Are My Kids on Track?: Vocabulary, Entitlement, and the DMV

Are My Kids on Track?: Vocabulary, Entitlement, and the DMV

Author: Benjamin Long March 11, 2020 Duration: 43:28


We explore excellence with practicing restraint and keeping new year's formations. Then we attain imperfection with distracted evenings and trying patience at the DMV. We kickoff our last book review of, "Are My Kids on Track?" by Sissy Goff, David Thomas, and Melissa Trevathan. We discuss the emotional milestones of emotional vocabulary, empathy, perspective, & resourcefulness and touch on masculinity and femininity, rating anxiety, creating space, and emotional entitlement. Then we save our last quote for the Parent Board for the season finale.

Show Notes -
Exploring Excellence 1:23
Attaining Imperfection 7:12
Little Things in Between 8:55
Book Review 11:57
Parent Board 41:21


Benjamin Long hosts Minimally Acceptable Parents, a podcast that trades the pressure of perfection for the reality of trying. Each month, Benjamin and his wife open a different parenting book, testing its advice against the messy, beautiful chaos of their own family life. The conversation spans the practical and the profound, rooted in a Christian perspective that values faith, grace, and connection over checklists. You’ll hear the genuine takeaways, the discarded theories, and the small victories found not in flawless execution, but in showing up. This isn’t about achieving a gold standard; it’s about the shared journey of becoming more intentional, often through missteps and laughter. Tune into this podcast for a candid, relatable look at parenting where spiritual growth and family life intersect, acknowledging that most days, good enough is actually great.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 25

Minimally Acceptable Parents
Podcast Episodes
Are My Kids on Track: Boundaries, Reflection, and COVID-19 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:17:17
We spend some time talking about COVID-19 and it's impact around us. Then we explore excellence with chore time, practicing spelling, & finding the silver lining during this difficult time. Then we attain imperfection wi…
The Gardener & The Carpenter: Zombies, Oxytocin, & Vaccine Hesitancy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:09
We explore excellence with exciting career news, removing ingrown toenails, and avoiding zombies. Then we attain imperfections in our budget and exercise routines. We start our discussion on Alison Gopnik's book, "The Ga…
Simplicity Parenting: Cool Runnings, Blockbuster, & Crafting Rhythms [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:43
*This episode is PART B of Simplicity Parenting & picks up in the middle of our book review. So, we suggest checking out Episode 19A first.* In Part B we continue our discussion on increasing predictability & crafting rh…
Simplicity Parenting: Tree Climbing, Toy Marketing, & A Blue Moose [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:07
We explore excellence with simplified rooms, climbing trees, & after-dinner walks, then attain imperfection in shifting schedules and shower meltdowns. In Part A of our discussion on Kim John Payne's book, "Simplicity Pa…
How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t: Budgets, Triggers, & Multi-Tasking [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:42
We explore excellence with budgeting and after-school talks and attain imperfection with hyperfocus on budgeting and napping wars. We start our discussion on Carla Naumburg's new book, "How To Stop Losing Your Sh*t With…
Hands Free Momma: Pre-K, Residency Woes, & Connectedness [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:53
We find excellence on the first day of Pre-K, the joys of school pick-up, and our initial thoughts on "The Marriage Journal." Then, we attain imperfection with screaming matches and a long venting session about all thing…
Sh*tty Mom: Goals, Rants, and Consumerism [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:22
We find excellence in career and marriage goals as well as spending time with friends. Then, we attain imperfection with pool lies, laundry baskets, and a rant on pediatric clinic frustrations. We finish discussing our f…