  • The series that the librarian found for Go is Space Runners

  • This is the season of The Heart Podcast about consent that was so amazing. As parents, her recent season called Dad is also pretty fascinating.

  • If you want more discussions of purity culture from someone who knows a lot more about it than us, check out Eve was Framed's new show Chewed Gum

  • This is the video with religious vs atheist views of marriage. 

  • Here's an article on another absurd comment Oprah made about atheists. 

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (10) and Go (7), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Talking with Kids About Porn and Sex06 Mar 202400:58:16

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 following up in the next episode with a few more thoughts, and we'll hopefully return to the topic again, because there's just so much to discuss.)

Now Links:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (10) and Go (7), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

A Traditional Valentine's Day Ramble14 Feb 202400:50:15

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" - which seems to be everywhere in religious and secular discourse alike. 

Now Links:

  • Under the Influence with Jo Piazza. Jo is becoming my new parasocial crush. 

  • The episode of On Mission about whether a soft life fits with Christian theology.

  • MommaStrong. Courtney and Jya are my original parasocial crushes.

  • Savage Love. My mom took me to hear Dan Savage speak when I was in high school? Middle school? Regardless, she really did a lot of parenting things right. 

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (10) and Go (7), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

A Skeptical Take on Parenting Advice24 Jan 202400:55:35

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 in most places.

Links:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (10!) and Go (7), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe, leave a review, and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Santa Is Dead!03 Jan 202400:19:01

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 and have some really fun topics coming up. 

The day I was able to get this posted is our Fifthmas (gifts from my best friend, Christmas with my mom, then my dad, then my dad's family, and now Pops' folks), so I wasn't able to re-listen to everything before posting, but I think the only shout out is to the Bored AF podcast. 

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (10!) and Go (7), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Rinse and Repeat13 Dec 202300:58:11

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 are interested in going to church.  

Now the links:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (10!) and Go (7), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Should Secular Parents Let Their Children Attend Church?22 Nov 202300:57:50

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 links:

  • Here is the episode of Under the Influence with Jo Piazza that talks about trad wives. 

  • This is Daniel Sloss's instagram account. 

  • And I am very consciously not linking to any of the women lumped in as trad wives that we discussed. It's not an issue of not wanting to give them more attention. But, since I've only been following them a short time, and am clearly working through my thoughts, it doesn't feel right to specifically call out or praise any single person when I don't feel like I have a grasp on any of them yet. (This will likely change in the next episode.)

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (9) and Go (7), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Goblins Ate Our Second Topic01 Nov 202300:47:31

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 Get Over a Fear of Hell episode, since I was able to talk to my mom and get some details on why she sent me to Christian camp. And then we discuss how we decide on when to walk away from celebrities that have caused harm or down other problematic things. (And when we don't.) And also how it gets even more complex as an atheist. Basically it's our bad version of Fanti - and we recorded this before Fanti announced that they're ending the podcast so it's an inadvertent farewell to that great great show. 

And then, if you just listen to the episode, it sounds like we were reasonable, knew we had gone way too long, and stopped recording. That did not happen. We recorded a whole other segment that… just didn't quite work. And Goblins took pity on me and ate it. I might see if I can get them to barf up the one amusing part of it for an extra at some point. 

Now the links (I am almost 100% certain I'm forgetting some this week):

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (9) and Go (7), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Forgive Us05 Nov 202501:02:55

We start out talking about our new Halloween tradition. Then we get into Trump's latest anti-atheist activity and end up talking about him more generally. If you'd rather skip it and ignore his existence for a bit, honestly, I get it. That segment runs from 14:55 - 37:50. Then we talk about forgiveness. Are we forgiving? Does religion help to be forgiving? I think I needed this conversation more than I knew.  

Now the links:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (11) and Go (9), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

How To Get Over a Fear of Hell11 Oct 202301:02:46

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 least, we hope you know that if you are dealing with a fear of hell, that shit is hard, and you're not alone.  

And the links:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (9) and Go (7), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Death and Violence20 Sep 202300:53:27

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:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (9) and Go (7), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

You're Culting All Wrong30 Aug 202300:51:20

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:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (9) and Go (7), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

The Example Show09 Aug 202300:57:45

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 examples of modern masculinity. More on this soon. 

And now for the links:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (9) and Go (7), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

What!?19 Jul 202300:57:16

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 anything and whether that changes as they get older…and end up diving deep into a Judge John Hodgman episode about creepy dolls. That all makes sense, right?  

And now for the links:

  • Here is the great Mom and Dad Are Fighting episode about telling your kids about your past abuse.

  • He is the Hear Me Out episode with Gabrielle Blair. 

  • Here is the best Judge John Hodgman episode ever. 

  • Here is the Judge John Hodgman episode about the dolls on the piano. 

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (9) and Go (7), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Heaven For Climate?28 Jun 202300:51:33

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:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (9) and Go (7), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Living In Goo...and Salt07 Jun 202300:46:59

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 concept of innocence.  

And now for the links:

  • Here is Data Over Dogma's episode Why Is She Salt? 

  • Here is the episode of Talk Heathen with the woman who believes Christianity has an explanation for the start of the universe. She's the first caller. 

  • Moms was wrong to bring up Watchmen, but it's still an amazing series worth a read. 

  • This is the book, Seveneves, by Neal Stephenson that Pops mentioned. 

  • And Moms found the children's book she mentioned about how animals sleep. It's called Snooze-O-Rama.

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (9) and Go (7!), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

The Rachel Rachael Paradox17 May 202300:57:40

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 out with the Amish and falls in love with the Amish woman hiding him. Great movie. Strong recommendation. We would say it's great for audiences 6 and up, though almost every other person in the world would likely disagree.

And just as a little tease for the next episode, we did discover the origins of "flippin." 

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (9) and Go (almost 7!), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Good F**king Friday26 Apr 202300:48:57

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. Just go watch Atlanta.

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (9) and Go (6), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

You're More Concerned About This Than I Am05 Apr 202300:34:54

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 Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (9) and Go (6), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Weirdos!15 Oct 202500:47:53

We begin the episode discussing Alex Jones's epic facial hair fail. Then we discuss Ryan Walters's exit from Oklahoma schools. And we finish up talking about weirdos, and how to think about what to do when your kid is trending weird. 

Now the links:

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (11) and Go (9), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong.

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes.

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

Patrick Bateman Fan Is Saved!15 Mar 202300:41:11

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 promised, if you want to skip the first segment, you can go right to 24:30.

And now for all the links:

  • Once again, here is What A Day's great discussion of trans kids coming out at school but not at home. 

  • Since we're now apparently contractually obligated to mention one great graphic novel per episode, you can find Alan Moore's Watchmen here

  • The book that Moms tried and failed to accurately mention is Parenting Beyond Belief by Dale McGowan who we've mentioned before on the podcast.

  • This is the Tik Tok we discuss. 

  • And finally, here's a nice and bloody clip of Patrick Bateman - I had forgotten how wonderfully deranged Christian Bale is in American Psycho. 

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (9) and Go (6), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE!22 Feb 202300:47:49

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.

Moms is going to bring this up in the next episode, but we should have been more explicit about why teachers do not sometimes share with parents when trans students change their pronouns at school. Trans kids often face abuse and abandonment when they come out to their families. What A Day just had a great discussion on this very topic. 

But there is a ton of stuff that we do reference in the show, so get ready for all the links:

  • Here is the Political Gabfest's Conundrum show where we stole our question. 

  • This is the Saga comic book series that Pops mentions. It's by Brian K. Vaughan with scrumptious art by Fiona Staples and you should buy all of them now, read them, cry your eyes out just like we do every time a new compilation is published, and then thank us later for introducing you to one of the best comic series in the past 10 years. 

  • Halt and Catch Fire was one of the most underrated TV shows of all time. Amazing characters and some of the best cinematography ever put to the small screen. Moms still doesn't understand why Kerry Bishe and Scoot McNairy haven't been cast in all the things because they're a revelation as Donna and Gordon. Though all the love for Lee Pace and Mackenzie Davis.

  • This is the episode of Unshaken Faith that we discuss in our final segment. 

  • This is the American Girls book they discuss. 

  • And this is our current favorite drag TV show, We're Here. It doesn't get the attention that Drag Race does, but it's really lovely. 

The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (9) and Go (6), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com

See a list of our episodes here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

 

The Best Kind of Fallacy or the Worst Kind of Logic?01 Feb 202300:53:14

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 Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (9) and Go (6), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com

See a list of our episode here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical 

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music 

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

Happy New Year!11 Jan 202300:05:28

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 wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (9) and Go (6), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com

See a list of our episode here.

Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical

The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography 

Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

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