Parenting with Screen Time and Flirtatious Strangers

Parenting in a digital world can feel like steering a canoe in crosswinds, especially when your kid starts sounding like a gaming livestream.

This week on Super Familiar with the Wilsons, we talk screen time boundaries, YouTube rabbit holes, media literacy for kids, and finding the middle ground between isolation and algorithm overload. We share what happened when we swapped chaos for curation, added library cards and backyard soccer, and aimed for fewer tabs, more pages.

Plus: awkward hobbies, doctoral dreams, camo flirting at Best Buy, existential chicken jokes, and why baby goats might be the true path to sanity.

Less scroll. More soul.

Super Familiar with The Wilsons
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Contact us! familiarwilsons@gmail.com

A Familiar Wilsons Production

Transcript

Cold Open And Catch-Up

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Familiar Wilson's Media. Relationships are the story.

SPEAKER_03 0:08

You're trying to be insightful, but I need you to remember that when this podcast is over, you actually have to live in this house with me.

SPEAKER_02 0:15

The following podcast uses words like and and also. If you're not into any of that shit, then now's your chance. Three, two, one. Run. Super familiar with you.

Parenting, Screens, And Smack Talk

SPEAKER_03 0:36

Welcome to Super Familiar with the Wilsons. I'm Amanda.

SPEAKER_02 0:39

And I'm Josh, and we're the podcast about marriage 2.0 with kids.

SPEAKER_03 0:43

And all those side quests. And one of the side quests that we have had recently is that I have had the cold that will not go away. We did not record last week. Thank you to the Belsons for being concerned that we did not record last week. Did anybody else notice that we did not put out an episode last week?

SPEAKER_02 0:59

Uh I don't think so.

SPEAKER_03 1:02

Okay, well, judging you the rest of you hard, thank you, Belsons, for checking in. Actually, just Dan. Gavin didn't even check in. Thank you, Dan. Um, but yeah, no, I got this cold, and I don't think I've had a proper cold in a long time. And I could not, this cold that went around my office was the sneezing and sniffling cold. Like, could not stop sneezing. It was ridiculous. And then I got somewhat better and then had to go out of town this week. So side quest, traveling, and feeling crummy. So if you hear it in my voice, that's still what's going on.

SPEAKER_02 1:35

So, of course, when you go out of town, the things happen with the children that I have to take care of, which perfectly capable of taking care of, by the way. Let's let's start right there. Why are you laughing?

SPEAKER_03 1:48

Because my lips parted and you jumped right in. God, no, I wasn't thinking that.

SPEAKER_02 1:55

So Winthrop got sat down this week at after school because he and a buddy were playing and they used some language that the uh after school people wish they hadn't used.

SPEAKER_03 2:08

They weren't cursing at each other, but they were just saying things that weren't kind.

SPEAKER_02 2:12

And I very quickly surmised that it was because of the screens that he watches, is because of the the YouTube uh play-along things where he's watching people play these different games.

SPEAKER_04 2:22

Gamers, yeah. And they talk smack to each other.

SPEAKER_02 2:24

And they talk smack to each other, and we cannot have that. So we are severely reducing his exposure to screens, which we're probably late to the boat on this. I mean, everyone kind of knows that oh, screens aren't good for kids and you gotta watch what they watch. But we try to balance that with the fact that we are exhausted most of the time.

SPEAKER_03 2:44

Yeah, and and we're old. Like it's not his fault. We were old when we had him, but we're old and tired, and he's the youngest of four. So screens are a thing. I was talking to neighbor Kate yesterday, which by the way, Kate, you have a following. People have enjoyed you and said that you were lovely.

SPEAKER_02 3:00

So In last week's episode.

Balancing Limits With Social Capital

SPEAKER_03 3:02

And well, because it feels like forever, but it was last week's episode. Go listen to it if you haven't. And I hope it's okay to tell this story. You can tell me later, Kate, if it wasn't. But we were talking about the screens, and Kate was telling me about how someone she was talking to said something about, oh, well, they don't they don't really allow screens with their kids. This was a younger parent with one child, and Kate said, Well, you know, I we have four children and we are old, and that's not really how she said it later in life, pregnancy or whatever. And and the person said, Yeah, okay, go ahead. I that there's no judgment there. Well, the point is there shouldn't have been judgment, period, and we really shouldn't be judging each other, we should be supporting each other. But it's hard to know with screens, man, because I was having this conversation while I was out of town was with two moms who have kids, and one of them has a 14-year-old boy. And she was saying that it's hard because you want to limit the screen time, but at the same time, knowing about these things, these games and stuff is social capital. And so if they get to school and they don't know what other people are talking about, then there's some alienation there that you got to deal with. But at the same time, if you severely limit it, it's like when you really limit food and then kids go to college and eat all of the junk because they've never been exposed to it, and you're not I so I think that the answer is teaching them how to be critical consumers of this media and how to regulate themselves eventually, but we regulate now. So we are, you know, we've we've put some lockdowns on things, it's just kids' YouTube now. We are no longer like wild westing it out on on YouTube searching for things that have to do with the games that he likes. And we went to the library. If you listened a couple weeks ago, you know that Winthrop does not enjoy the library because he doesn't like books that have been used. But we got the nice looking books and he was okay with it because we rediscovered choose your own adventures, and this is working for him right now because it's giving him, I guess, some agency in these books.

SPEAKER_02 5:00

Well, the idea anyway is that we are trying to wean him off of the digital breast.

SPEAKER_03 5:04

Oh god, why you gotta put it like that?

SPEAKER_02 5:06

Well, I'm just saying that he is gaining sustenance from the now.

SPEAKER_03 5:11

I get to stop the way you're put you're like holding a very large breast in your hand, just stop.

unknown 5:16

Just stop.

SPEAKER_02 5:17

It's not good for him. And the other day I took him out, I said, no, we're not gonna do screens. Let's go outside, let's uh play a little soccer. We did so, and guess what? He survived. And after he got through the initial pout, he was having fun.

SPEAKER_03 5:32

Didn't he tell you you were sorely mistaken?

SPEAKER_02 5:34

Yeah, well, that was about something else. The point being that he survived and he did okay. I got him out into the sun and he was kicking the ball, and it was fine, it was fine, and we have to do that more. That's the bottom line.

SPEAKER_03 5:46

Just requires more effort from us, but it's fine. I'm gonna go get my B12 shot tomorrow, so I'll have more energy.

SPEAKER_02 5:52

Oh, good.

SPEAKER_03 5:53

I can certainly tag out then. This is my second one, and I can certainly feel like it's time for the other one. So my energy is starting to drop off, but that also could be because I'm sick. But if you have suggestions andor wonderings, or just commiserating with us about uh dealing with kids in screen time in this digital age, please drop us an email at familiarwilsons at gmail.com. I never remember it, that's why I have to do that.

SPEAKER_02 6:18

I know it's so difficult to remember. So I took Friday off and I'm taking Monday off because Winthrop is off school and I'm gonna hang out with him. And I discovered something, and that is the people who are wandering around outside at shops, you know, just out about in the public during the week are very different type of people than the people on the weekends.

SPEAKER_03 6:40

You think they take tur, they like take shifts if you're a weekday person, you are not a weekend person?

SPEAKER_02 6:44

I I don't know. I think that they let the those weekday weirdies out during the weekend as well. It's just they blend in with all us normies, and it's okay.

SPEAKER_03 6:52

So you're saying the weekday people are stranger?

SPEAKER_02 6:54

They are so freaking odd. They don't look real. They look like that. I'm in it it feels like that that I'm in the Truman show. They just don't feel real. I was in Best Buy because Winthrop and I went to a line of shops, and one of them was the bookstore, and then the Best Buy was there. There was a lady there while he was playing on a little old video game and I was waiting for him to finish, who was just kept looking at me. She was wearing a camo shirt and a baseball cap. And why'd you go ooh when I said camo?

SPEAKER_03 7:27

She probably had an open carry weapon.

SPEAKER_02 7:29

What wow.

SPEAKER_03 7:30

Because she was wearing camo.

SPEAKER_02 7:32

What's wrong with you?

SPEAKER_03 7:33

What's wrong with me is I live in North Florida. That's what's wrong with me.

Library Fix And Outdoor Resets

SPEAKER_02 7:35

Well, to all of those people who like to wear camo just for the style of it, I'm sure that a man.

SPEAKER_03 7:40

Camo was not a style, friend.

SPEAKER_02 7:42

Anyway, so she maybe she was wearing camo because of what she was doing. She just kept looking at me. She guess trying to make eye contact. Oh, she was hitting on you, and then like smiling at me.

SPEAKER_03 7:53

She was hitting on you in Best Buy.

SPEAKER_02 7:55

Oh, I didn't like it. I was so uncomfortable.

SPEAKER_03 7:57

I was like she thought you were like the cute single dad or his grandfather.

SPEAKER_02 8:02

Fuck off. I was so I kept like turning around and walking away. Oh, I hated it. I hated it.

SPEAKER_03 8:11

Was she cute?

SPEAKER_02 8:12

I don't know. It doesn't matter.

SPEAKER_03 8:13

If she was cute, it would have been not as creepy though.

SPEAKER_02 8:16

I don't know. I don't remember her being bad looking. I just remember being feeling very uncomfortable with the situation.

SPEAKER_03 8:21

You got hit on it best.

SPEAKER_02 8:22

No, I didn't get hit on. I got oggled. Is that still a thing? Can people still be oggled?

SPEAKER_03 8:29

I guess.

SPEAKER_02 8:29

I don't know. Maybe it was a mistake for me to turn around because then she just like had full view of my bottom.

SPEAKER_03 8:36

You do have a cute bottom.

SPEAKER_02 8:39

But wow. That was but see you didn't tell me about this. Well, I saved it for the podcast. And I guess women just don't understand what it's like to be objectified, like I was objectified. Anyway, we went into Best Buy so I could buy a cord, right? So I grabbed the cord from the thing, let him play the little uh video game. That happened, and so I said, let's go. So we we leave, I pay for, and I noticed that she left the same time I did.

SPEAKER_03 9:04

Oh, did she get your tag number? I mean, were you driving my car or yours?

SPEAKER_02 9:08

My car.

SPEAKER_03 9:09

All right, we're only gonna be following.

SPEAKER_02 9:10

Well, no, no, because I saw her get in her car and I I wasn't parked in front of Best Buy, so it doesn't matter. I walked and it was fine. One other weird thing that I saw, you know how they have those power scooters for people who can't walk, those mobility scooters? I was driving um through Butler Plaza, which is like a pain drive-through gargantuan shopping strip mall complex here in town.

SPEAKER_03 9:33

Outdoor mall is what we call those.

SPEAKER_02 9:35

And I saw a guy on the the uh sidewalk in one of these mobility scooters, didn't think much of it, but then stopped at a stop sign and looked at him further, and it was a guy on a riding mower. No, it was not, and I'm not saying yes, no, it was. I'm not saying that that he was mowing the median, there was no median, he was traveling. This was a mode of transport. He was going somewhere. Well, if she was her camo was really good. I didn't see her. But is that not the weirdest thing?

SPEAKER_03 10:07

That's really funny. I offer you a third category of shoppers, so you have weekend and weekday, right? Right. Okay, I'm gonna offer you the middle of the night at the 24-hour Walmart on Tunnel Road in Asheville, North Carolina shoppers.

SPEAKER_02 10:19

Well, I've been a middle of the night Walmart shopper before in Miami. I've done that. I know those people.

Weekday Shoppers And Best Buy Ogle

SPEAKER_03 10:24

Well, I don't know how the Miami is, but so you and I both worked, didn't know each other, but you and I both worked at summer camps in Black Mountain. And, you know, we I wasn't cabin staff, so I could leave, but couldn't leave until the kids were asleep. So friend of mine and I would go to Walmart, we'd have to travel to Asheville, which is like 20 minutes away, and go to the 24-hour Walmart. And the 24-hour Walmart mountain people that come out at night are a whole different breed in and of themselves.

SPEAKER_02 10:53

So basically, you let's see the people that you're you've managed to offend.

SPEAKER_03 10:56

People who know I know I have.

SPEAKER_02 10:58

People who wear camouflage, right? People who shop at Walmart. People who shop at Walmart and like people who live in the mountains.

SPEAKER_03 11:04

Meanwhile, I'd live in the mountains in a heartbeat if I could.

SPEAKER_02 11:06

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So, yeah, middle of the night shoppers in general, mountain people or not, are a special breed of people. But I've that's my tribe. I've been that person, and I enjoy it. I I prefer that because people do not want to talk to you. More often than not, they don't want you to get close to them.

SPEAKER_03 11:24

More often than not, they're talking to themselves.

SPEAKER_02 11:26

Right, right, right. But I'm not even saying the crazy ones, I'm just saying the ones who are out late at night, they don't want you to get close to them probably because they're in their jammies and they don't necessarily want you to notice them.

SPEAKER_04 11:35

I go in my jammies and during the daytime.

SPEAKER_02 11:37

Yeah, I know you do, but this is now I'm talking about way back in the day before the world exploded. There's another category of people that I feel like we need to talk about. We need to debrief you and I. Yes. Yesterday we went to a car wash that was oh god, that was a human-powered car wash, which I liked.

SPEAKER_04 11:52

And it's a hybrid.

SPEAKER_02 11:53

Yeah, I liked it though. It was very cool. Yeah, and they usually tend to employ college kids, which I appreciate as well. And more often than not, the kids are very polite. So you drive up, you roll down your window, you ask the person you know how much for this or that, they tell you the deal, they program in your shit, whatever you need, and then they send you on to the next college person who sprays down your car. But we got I I don't we didn't get accosted uh yesterday, but we were engaged in a conversation that went real weird real fast. So you were driving and we rolled down the window, folks, and Amanda talked to this gentleman, and he said something to the effect of, Oh, do you have plans for Valentine's Day? Which I realize now was just uh an invitation for him to start a conversation about what he's doing. Yes rather than wanting to.

SPEAKER_04 12:42

He does not care what we are doing.

SPEAKER_02 12:44

He proceeds to tell us or tell you, and I tried really hard to ignore him.

SPEAKER_03 12:48

All you did was squeeze my arm.

SPEAKER_02 12:50

Well, because I wanted you to stop because you kept I wasn't you were perpetuating the conversation.

SPEAKER_03 12:54

Because what do you say to what this gentleman said to me? Tell the people what he said.

Night Walmart And Mountain People

SPEAKER_02 12:58

He said he doesn't have plans for Valentine's Day, that he'd probably just end up drinking and that he drinks all the time. And it just was revolved around what a sad, pathetic life he had, and all he had to do was drink. But it was very weird because he didn't say it sadly or pathetically. What he was saying was sad and pathetic, but he was expressing it as if he was just having a regular you know what it was the conversational version of a cure song, which really depressing ass lyrics, but ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. Just hopping right along all happily. And that's what was happening. And you kept like you wouldn't ever answer him with a yeah or okay.

SPEAKER_03 13:37

Because I felt responsible for this gentleman's sobriety.

SPEAKER_02 13:41

There's the problem.

SPEAKER_03 13:43

So, first of all, he didn't just say I'm gonna drink. He said, Oh, my plans are to sit in a dark room with a bottle of whiskey until I pass out. What the freak do you say to that? I said, Oh, I'm so I'm sorry. Like maybe try some seltzer water. Like, I didn't know what to say.

SPEAKER_02 14:00

That is what you said. Try some seltzer. I would have been like, oh, what's your favorite brand of whiskey? And then he would have said, you know, whatever. And I said, Oh, that's great, cool. All right, I'm gonna go buy some of that. I'll see you later. And then bring.

SPEAKER_03 14:12

Well, then guess what? Next time instead of squeezing my arm to tell me what I'm doing wrong that's inconveniencing you while I'm feeling responsible for this man's life, you can just jump over and start talking to him about enabling his addiction.

SPEAKER_02 14:24

No, I just wanted to end the conversation.

SPEAKER_03 14:26

But what if that's the last conversation he had?

SPEAKER_02 14:29

Well, he was smiling through his tears. No, he was not crying. Don't do that. Don't don't construct this false narrative. I'm telling you that I think that he just didn't know what else to say or something I don't know, but it was the weirdest interaction that we've had in a while in public.

SPEAKER_03 14:45

He went on to talk about how his friends tell him he drinks too much and he needs to stop. And like, I mean, it was all and Linthrop and Muffy were in the car. Like, it wasn't like it was just me and Josh. The children were in the car. It was very odd. Yeah, it's very although I think that you and Muffy landed on maybe this was just his pickup line.

SPEAKER_02 15:01

Yeah, I thought that he was angling for a threesome.

Car Wash Confessional And Boundaries

SPEAKER_03 15:04

No, ew. Go get him the camo lady. So I was thinking this week about like making your job not your life, right? Like your job is is part of you, but it shouldn't be your entire identity. Like you've talked about people say, well, what do you do? Like, I I shouldn't be defined by my job. And I've been thinking about other things that make you well-rounded, and there's tons of research on if you have hobbies or whatever. And you have this, you have podcasting. This is your hobby. Would you consider this your hobby?

SPEAKER_02 15:56

Sure, but I would consider this our hobby.

SPEAKER_03 15:59

But no, but here's the thing: it's not our hobby, it is your hobby, and I am hobby adjacent. Like I show up and I talk. I don't do any of the production, I don't do any of like the creative anything. Like, I'm just here to have conversations with you. So it's not really my hobby. I'm not like actually creating things. And so I've been thinking, like, I crochet, but like I get bored really easy.

SPEAKER_02 16:20

We have so many what could be scarves for like small dogs, because that's as far as you've got.

SPEAKER_03 16:26

Except they're really wide because I'm making blankets, but so it would be a really wide scarf for a dog. And but I get bored. And so I don't, I don't know. I I've been thinking about this. I think I'm gonna start making bird houses, but like custom bird houses. Like, if you want a birdhouse of your house, let me know. I think maybe this is what I'm gonna do. But the m thing that makes the most sense is writing for me, right? Like, I am a creative writer, or I used to be a creative writer, and I don't think that I'm bad at it. Okay, but you people can't see you nodding or shaking.

SPEAKER_02 16:56

You're very good. You're very no, I'm I'm stuck on the you're you're gonna let me get this straight. Your business plan is to go to someone's house and take pictures of their house, I would assume, and then meticulously recreate that house in bird house form.

SPEAKER_03 17:14

Yeah, because I was looking at this on Reddit and somebody paid$500 to have somebody do this for them, and it was crap. It wasn't good at all.

SPEAKER_02 17:23

Okay, so but you know that these days they have digital printers that you can just like scan someone's house and just have it print.

SPEAKER_03 17:31

In plastic. This is all I need it in wood. Okay, this is a wooden birdhouse. Anyway, it doesn't matter. I spent my money, my morning, not my money, it'll money be tomorrow. I spent my morning, like which what oil based versus like latex versus whatever is the best thing. You're not supposed to paint the inside of the birdhouse, not good for the birds.

SPEAKER_02 17:48

So are you legit gonna do this birdhouse thing?

SPEAKER_03 17:51

I'm gonna make a birdhouse.

SPEAKER_02 17:52

Can you can you do our house or you can do our house?

SPEAKER_03 17:54

I was gonna do our house, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:56

Okay, well that's cute. How are you gonna approach doing that?

SPEAKER_03 17:58

I don't know. I'm I'm studying and I'm trying not to use AI to figure this out. Like I'm trying to actually engage my creative brain.

SPEAKER_02 18:05

You don't want to use Chat GPT?

SPEAKER_03 18:06

No, I don't because first of all, no, get rid of ChatGPT. Awful. Um, I do like Claude though. I do pay for Claude for work. But anyway, so I was thinking about writing creative writing. It's hard for me because I write so much technical stuff for work. And I like writing for work because I'm writing for teachers, but it's still so much of my life. And oh, little side note, little side quest. I got accepted to a doctoral program, so I'm gonna start this summer working on my that's gonna be your hobby. That's gonna be my hobby, right?

SPEAKER_02 18:38

It's not kid. The birdhouse thing is just put right the fuck on the shelf. You're you're gonna get, you're gonna make a door and three windows, and then oh, doctoral program now.

Hobbies, Identity, And Birdhouses

SPEAKER_03 18:48

So I'm going to be working on my doctorate of education in a really cool um program at the University of Florida. And so that's that's about to start. So that that's gonna be a ton of writing there too. But I was thinking about like creative writing, and I have such a hard time with it because I want it to be so good, right? Like I re I so I only wind up writing short things and I think that they're really good. But I was I was listening to a book today, and I I mean I constantly have audiobooks going, so I listen to them at night, put the timer on, fall asleep. And it was this this rom, I listen to mostly like rom-com books because I don't have to like really emote or feel anything. Uh there's just kind of like brain candy. And this writer that I really liked. Well, now I'm on her third one and I think she's done because I want to play a snippet for you. It's about five seconds, but we we don't have rights for this. No, I'm not telling you what book it is, no one will know. Believe me, no one will know. But the thing is, like, I I shouldn't try to be good anymore if this is out here and published, is what I'm saying to you.

SPEAKER_02 19:54

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 19:55

All right, let me cue it up.

SPEAKER_01 19:57

It's only been a few weeks. But I drank him in as if I've spent those weeks traversing the desert, and he's a tall glass of water. He's still tall, still broad, still bearded, and still gorgeous.

SPEAKER_03 20:14

That's gross. That is some stellar writing.

SPEAKER_02 20:18

I don't want to talk about the narration as well, though.

SPEAKER_03 20:21

No, the narration is horrible. But she actually wrote tall glass of water. Like, are we allowed to use these cliches?

SPEAKER_02 20:28

I mean, that's a published friend.

SPEAKER_03 20:31

And he's still bearded? What does that mean?

SPEAKER_02 20:36

I shaved my beard like every three months. And okay, but Am I still tall, still bearded, and still gorgeous?

SPEAKER_03 20:42

You are. Apparently, the camo lady thinks so too.

SPEAKER_02 20:44

Do you want to drink me like a glass of water?

SPEAKER_03 20:47

Like I've been traversing a desert? What is this nonsense?

SPEAKER_02 20:50

What does it have to do with your hobbies exactly?

SPEAKER_03 20:53

Well, because I I can't write creatively because I'm so worried about it being good. Yet this nonsense is out there and published and available on Libby.

unknown 21:02

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 21:02

I was so upset by it this morning. Am I still listening to this? Because yes, I need to know what happens.

SPEAKER_02 21:08

She drinks the water and goes home.

SPEAKER_03 21:10

And does he lose his beard? Also, I was talking to Katie.

SPEAKER_02 21:14

She's the beard friend.

SPEAKER_03 21:15

I think she is too. I was talking to neighbor Katie about this recently because we were talking about like rom-coms and how horrible some of these things can be. And and there's now a fascination with Adam's apples. Like I watched him swallow his water with his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. I have never found Adam's apples sexy.

SPEAKER_02 21:33

That is gross.

SPEAKER_03 21:34

Isn't that weird? Is that a weird thing? What is something on a woman's body that like you find attractive that most people wouldn't? Perhaps the weenus you do not find weeness is attractive, and you know it. I don't think you just wanted to say weenus. Depends on how wide she can open her mouth.

SPEAKER_02 21:56

Well, you can't open your mouth very well.

Writing Standards And Rom-Com Clichés

SPEAKER_03 22:00

Have TMJ, it is a problem. We've talked about on this podcast before. Anyway, my point is I'm gonna build bird houses. This isn't my point.

SPEAKER_02 22:12

Any psychologists or psychiatrists who are listening right now who are up for diagnosing, shoot us an email at familiarwilsons at gmail.com.

SPEAKER_00 22:25

Welcome back to the conversation. Tell me who I'm talking to. Get on down to imagination. You want me and I am you.

SPEAKER_03 23:07

Because he loves to tell this joke.

SPEAKER_02 23:09

No, no, no. I'm just asking you. This is not a comedy setup. I'm asking you, why did the chicken cross the road?

SPEAKER_03 23:15

Uh to get to the other side.

SPEAKER_02 23:17

So the big thing on the internet right now, or at least the big thing in my algorithm, is that that is a joke about death.

SPEAKER_03 23:25

Oh. That's okay.

SPEAKER_02 23:29

In my mind, growing up, it's always been an anti-joke. Yes. But someone is saying now that it was always meant to be a funny joke, and the the kicker is to get to the other side means that the chicken wanted to die. And so it crossed the road, got hit by a car, and then went to the other side of reality or existence.

SPEAKER_03 23:47

Who made up this joke? Do we know the creator of the joke? Have we asked him his intentions?

SPEAKER_02 23:52

Or her.

SPEAKER_03 23:52

Her. I didn't mean to gender them.

SPEAKER_02 23:54

No, I'm just telling you that that's now trending on. We've got all of these things going on in the world, right? All of these serious things that we should put a lot of our attention to, you know, uh, either by contacting representatives, calling people, preparing to vote, or maybe even, you know, economically exercising our power as a collective in this consumerist society. But no, we gotta figure out like the true meaning of how did the chicken or why did the chicken cross the road joke. This is what a lot of people are spending time on.

SPEAKER_03 24:28

That's the same reason why I watch baby goat videos, because you can only take so much of the horrors and you gotta like put your attention somewhere else. And yes, I know that it's coming from a place of extreme privilege that I can put it out of my mind for a second. I shouldn't. But I I I but although this sounds very existential, this chicken crossing the road nonsense.

SPEAKER_02 24:49

It is kind of a childhood joke that's now been ruined for me.

SPEAKER_03 24:53

Well, I'm sorry, did you still find it funny?

The Chicken Joke Gets Dark

SPEAKER_02 24:55

No, but it's always been a thing where uh everything may be going to shit in the world, but at least I can lay in the comfort of the tried and true why did the chicken cross the road joke. Now, not so much. Even that has a dark underbelly. I don't know, everything just sucks.

SPEAKER_04 25:12

Welcome to our podcast.

SPEAKER_02 25:15

Familiar Wilsons at gmail.com. Drop us a line, let us know how you're doing. And now it's time for Refined Gay Thoughts with Refined Gay Jeff. Now this goes back a couple weeks because again, we didn't record last week. Jeff sent us this. He said, Hi Wilsons, happy pre-Mardi Gras.

SPEAKER_03 25:36

Oh yeah, Mardi Gras this Friday, Thursday, Tuesday, fat Tuesday. Listen, parametopause, brain, keep going.

SPEAKER_02 25:43

Yes, it's still a week and a half away, closer now since the writing of this, but my brain's a Civ these days, and I want to make sure to say it. Yes, Civ is spelled correctly. I pride myself in my lifelong spelling superiority, but Civ is one of those words that kind of lives in nowhere land for me. So I looked it up to be sure.

SPEAKER_03 26:01

S-E-I-V-E.

SPEAKER_02 26:02

S-I-E-V e.

SPEAKER_03 26:04

Oh, I flipped the E and the I.

SPEAKER_02 26:05

I did. Speaking of Mardi Gras, I will miss this year uh what has become my yearly tradition at school. My usual routine is to stand in the hallway in front of the library and throw beads to all the students that pass by and also give a bead necklace to everyone that checks out a book. I have photos saved somewhere on my phone of me wearing a portion of the beads I had, and it almost covers my entire head. He says, We have this great old ancient massive two-story party supply uh storeslash warehouse in Houston called Arnie's that has absolutely anything you could need. You know, they closed the party supply store down in our town. They did. That's unfortunate.

SPEAKER_03 26:42

You can't buy your beads. We got tons of beads from when we were in Mardi Gar a couple years ago.

SPEAKER_02 26:46

Do we still have them?

SPEAKER_03 26:47

They're in yeah, they're in the closet.

SPEAKER_02 26:48

He continues on and lets us know that the reason why he's gonna miss that tradition this year is because he got a jury duty summons for February 17th, which is Fat Tuesday.

Refined Gay Jeff: Mardi Gras And Life

SPEAKER_03 26:59

Maybe you'll call in, Jeff, and you won't have to go.

SPEAKER_02 27:01

Well, he says, I I'm holding on hope that I'll receive notice that the courts will be closed on that day to prep for the onslaught of public intoxication and public nudity cases that will probably inundate the court system the following day. Yes. He says, about a decade ago, I actually received an email from the courts canceling my jury duty because Houston was in the midst of an incoming imminent hurricane. So it does happen. So Muffy got it.

SPEAKER_03 27:25

Muffy got jury duty summons for the first time.

SPEAKER_02 27:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 27:29

She can be excused because she's a student, but she's kind of thinking maybe she wants to.

SPEAKER_02 27:34

I mean, Andrew, who is our middleest son, uh, did it, and I think that that he enjoyed the experience. Yeah. Going back a couple of weeks, Amanda, you're an absolute saint to tax your brain by trying to remember and speak out as many foods as you can for Josh's enjoyment.

SPEAKER_04 27:49

It's the worst thing I've ever done, Jeff.

SPEAKER_02 27:50

Uh, that's not how it happened, though.

SPEAKER_04 27:52

I had to count Josh's.

SPEAKER_02 27:53

Jeff, what happened was I tried to count, I tried to list them and she had to count them. That's it.

SPEAKER_03 27:58

Whilst trying to sleep.

SPEAKER_02 28:00

And then he asks me to remember all of these things in the past. Uh, you know, he says, Do you remember this? Do you remember I'm I don't remember any of these things, Jeff. Is it when you guys were at camp together? It's camp stuff. I don't remember much. Um, I remember the time though from camp that me and I think Jeff and someone else thought that there was an intruder in the middle of the night uh at camp, and so we snuck up with um implements to try to attack the intruder? Chase the intruder off.

SPEAKER_04 28:33

And I think what was your implement?

SPEAKER_02 28:35

I feel like there was a a shovel, an axe, and a rake or something, and I had the rake. I remember that whatever it was I had, I was like the worst one. This is to clean up after all, after the chaos is done.

SPEAKER_03 28:48

Was there an intruder?

SPEAKER_02 28:50

Uh no, we never found one. It was the weirdest thing. It was very creepy. Oh, there's a cyber truck passing by our house.

SPEAKER_04 28:56

Dumpster own wheels.

SPEAKER_02 28:58

Concerning the five or so people that influenced me the most, because we talked about that. Oh, yeah, I'm gonna take a few liberties and change people to groups, and they are as follows: my parents back in South Carolina. After 63 years, I'm still learning from them and cherish them deeply. My camp friends, this is a group, as you well know, that's been a mainstay in my life for the past 43 years. Some of the dearest relationships of my entire life are from this group, and you guys definitely pay a key role. I mean, you got adopted in.

SPEAKER_04 29:28

I got adopted in.

SPEAKER_02 29:29

Um, let's see. My small group of friends here in Houston that have become family. I love, love, love that. Yeah. You know, again, this idea of surrounding yourself with people who support you and love you. He says, My new church family, I joined a new church several years ago after being away for many years. It's a very progressive, liberal, open, and affirming ecumenical Baptist church, which is not the norm for a Baptist church. All the members are like complimentary colors, and it is so comfortable and filled with genuine love for each other and the world. That's lovely. And then for the last group, he's gonna say the over 3,000 students in his high school where he works. Since coming here at the end of September, I've been accepted like I can't believe. They keep me up on all the modern culture goings on and allow me to learn and grow with them. My brain is stretched every day, and neurons are constantly firing.

SPEAKER_03 30:20

Love it.

SPEAKER_02 30:20

They keep me asking questions and keep me young. I see how most of them are and can say that we're gonna be all right when they're in control. He says, I'm gonna stop here now. Thank you all for the texts checking on me this week after losing Johnny. That was his pup. Helping your fur baby to cross the rainbow bridge is a life-changing traumatic event, and I'm still not okay, but every day is a new opportunity to honor him and celebrate what I had.

SPEAKER_04 30:47

Oh, sweet boy.

Dogs, Farmer’s Market, And Sign-Off

SPEAKER_02 30:48

So that's Jeff's letter for today. Thank you very much, Jeff. If you would like to let us know how you're doing, meaning you out there, besides Jeff, because Jeff already has our email address, then shoot us uh an email at familiarwilsons at gmail.com. All right, Amanda, that's all there is. There is no more. What do you think of that mess?

SPEAKER_03 31:15

I think that um I love you.

SPEAKER_02 31:18

What does that mean that you did not care for our recording today?

SPEAKER_03 31:22

I just never know how to answer that. I'm just gonna start being nonsensical. Oh, okay. I think yellow.

SPEAKER_02 31:28

Very, very, very good. I do have a question for you though. Yes. We were at the farmer's market yesterday, and I noticed that whenever we go to the farmer's market, I really noticed it yesterday. You stop at every single dog.

SPEAKER_03 31:43

Oh, yeah, I was gonna say, not booths. I don't care about the people with the shells and the rocks and the things.

SPEAKER_02 31:47

Every single one.

SPEAKER_03 31:48

I love the dogs. Why is this a problem for you?

SPEAKER_02 31:51

It's just all of them. It's filled with dogs, and you have to it's like surprise you that you didn't smell all their butts. It's like you are a little dog and you are going from dog to dog.

SPEAKER_03 31:59

I like dogs more than I like people. And I met Jupiter and yesterday was her ninth birthday, and I loved her very much. And then I met the one dog that's paralyzed from the waist down, and so she rides around in her wagon, and they her owners made a sign, yes, you can pet me, and loved on her. I just want to love on the dogs. You, sir, are a Grinch.

SPEAKER_02 32:18

I am not a Grinch. You are. I just got places to pee.

SPEAKER_03 32:21

Where?

SPEAKER_02 32:21

I had to pee. And your little boy had to pee, by the way.

SPEAKER_03 32:24

Well, then I am not the male restroom person. Take him to the bathroom.

SPEAKER_02 32:28

All the bathrooms are locked.

SPEAKER_03 32:30

Muffy figured out how to take him to the bathroom and also didn't yell at me about dogs and talk to dogs with me. You are just curmudgeony.

SPEAKER_02 32:37

This episode of Familiar Wilsons with the Media was brought to you by Familiar Wilsons with the Media?

unknown 32:43

Wait, what?

SPEAKER_03 32:44

See? You're throwing it off. I gotta go get Winthrop off a screen. Tell the people thank you.

SPEAKER_02 32:49

This episode of Super Familiar with the Wilsons was brought to you by Antonio, who insists that every scene just need more atmosphere. By Josh Scar, who calls it raw when he really meant unfiltered. By Daniel J. Buckets, who added three footnotes and a canoe metaphor that no one asked for. By Chicken Tom, who believes every story arc improves if someone leans something near a fence. By Matt, who simply wrote huh on every single page. By Monique from Germany, who requested clarity, sincerity, and fewer American metaphors. By Joey.

SPEAKER_03 33:28

Joey.

Credits And Community Thanks

SPEAKER_02 33:29

By Leo, who said it's funny, but are you okay? By Refined Gay Jeff, who removed a joke, replaced it with a pause, and made it art. By Ryan Baker, who would like it noted that none of this constitutes advice from a medical professional. By Mark and Rachel, who remember everything and who are not afraid to bring receipts, and by Dan and Gavin, who suggested tightening act two and adding a sword fight to the kitchen scene. Thank you all.

SPEAKER_03 33:55

Thanks, friends.

SPEAKER_02 33:56

Thanks to Chris Baring for our theme song. Thanks to AJCW for some of the incidental music and Ricky Kendall for some other of the incidental music. Thank you for all of you people who help us do this freaking ridiculous thing almost every week. Almost. Alright, folks. So until next week or until next time, y'all take it easy and just go out there and be nice.

SPEAKER_03 34:19

Why you gotta step on my line? Go be kind of a little bit more.