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.

I do agree life is unfair and getting a book deal for being famous adjacent seems particularly unfair to struggling authors. That is life unfortunately though. Sadly it is about who you know and not what you know. It's the same in every industry sadly. However I can't say I wouldn't take every opportunity going for myself or my family in a situation where I can use the people I know to get a leg up. I try not to judge anyone when I don't walk in their shoes.

I don’t think the charts need to worry themselves over Rob’s wife’s book. Judging from the fact she’s had to rope Rob in for her ‘evening with….’ At Waterstones it’s clear it’s not done well at presale etc

Yup, one of them is a lovely bloke. The other… isn’t

This made me laugh 😆

I gave up on it a few years ago. I remember being quite put off when they were trying to sell their book and they sent an email around that started with “Alright cheapskates” telling their listeners not to be tight and buy their book. I felt quite resentful that a pair of millionaires were calling me cheap for not giving them money, meanwhile Rob’s off to Disneyworld like 3 times a year…

This too! All the bloody McFly wives are published “authors” as well…

Ah well it’s a free market. If people aren’t interested in Lou’s book then it’ll just quietly be dropped.

The more I listen the more I think they’re both quite wet. The story about going up to London with the girls rather than waving them off with their grandparents was a bit ridiculous. I think Rob’s older child must be about to start secondary school? They’re too old for this nonsense. Not in a million years would my kids get away with that. Even as toddlers - not being able to say goodbye and clinging on with tears soon passes with some confidence and boundaries.

Yes think older child is going to secondary in September.

also being annoyed that other people ask your child not to snack in the theatre? The kids are older, they can survive 2 hours without a snack. Even my 4 year managed that and had sweets in the intermission. He came across as entitled when he told that story.

Go on...... we want the goss!

This annoyed me too. Yes we were getting the podcast for free, but we had to put up with/skip the ads which made them money. If we didn’t listen, they wouldn’t get the ad revenue. Listeners owe them nothing, they weren’t doing it for our benefit.

It’s obvious which one is which! Josh couldn’t be lovelier. I would like to know the goss too though.

I also think it’s clear and I say this as someone who likes his comedy (saw him on his last tour and it was so so funny).

we also sometimes get a sense of who is raising spoiled and entitled kids…

I still listen, obviously a lot of the stuff is unrelatable but i'm not really there for parenting advice, it makes me chuckle when out on a walk so that will do for me.

Most of the recent episodes i've listened too (am a few weeks behind) have been about them both being on tour which have found entertaining.

Not sure why people have beef with Rob's missus doing a book, obviously she wouldn't have got that deal if hadn't been married to him, but from what i gather when he was first starting out she carried them for years on her teachers salary so don't begrudge her anything.

Better than all the other podcast which always bang on about the "parenting journey" and "deconstructing the narrative around motherhood".

I don’t think it’s the fact she’s got a book deal, it’s more the topic.

default parent? Yeah, me too. But I also work a 9-5, don’t employ a cleaner, don’t have a ‘baby sitter’ or seemingly unlimited family help, a partner who is able to do the school runs a good percentage of the time, and don’t have a decent amount of wealth which affords multiple holidays alone, as a couple and as a family.
and I’m not unique in that, millions of women are also the default parent whilst holding down a lot more than she needs to consider.
it’s like me writing a book about deep sea diving, when in reality a little paddle is where I draw the line.

It was never that relatable, but it was at least enjoyable. I used to like it but it feels like a parody of itself nowadays and I can’t bear the false/forced laughs of the presenters when they are interviewing guests who are not saying anything amusing. I guess it’s an interviewing technique to get guests to feel comfortable but I find it really grating and stopped listening about a year ago.

Of coursewe know who is who, but sounds like the poster has specifics!

“from what i gather when he was first starting out she carried them for years on her teachers salary so don't begrudge her anything.” The investment paid off though, big time.

She's not writing a book about that though. It’s about being the default parent - well of course you are the default parent if you’re the one who doesn’t work! Whether you’re millionaires or not. I wouldn’t expect any stay at home parent to moan about being the default, it would be madness any other way.
Fact is many mums are the default parent in addition to having a job, plus Rob does a lot more and is around a lot more for school runs, assemblies etc than many dads. She really has it easy compared to most default parents so it’s all very disingenuous.

Agree, I rarely listen now, only when I’ve run out of other podcasts (teen commandments is great as a funny parenting one). It’s mainly Rob’s ever-increasing ego that’s put me off.

I think he does plenty when he is there but she does seem to be left on her own a lot with the kids with him being away.

"I wouldn’t expect any stay at home parent to moan about being the default, it would be madness any other way." Mumsnet has plenty.

At the end of the day she can only write about the life she has, and people will buy it because they are interested in what its like being married to a famous person (Tyson Fury's wife book doing so well being prime example of this).

If you’re the stay at home parent whilst the other parent works, it’s literally your job to be the default.
Agree to disagree I guess. Either way I won’t be buying the book and I doubt it will be a bestseller.

But she had to pack all the suitcases when they went on their 5th holiday this year to the Maldives 😂 don’t you want to read a book about those struggles?

Does ‘default parent’ mean the parent that does the majority of the parenting? Not a good title and that describes 95% of mothers throughout human history. Not sure who would want to read that book.

I do find the duo amusing but find them less and less likeable the more I listen. We got a new kitten at the same time Josh got his so I’m more interested in that than any parenting though.

It’s Josh’s constant whinging. We listened all throughout his house renovations then almost as soon as they were finished it was about him moving house out of London. Always sleeping with his kids. Did anyone see him on the midnight thingy on Michael McIntyre - his bedroom was not what I expected!

I think it’s also easier to be the “default parent” when you have access to resources, can afford paid help, have holidays (family and solo) to relax, a nice big home and enough space for everyone, have family help. They seem to have all those things and are very privileged. On those grounds I find it disingenuous to write a book about her parenting struggles.

I used to really enjoy it but it’s hard when they talk about what a stressful day they’ve had when to my ears it’s just normal parenting.

And good for them on the money they have made - but when they complain and say ‘people in normal jobs don’t understand how hard it is because we have to go on tour and work evenings’ or words to that effect - I would like them to experience what family life is like with full time working parent(s) no cleaner or house help, maybe one holiday a year if you’re lucky, constant financial and childcare worries because there’s no flex in your work schedules.

I’m sure Rob’s wife will address it in her book but it is much harder being the default parent with a full time job and limited financial resources and not getting to go on multiple weekends away with your mates every year as a reward for all the default parenting.

As an aside - several times lately Rob has scorned people who share their kids on social media. He may not share his kids names or faces but he’s made a fortune from selling the details of their lives. As a podcast listener, I know about their anxieties, their toilet training, their tantrums, their issues at school etc etc etc. He can’t be flexing about how he honours his kids privacy.