{"podcast":{"title":"This Is Not What I Was Expecting","slug":"this-is-not-what-i-was-expecting-5955665","podcast_index_feed_id":5955665,"rss_url":"https://feeds.simplecast.com/PvLG29MH","website_url":"https://notwhatiwasexpecting.paparentandfamilyalliance.org","image_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/13bea5c0-e319-4099-974e-471e78c4d3c1/8d5e0994-12a7-458a-93c2-10058fce4542/3000x3000/podcast-image-cover.jpg?aid=rss_feed","author":"PA Parent and Family Alliance","episode_count":106,"summary":"If you've ever looked around at other parents and wondered, \"How is everyone else making this look easy?\" you're in the right place. We're a group of (mostly) moms who get together every other week to talk honestly about what parenting is really like. Not the polished version. The real version. Maybe you're trying to figure out bedtime, screen time, homework, sibling conflicts, or how your child can somehow be starving and refuse every food in the house at the same time. Maybe you're carrying the endless mental load of parenting, the forms, the calendars, the school emails, the appointments, and all the things you're afraid you'll forget. And maybe on top of all that, you're parenting a kiddo with behavioral challenges, anxiety, or other needs that people don't always understand. Which means you're not just parenting, you're also keeping track of medication refills, IEP meetings, therapy appointments, insurance headaches, and everything else that comes with advocating for your child. That's why we're here. We share our stories, what we've learned, what we're still learning, and the things other parents don't always talk about out loud. We laugh together, vent about broken systems,…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-09T18:21:14.670449+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/this-is-not-what-i-was-expecting-5955665"},"episode":{"title":"The High Cost of Being a Good Parent Right Now","slug":"the-high-cost-of-being-a-good-parent-right-now","published_at":"2026-03-26T09:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/this-is-not-what-i-was-expecting-5955665/the-high-cost-of-being-a-good-parent-right-now","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/this-is-not-what-i-was-expecting-5955665","url":"https://notwhatiwasexpecting.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/episodes/the-high-cost-of-being-a-good-parent-right-now-jqthjRJ2","audio_url":"https://cdn.simplecast.com/media/audio/transcoded/b3246d15-f7bc-4fb4-aa04-900bfafa4460/41cdeba8-a001-48c1-8144-4104a0fae841/episodes/audio/group/579358a7-00ac-4b67-97e2-5e600e1c273a/group-item/d08d7d7e-4534-45f9-b18d-88f0d881e313/128_default_tc.mp3?aid=rss_feed&feed=PvLG29MH","summary":"Everything feels more expensive right now, and parents are the ones carrying the stress of trying to make it all work. Groceries cost more. Gas costs more. Housing costs more. Even the little things add up fast. And when you’re raising kids, especially kids who need extra support, that pressure does not stay on the budget spreadsheet. It shows up in the guilt, the exhaustion, the second-guessing, and the constant feeling that no matter how hard you work, it is still not enough. Today's conversation is for parents who are doing the math, cutting back, feeling stretched, and wondering why it still feels so hard. You are not failing. It really is that expensive right now.","meta_description":"Everything feels more expensive right now, and parents are the ones carrying the stress of trying to make it all work. Groceries cost more. Gas costs more…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1921,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/this-is-not-what-i-was-expecting-5955665/episodes/the-high-cost-of-being-a-good-parent-right-now/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/this-is-not-what-i-was-expecting-5955665/the-high-cost-of-being-a-good-parent-right-now.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}