{"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 IEP Says They’re Fine — But Real Life Is Telling a Different Story","slug":"the-iep-says-they-re-fine-but-real-life-is-telling-a-different-story","published_at":"2026-02-12T10:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/this-is-not-what-i-was-expecting-5955665/the-iep-says-they-re-fine-but-real-life-is-telling-a-different-story","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/this-is-not-what-i-was-expecting-5955665","url":"https://notwhatiwasexpecting.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/episodes/the-iep-says-theyre-fine-but-real-life-is-telling-a-different-story-IvnYKgU_","audio_url":"https://cdn.simplecast.com/audio/41cdeba8-a001-48c1-8144-4104a0fae841/episodes/cbb90461-f701-498a-b7ad-3c2dc84f15a1/audio/7f6cceca-8be0-47d3-b2cd-2a66232fd9ed/default_tc.mp3?aid=rss_feed&feed=PvLG29MH","summary":"This week we’re talking about what happens when the IEP says everything is going well — but real life tells a different story. Grades are passing. Goals are met. On paper, things look fine. And yet many parents still feel uneasy, especially as their kids get closer to transition age. We talk honestly about the disconnect between school success and real-world readiness, and the shock that can come when you realize the system is focused on this school year while parents are thinking about adulthood. This conversation is about trusting your gut, rethinking what advocacy is really for, and naming the fears parents carry when they’re trying to prepare their kids for life beyond school. If you’ve ever felt like you’re the only one still worried when everyone else says things are fine — you’re not.","meta_description":"This week we’re talking about what happens when the IEP says everything is going well — but real life tells a different story. Grades are passing. Goals a…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1709,"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-iep-says-they-re-fine-but-real-life-is-telling-a-different-story/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-iep-says-they-re-fine-but-real-life-is-telling-a-different-story.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}