The Gardener & The Carpenter: Zombies, Oxytocin, & Vaccine Hesitancy

The Gardener & The Carpenter: Zombies, Oxytocin, & Vaccine Hesitancy

Author: Benjamin Long January 3, 2020 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 Gardener & The Carpenter" with a discussion on why the "parenting" model is insufficient, the connection between immaturity & prolonged lifespan, and the powers of oxytocin to "tend & befriend" but also to make ingroup versus outgroup. We then take a major to detour to discuss ingroup versus outgroup in the context of institutional racism and vaccine hesitancy. Then we end with a new quote for the Parent Board!

Show Notes:

Exploring Excellence 2:45
Attaining Imperfection 07:28
Book Review 10:48
36:19 - The book I mention - Divided By Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America by Michael O. Emerson & Christian Smith
Parent Board 47:11


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
1-2-3 Magic: How to Frustrate Your Kid on a Regular Basis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:49
We explore family trips to the park, family movie nights, and a new book Ben's reading! We have our first featured #MAPMoment and talk about spanking and lying to our kid. Then, we review the first half of 1-2-3 Magic, a…
Desperate Not Defeated: Escaping, Redeeming, & Dinner Boxes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:55
We explore excellence in morning routines, patience amidst meltdowns, & Mountain Dew Icees. We attain imperfection in an eitquette fail & some social anxiety. Then wrap up the second half of "Desperate": working through…
Introduction to Minimally Acceptable Parents [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:44
A podcast documenting our journey through 12 parenting books over 12 months as we tackle being intentional parents. Join us as we explore excellence and attain imperfection!