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Parents of the Year
We were never given a manual on how to parent. It is easy to get overwhelmed to know the right thing to do. There is so much contradictory information out there and everyone has their own advice. Parenting is a rewarding but messy, confusing, infuriating, guilt-inducing, and overwhelming journey. While it's easy to get lost, Andrew Stewart, a real dad, and Dr. Caroline Buzanko, a real mom, child psychologist, and parenting expert (who also happens to be married to Andrew) will help you get back on track. In each episode, Andrew and Caroline have open and honest chats about everything parenting. Join them in honesty, laughter, and tears (Caroline is a bit of a cry baby) as they help you navigate this journey of parenting. And, every so often, you may get some gems of expert advice. Our goal is to make your parenting journey less stressful, more forgiving, and more awesome. Please join us every Wednesday for new episodes of Parenting of the Year.
Episodes
209 episodes
What should you say when you find out your child is self-harming?
Non-suicidal self-injury is showing up earlier and more often than many expect, and most adults feel unprepared when it does. In this episode, Andrew and Caroline talk openly about why kids hurt themselves without wanting to die, what it act...
208 Who Is Your Child Actually Talking to Online?
Roblox isn’t just a game—it’s one of the most active online spaces kids are spending time in right now.In this episode, Andrew and Caroline get real about what’s happening behind the screen. With over 150 million daily users—many under 1...
207. What If Everything You’ve Heard About Microplastics Isn’t True?
This episode pulls apart one of the biggest fears circulating among parents right now: plastics and microplastics.Andrew and Caroline sit down with scientist Dr. Chris DeArmitt, who has reviewed thousands of studies to separate what’s ac...
206. Are Screens Stealing Our Kids’ Motivation?
What helps kids feel safe, motivated, proud, and ready to try hard things?In this episode of Parents of the Year, Andrew and Caroline sit down with Matt Kaufman—camp director, author of The Campfire Effect, and lif...
205. Are We Putting Too Much Pressure on Kids to Perform?
What helps kids learn, keep trying, and bounce back after a hard moment?In this episode of Parents of the Year, Andrew and Caroline sit down with educator, author, speaker, and chess coach Kevin Cripe to talk about what truly he...
204. Are you ready for the conversations kids are already having?
When a child says, “This is who I am,” what does a supportive parent do next?In this episode of Parents of the Year, Andrew and Caroline take on a topic many families are trying to understand with more care and less fear: gender identity...
203. How Do You Build a Village When You’re Raising Kids Far From Family?
How do parents build a village when they’re raising kids far from family? In this episode of Parents of the Year, Andrew and Caroline dig into one of the hardest parts of modern parenting: feeling alone while trying to raise...
202. Are screens speeding up adolescence and delaying independence?
A jar of peanut butter almost ends a marriage… and somehow becomes the perfect opener for a conversation about what’s happening to adolescence right now.In this episode of Parents of the Year, Andrew and Caroline unpack what ADHD ...
201. Do You Know Who Your Child Is Talking to in Games and Group Chats?
In this episode of Parents of the Year, Andrew and Caroline sit down with Mashood Ahmed, founder and CEO of GigabitIQ (the UK’s safest broadband provider) and a dad of five, to talk about what’s really happening online: strangers in ga...
200. Why are teens self-diagnosing on TikTok—and what should parents say?
Peanut butter crumbs, a surprise lap dog, and a teen who’s meeting new people at bars… this episode starts like a sitcom and lands on a real parenting pressure point: when kids start wearing diagnoses like usernames.Andrew and Caroline t...
199. Are tracking apps making parents calmer—or more anxious?
Tracking your kids can feel like “good parenting”… until it turns your home into a control room. In this Parents of the Year episode, Andrew and Caroline talk about why location-sharing and constant check-ins often backfire—especially as kids b...
198. How Do We Help Kids Feel Seen When Their Needs Look Different?
What happens when a child feels invisible—and how can adults respond in a way that builds confidence, connection, and kindness?In this episode of Parents of the Year, Andrew and Caroline sit down with Mark Perloe, a retired...
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197. Are you using ChatGPT for parenting… and is it helping or hooking you?
Andrew and Caroline start this episode the same way many parents start a “normal” day: northern lights, a bank visit that ate two hours, and a reminder that adulting is its own full-time job. Then they try something parents are doing more and m...
196. How do we teach critical thinking in a world of ChatGPT and Deepfakes?
AI isn’t going away, and kids are already using it. So how do we protect their curiosity, critical thinking, and safety without panicking or burying our heads in the sand?In this episode of Parents of the Year, Caroline and Andr...
195. Why does work-life balance feel impossible when you work from home with kids?
Working from home with kids in the mix can feel like you’re failing at two jobs at once. Andrew and Caroline get real about why “balance” is a trap, and why clear boundaries work better—at home and at work. They share what actually ...
194. What actually works when your child won’t get off the screen?
Phones aren’t optional anymore—and that’s exactly why families feel stuck. In this Parents of the Year episode, Andrew and Caroline sit down with MJ Murray Vachon, a licensed clinical social worker with 40 years of practice to talk about what s...
193. How do you set goals kids actually want to work on?
Stealing from a popular replay of Parents of the Year, Andrew and Caroline discuss goal setting with kids. Rather than assigning goals or correcting what isn’t working, this episode focuses on working with children to help them ...
192. What Should You Say When Kids Ask About Santa?
Should parents “tell the truth” about Santa… or keep the story going? In this Parents of the Year holiday episode, Andrew and Caroline unpack what kids actually need when they start questioning Santa, how to respond without...
191. Overstimulated, Overwhelmed, and Over It: Emotion Regulation During the Holidays
The holidays are supposed to be joyful—but for many families, they quietly amplify stress, overwhelm, and emotional reactivity.In this special crossover episode with Parents of the Year podcast, Dr. Caroline and her husband Andrew step a...
190. How do we help kids tolerate boredom in a hyper-stimulating world?
Boredom gets a bad reputation in modern parenting. Kids hate it, adults avoid it, and screens are always within reach to fill the quiet. In this Parents of the Year episode, Andrew and Caroline pull back the curtain on what...
189. Does parental self-awareness matter more than parenting style?
Andrew and Caroline discuss how much our own self-awareness as parents shape the way our kids turn out?From yelling regrets and chore battles this episode blends humour with honest reflection. They explore how everyday reactions, no matt...
188. Are we helping kids? Or making them helpless?
Andrew and Caroline jump headfirst into one of the biggest pressures modern families face: the urge to hover, track, micromanage, and constantly correct. They unpack why today’s parents feel pulled into overprotecting, how it chips away at conf...
187. Are parents violating their kids’ privacy online?
Oversharing Kids Online: Why “Sharenting” Hurts More Than It HelpsParents are posting more than ever—but at what cost to their children’s privacy, safety, and sense of self? In this episode, Andrew and Carolin...
186. Can AI actually make parenting easier?
In this episode of Parents of the Year, Andrew and Caroline sit down with Camille Jaramis, founder of Ask Yawn, the first parenting AI designed to cut through the chaos of parenting advic...
185. How do parents keep kids safe without holding them back? (Special Recast Episode)
With Halloween creeping up, Andrew and Caroline revisit one of their most memorable episodes: The night they tried to solve a mystery that still haunts their home: is their ensuite bathroom possessed… or just falling apart?(PS —...
