To think Parenting Hell (the podcast) has become really unrelatable?

[DonningMyHardHat]

When it started back in lockdown and we were all struggling with working from home with kids, dealing with toddler tantrums, and navigating the stress and anxiety of unprecedented events; it was great.

However, in recent months I feel like it’s just not relatable to the average parent anymore. Hearing about ‘man of the people’ Rob Beckett’s 28th holiday this year, numerous concerts, trips and PR events for the kids, Josh’s second home in Cornwall etc. is all a bit grating now.

Don’t get me wrong, I fully appreciate that if I took umbrage with every piece of media created by someone more well off than myself, I’d be left with very little. (And we aren’t on the breadline by any means). But in a cost of living crisis it’s all starting to look a bit tone deaf. Two blokes complaining about how hard their lives are when the literally have nannies/very supportive families/don’t work 9-5s, and seemingly endless budgets… give me a break.

They seem like lovely blokes and I’m sure they’ve worked exceptionally hard for success, and that’s great. I just don’t necessarily want to hear about it when I’m driving to my 9-5 in my shit secondhand car.

Yes I know, ‘If you don’t like it, don’t listen’. But I can’t be the only one who used to really enjoy it who just feels a bit ‘meh’ now.

Meh, I still enjoy it. I don’t think being privileged protects you from things like microwaving your car keys (or putting them in a fishing net) or the dog being sick or the squishmallow not being the right squishmallow and surely those are the relatable bits?

I also still enjoy it. I just don't think they've been relatable in the sense that they have the same financial challenges as the rest of us for quite some time - I don't think that's been the case for years. So it just comes down to whether the rest of it still resonates with you as a listener.

The only time it occasionally irks me is when Rob (it's always Rob) offers a tip on parenting that depends on having quite a bit of money without seeming to realise it - like buying 20 pairs of kids' shoes to try on at home and returning the ones that don't fit. But that's rare, and more often he does acknowledge privilege.

I still like it! I prefer them chatting to the guests.

I was a lockdown listener when it started I enjoyed it then but I have to take breaks from it now and the sma podcast. It's hard going listening to people moan about parenting when they are in such different situations. The endless holidays when we have never been able to go abroad.

We have no family help or support I have a child with additional needs who can sometimes access school sometimes not, who can't access holiday clubs because they don't exist/too expensive. Therefore I can't really work only very limited self employed. So we survive on one income which is getting tougher and tougher to do.

When they talk of holidays away while someone else looks after their children it's so hard. My husband and I have never been on holiday together just us and we will have to wait till they are older. Even then I don't know what my child with additional needs will be able to cope with so it won't be straight forward.

So I'm jealous of the money I'm jealous of the support and opportunities they have. How they can work around things and work towards something. Their version of parenting to me is a win the lottery parenting where whilst not without stress and struggles but everything is still possible. It just feels like they are on another planet to me. Especially now the moving home out of London which for most people just isn't possible what with work "normal jobs"etc. It would look a lot different. Not 3Mill houses 🙈

Ofcourse they are entitled to talk about their lives but its really no longer relatable at all which when it started kind of felt like the whole point of the podcast, we were all stuck in lockdown. But actually having more money makes raising children far easier in many ways.

I'm all ears for a podcast that I might actually relate to. Parenting where they can't afford a holiday or holiday clubs or hobbies. They do date nights at home etc where I don't feel like a failure for not being able to take my kids to Disney land Paris.

I know its a me issue so I'll stop listening to them. But I'm glad it's not just me who feels I guess sad that there is hardly any podcasts I can listen to without feeling like I'm living on another planet.

Surely if we all wanted something we could 100% relate to we’d just chat to our mates, rather than listen to the podcasts of successful comedians?

yeah, their lives are different to mine and that affords them several luxuries that I don’t have, but that doesn’t massively bother me.

they do seem to still be doing the school runs, having the same fights about what their child eats, dealing with cat piss/dog sick etc.

I think that Josh comes across as much more your average dad than Rob does.

I still listen but because they can both be very amusing. I certainly don’t relate to them in anyway and I’m not listening for parenting advice as mine are teenagers. I skipped the last episode about the house move as it is boring with minimal entertainment, definitely not jealous. Josh sounds totally wet and Rob sounds like a total arsehole, funny though!

I still like it. I really liked the Rick Astley episode. That seemed like a breath of fresh air.

I do think they are all a bit wet needing Nannie’s/grandparents for day to day stuff though.

I love LuAnna. Not remotely relatable but it’s a good listen. I also like SMA, I don’t really think that’s unrelatable although I could do without the “bits” like the Barry Beef stuff and the Would Rosie Eat? Game.

Today’s episode with Elizabeth Day is good. Really interesting perspective.

Recently: the Hotel in the Maldives didn’t even give us a Christmas tree in the room!
maybe don’t fly all the way to the Indian ocean if that’s so important to you! Entitled much!

I have been thinking that Josh’s sleeping arrangements sound bloody awful. I wonder how anyone sleeps with pissy cats and bed hopping going on all night

I do think Josh needs to grow a bit of a backbone with the whole sleeping arrangements thing. It’s utterly ridiculous!

I've stopped listening altogether. I appreciate that other listeners are better than me at being able to detach themselves but I am clearly not a very nice person 😀It's their lovely massive house in Exeter, which is near the lovely private school where they are sending their children, which is not too far from their second massive house in Cornwall (which I admit to being slightly fascinated by as it's available for rent and I simply can't imagine wanting to stay in somewhere so immaculate - if with kids, I would be terrified the whole time that they would crayon on something or bang into one of the objets, and if with adults only - it's just too perfect! It doesn't look .... comfortable?!) Anyway, small digression, although I also keep being sent Josh's wife doing lovely interior design things on insta which makes me wonder whether having your own or a partner's money is an essential first step as it allows you to do up one - or more - of your own homes at great expense as a showcase). The latest insta I got sent was her feeling a bit sad about the grey tiles in her lovely Exeter home. Aaaaaanyway, I am sure they are absolutely lovely people and, honestly, despite how this sounds, I do not begrudge them their privileged life (and clearly, they wouldn't and shouldn't care less if I did!). I know it doesn't insulate you from other troubles. I'm just not particularly interested in hearing about it and their ongoing attempts to stay relatable - and that's fine because for the most part, I don't!

Actually, one other thing. I really hate this thing that parenting is so hard and we all need to share how hard it is. Of course, there are circumstances where parenting IS very hard. If children have additional needs and/or there are mental health issues for parents and/or children and/or family breakdown or very little money etc etc. But discounting all that and where money is not a problem ... I think it's just called life!? Rob's wife has written a book about being a 'default' parent. I am afraid that gets on my nerves too. 😀 Sorry - I'm a really bad and terrible person and I will have to pay for it somehow. I will take my punishment.

I find it the only podcast that I don't get fed up listening to. I think it's quite sad that some people are annoyed that they're successful now, as it's obvious how hard they work. I wouldn't want to live their lives but I like to hear about them as regardless of whether their kids go to state or private, they still do the school runs. They still have the same worries as the rest of us as money doesn't cure that magically. Sickness, bullying, poor sleeping, separation anxiety, getting time for your partner in a busy life etc etc etc all still happen regardless of how much money you have in the bank. It's sad that someone working really hard to better their circumstances for their family, invokes such jealousy from others. You couldn't pay me enough to stand up on a stage like they do. Good luck to them!

I'm not really jealous. Honestly. I am fortunate enough to have a really nice life. And I agree that money does not insulate you from all of life's troubles. For what it's worth, they seem like nice people. I just think that many many people work hard and don't make that sort of cash. Again, that's not their fault AT ALL. And I don't know what they can do about this - I mean they can't and shouldn't disqualify themselves from any sort of public life because they are rich. But I reserve the right to find it slightly amusing I suppose (I stand by the comment on their house in Cornwall - I wouldn't DARE to rent it, I'd be paranoid!! 😀). And it does annoy me when people get book contracts because they are famous-adjacent when there are so many brilliant and struggling authors who don't. That's capitalism for you - again, not their fault that they are benefiting from that. It's just mildly annoying!

With Robs wife I really feel she had to put her career aside to cover for his work so I can’t begrudge her working that in her favour now.

I stopped listening a couple of years ago.

It's one of the podcasts I do still listen to, they make me laugh.

Rob needs to let Josh get a word in now and then, but they are funny.

Don’t even get me started on that book 🤣 default parent when you’re millionaires is such a joke. Surely they made a joint decision that in order to help support Rob in his career she will do more parenting? I’m also often a default parent when my DH travels but we are not millionaires and don’t have nannies or go on holidays all the time.
they have several luxury holidays a year (Disney, Australia, Maldives, Japan are the last ones I remember) and his wife has solo trips abroad. It’s a very luxury lifestyle and moaning about being the default parent feels tone deaf to me. And slightly out of touch.

She is a teacher, her kids are back at school. What stopped her going back to teaching? I don’t begrudge her not working but why make such a big drama out of it and write a book?

Parenting (generally) is a mixture of untold stress and a lot of fun and joy.

As with most things - avoid podcasts. 🙄

thank you @SchoolDilemma17 You said it better than I could. They also might not have been millionaires when they made this decision but I don't believe that as time has gone on they could not afford childcare to help out with this - which would have enabled her to maintain her career as a teacher, if that is what she wanted. I know that does not solve the problem of not seeing your children enough, but if that's a worry, it's a slightly different question with a slightly different answer. My DH travels a fair amount for work and does long hours. I have been the 'default' parent because he earns more than me and we need his salary. I live with it. It's fine. I still have a career. Not least because I've had to. The end.

AND the book will sell more as it has the free publicity of the podcast etc. And I assume Josh's wife will have more success as an interior designer because she gets spreads in the Sunday Times etc and social media followers because of who she is married to. None of this makes me hate them or anything, it is what it is. But it's not as though I'm not even going to notice it - and I would imagine it's mildly annoying for some others in the same sectors who do not have those advantages but do have talent. Again, not that there is much anyone can do about it. Or should, necessarily. Sometimes I think an emphasis on being nice and kind requires us to have a lobotomy and pretend we don't even see things.

It’s ok to say that. Very unlikely they would have had a book deal or Sunday Times spread without their husband’s fame. Very very unlikely.

But these days many families milk their fame and try and make the most out of it. No values judgement, maybe we would all take advantage of it if offered to us.