Parenting Advice From Actual Parents | Smosh Mouth 148

The episode opens with Shane and Amanda discussing a bassinet in the studio as a prop for 'Parents Week' at Smosh, a themed week across their channels featuring parent-related content. Amanda, who has a crawling baby named Cole, shares funny anecdotes about how babies instinctively know when they have something they shouldn't, illustrated by Cole grabbing a remote and crawling away gleefully. They riff on how being a baby must feel like a constant stream of brand-new experiences, comparable to an adult getting drunk or trying something completely novel.

Amanda shares observations from interviewing other Smosh parents' moms for the week's content, including a notable split between mothers who consider their children their best friends versus those who maintain separate friendships. She reflects on what kind of mother she wants to be — present and engaged, but also maintaining her own identity and friendships. Shane mentions how a parent in their 60s pointed out that the majority of a parent-child relationship actually happens when the child is an adult, which Amanda finds grounding while she is so immersed in the newborn phase.

The conversation turns to the importance of having a supportive partner in parenting. Amanda credits her husband H (Verde) as an incredible co-parent and teammate, and discusses attending a postpartum therapy group where she learned that many parenting struggles stem from partners not being a cohesive team — including mothers who inadvertently gatekeep baby bonding out of anxiety, leading to resentment. She emphasizes that the core need for new parents is simply not feeling alone and having adequate support.

Amanda and Shane also discuss the broader societal failures around parenting support — inadequate parental leave in the US compared to other countries, the high cost of formula and baby food, and the general expense of raising a child. Amanda expresses frustration that a society that wants more births does so little structurally to make parenting affordable or sustainable.

Alex Aguilar joins the podcast as a fellow new parent. He shares that he recently took his baby to Spain, which went surprisingly smoothly on the trip but caused temporary sleep schedule disruption upon return. Alex and Amanda bond over being strict about sleep schedules, which both credit as a major factor in their own ability to function. Alex recounts how his son was born a week early, causing him to cancel Princess Mononoke tickets the night of the birth.

The group tackles structured questions, including parenting life hacks (Amanda's husband bought a second freezer for meal prep; Amanda puts small toy stations in every room corner; Alex networked with parents of older babies to inherit unused diapers), surprising experiences (Alex's fear of accidentally pressing the baby's soft spot; Amanda's intense intrusive thoughts about worst-case scenarios), ways they already see themselves in their sons (Alex's son testing boundaries out of curiosity; Cole dancing when house/techno music plays, reflecting H's tastes), and what they're most excited to teach their kids (Alex is attempting trilingual upbringing in Spanish, French, and English; Amanda is working on Russian alongside English for Cole).

The episode closes with discussion of first scary movies, the surprisingly dark content of classic Disney films like Fantasia and Bambi, and an A24 book Alex discovered that recommends age-appropriate films to watch with your child starting at age two. Shane posits that ages 8-12 represent peak media absorption years. They encourage listeners to share their first horror movie experiences and submit hometown drama stories for a future episode.