Brother Sister Whatever
Brother Sister Whatever is the cynical-but-lovable sibling podcast for GenX & Xennials navigating the messy middle of life—identity, aging, family roles, and all the weird in-between stuff that adulthood forgot to warn us about.
Hosted by Lisa & Josh, two grown-up siblings with opposite vibes and shared trauma, this show is part therapy, part throwback, and part unfiltered real talk about the messier side of life. Expect plenty of 80s/90s nostalgia and laughs as we dissect it all!
New episodes every other Thursday.
Subscribe to join the sibling spiral and pull up a seat on the couch!
Brother Sister Whatever
90s Summers: Bikes, Mosquitoes, and No Cell Phones
Remember when summer meant biking until the streetlights came on, catching fireflies, and dodging the neighbor’s terrifying dog? In this nostalgia-heavy episode, we’re throwing it back to the 90s—when summer was sticky, chaotic, and absolutely glorious.
From PEI farm adventures and popsicle brain freezes to street hockey and reading under a box fan, Lisa and Josh swap stories of childhood freedom and the moment summer stopped feeling like… summer. Adulting hit hard—but we’re still trying to reclaim a little of that old-school magic (minus the mosquitoes).
☀️ Topics include:
- Why 90s summers felt limitless
- The chores that weirdly felt like adventures
- The exact moment summer changed forever
- Can adult summers ever hit the same?
- The unexpected joy of crafting your own traditions
🎧 New episodes every other Tuesday — Subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss a sibling roast disguised as therapy.
👇 Drop a comment: What summer memory still lives rent-free in your brain?
#90sSummer #BrotherSisterWhatever #NoChillPodcast #SiblingPodcast #SummerNostalgia #ChildhoodMemories #PEI #MillennialPodcast #FunnyPodcast #SummerThenVsNow #RealTalkZeroChill #AdultingIsHard #PodcastEpisode
Thanks for hanging out with us on Brother Sister Whatever, your no-BS guide through the messy middle!
If this episode made you laugh, cringe, or question your entire existence as a GenX/Xennial — please hit subscribe and leave a review. It genuinely helps more unhinged humans find their people.
Keep the Real Talk going:
➡️ Follow @brothersisterwhatever on YouTube for video episodes, Instagram for Reels & rants, and Facebook for community!
📧 realtalkzerochill@gmail.com
🌐 www.brothersisterwhatever.com
🗓 New episodes every other Thursday.
Bring your feelings. We’ll bring ours.
Hi everyone, welcome to Brother, sister. Whatever. I'm Lisa, I'm Josh. Do you remember those endless summers as a kid? You know popsicles, sprinklers, no bills.
Speaker 2:From Kool-Aid to cold brew, from cannonballs to back pain.
Speaker 1:Yep, pretty much, let's start with our weekly what if? Okay, Josh, so would you survive being a kid again in like a 90s summer? So no phones, no AC, just, you know, bikes, mosquitoes and like some random slip and slide.
Speaker 2:I think so. I loved summers like that yeah, I mean, you know, I think, I think as an adult we kind of realize we took it for granted absolutely. I don't know how many eye rolls I made when someone would say like you know, oh, you grow up fast, or blah, blah, blah, and I'm like yeah, yeah, you know, or whatever, but it's so true.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but the expression youth is wasted on the young you think, but as a kid you think adults have it all.
Speaker 2:And it's true.
Speaker 1:It's not. We have it all in terms of bills and you know work schedules and stuff like that. But no, the fun is the first to go very true fun is the first to go. I loved like the uh summers that we spent like in pei yeah, me too so like I remember the summers, like when we were at home and stuff, it was always it was still fun. We always got to be outside and stuff it was always.
Speaker 1:It was still fun. We always got to be outside and like do things and it was different well, we had to.
Speaker 2:We didn't have a tv we'd get in trouble if we were inside.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like mom would actually like kick us out yeah, yeah, or else we have to do chores so we're like okay, we're going out yeah, so it was kind of like. It was kind of like that vibe of like just being out and and like just being bored outside, if we wanted to.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Or if we didn't have anything to do. But like the summers in PEI were like really fun.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, on the farm.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And like as we got older we got to go to like the beach with friends and stuff like that yeah, it got more lenient. But like riding on the tractor when they were like doing the fields of potatoes and stuff.
Speaker 2:That was fun.
Speaker 1:Yeah, strawberry picking Even that, oh, strawberry picking, but even those things like it seems like, oh yeah, you got to do, you know, potato fielding, like whatever it was fun it was whatever it was fun.
Speaker 2:It was fun.
Speaker 1:It was fun, it was just, it was different. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, we came from the city. Yes, I mean, you know West Island, yes, but we came from the city to that, but also it was just us there, yeah.
Speaker 1:Like Mom and Dad weren't with us. We even had of freedom.
Speaker 2:Yeah, mom and dad would give us money so we could, like I know, do our own thing.
Speaker 1:It's so fun I almost. It kind of makes me sad when I think that my kids won't be able to have that. Do you remember Candy? Yes, Terrified, I remember Candy the big. Was it a Doberman?
Speaker 2:I think it was a Rottweiler.
Speaker 1:Oh my God Scared the shit out of me. I hated leaving the house.
Speaker 2:I love that dog yeah no shit, you love that dog, even though it got nipped in the face.
Speaker 1:Oh, did you you didn't know that.
Speaker 2:I don't remember that yeah.
Speaker 1:What was the ultimate summer day for you? As a kid, if you could think of your perfect day, for me it was definitely reading having something cold, like a popsicle or an ice cream, maybe like going out like we used to do bike rides a lot, like it's a family and stuff like that, or like going to the mountains to the park or beaver lake or stuff like that. Remember those days that those were like. When I think of that, I think of that as like epic summer, like me.
Speaker 2:I think uh probably have to be hockey and football with friends.
Speaker 1:I remember I was in a street hockey league, you know yes, I remember you playing uh street hockey all the time in the front of the house.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, I just loved sports. Don't know what happened, but yeah, every so often now I pass by one of the basketball courts and I'm like, ah, I should buy a basketball, you know, and just go do some cardio at the same time, go do some cardio at the same time.
Speaker 1:I remember baseball games, dad being an assistant coach or a coach or something.
Speaker 2:For T-ball, my T-ball league, T-ball yep.
Speaker 1:And I would go all the time. I had no choice, but whatevs? I think I had a crush. Oh, that's what it was.
Speaker 2:Anthony, I went.
Speaker 1:Anthony, because I had a crush. Oh, that's what it was, anthony.
Speaker 2:I went Anthony.
Speaker 1:Because I had a crush on one of the player's older brother.
Speaker 2:His name was Anthony. Maybe he was the oldest person on the league. Yeah, and he was older. Yeah, yeah, yeah, but that's why I went.
Speaker 1:It's coming back to me now. It's like they made me and I'm like, no wait, they didn't make me because I felt like I enjoyed going. Why did I enjoy going? Oh, yes, Crushes, oh the joy. Summer sleepovers we never had sleepovers. We weren't allowed to have sleepovers. No, that's not true. We weren't allowed to have sleepovers. No, that's not true. I lie. When I was younger, you were very young, like under five.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:And we were still Jehovah's Witnesses. There were a couple of girls that we were allowed to have sleepovers at each other's house. That's true, but it was only them. Like mom, specifically, I feel like was a little bit more like reserved, like didn't trust a lot of people.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:She always wanted to, like, make sure we were safe and stuff. So yeah, it was very rare.
Speaker 2:I think nowadays I'm too trusting. You know, I kind of overjudged someone who was like oh, I don't want so-and-so to sleep over because of like Jet okay and I was like, so like he's a boy yeah, okay, and I was so like you know, like what the hell you know, but you know what I remember, I was so judgmental about that.
Speaker 2:but then I started looking online like there's a lot of like shitty things that happen where these kids think or everyone thinks it's all copacetic, and then, like 20 years later you hear that, like you know, they're fucking still in therapy because they were yeah molested or this or that so yeah it's messed up.
Speaker 2:You know like now I'm a little bit more reserved, I have to admit you didn't have a lot of sleepovers, eh not that from what I could remember no no yeah, I had a lot of friends, but I just the sleepover wasn't really uh, I think it was a lot more of like a girl thing.
Speaker 1:I agree.
Speaker 2:I think boys like went out played and then came home, yeah, and like girls was all about like let's sleep over, let's like do our hair or yes, nails or whatever makeup yeah. So I don't think we it was a lot more you know we'd stay out late, play like until we could barely see the ball. You know. That's true, like you could barely see the ball, I remember, you know. I don't know if I'm just so like grouchy, you know, but like I don't want fucking sleepovers.
Speaker 1:Oh well, no, that's a whole other issue too, but yes. You issue too. But yes, you know, that's probably that's why mom didn't let us have people over she's like I have enough to do with the two of you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, like uh, when when found had some of her friends over, oh my, god, it's a lot eh you know, I mean, uh, the screaming, and you know it's just like, oh my god, oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:I mean there's times where I'm just like, no, not this time, please. You know, just no one. Yeah, yeah, you know. And, and like when fallon has a sleepover, huh, like you don't understand, fallon is so posh, you know. So like Fallon will have like not one friend, it's like five of them, you know, and they will all want you know their makeup done and they all want you know this, and that you know. And then, of course, one is left out, and then that one's crying, and then you're there, one is left out, and then that one's crying, and then you're there, like what's going on? Well, no, everyone has to. And you're just like oh my gosh, I'm exhausted and I'm not doing anything. I'm exhausted and I'm not doing anything.
Speaker 2:I don't know how their mother does it and I don't know how.
Speaker 1:like no yeah, you have to have a certain kind of uh, a certain level of patience and resilience to make it through things.
Speaker 2:I don't know if it's because I'm sick right now too that I'm like, you know, but like oh.
Speaker 1:I can't no so when did summer stop feeling like freedom and start feeling like logistics?
Speaker 2:Well, hands down when you have kids.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because, like I mean, listen, I'm going to ask, I'm going to defer to you because I had my first kid at 21.
Speaker 2:Right, so I didn't really have too too many years of like you know I can't compare to that, but I would say probably when summer stopped being fun yeah, was um summer school. You know like now everything I know now about me I realize that I have certain learning disabilities. Okay, and so you know, the way I compensated was by being, you know, the class clown, the idiot, the you know troublemaker, etc. In school. Take attention away from that thing and put it here Right you know troublemaker, et cetera. In school.
Speaker 1:Take attention away from that thing and put it here.
Speaker 2:Right, you know. And so because of that, you know, every year was you got to go to summer? You failed, you failed, you failed, you failed. And so every year it was summer school. So like, and you know as a kid, because it's like, what summer school is like a month, yeah, or like you know. So I mean you still had, you know, a month of nothing, right, but like to you that was like the end right.
Speaker 2:So I feel like that was a big thing for me. You know where I was kind of like. You know, summer's not fun anymore, that's true, I forgot about that.
Speaker 1:I had to do summer school one summer, uh, but I opted out. I was like, fuck it, I'll just do I'll. I'll do like I moved on to grade 10 and I'll just do the grade 9 math oh shit I was like I'm not doing summer, I would have done that option if I could, yeah.
Speaker 1:But, but now, but what about like as an adult, like when did summers? Because you like, like I said, I kind of had a kid pretty early. So my summers I was adult, I felt adulting, like I was adulting, even like younger than normal. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, even like younger than normal. Do you know what I mean, like most people have their twenties to, like you know, be child free and like, do fun things still, even while adulting. So when, when was it for you that it stopped being fun?
Speaker 2:I don't know if fun is the right word.
Speaker 1:Okay, so what would the word be then that you would use?
Speaker 2:I don't know. I stopped being stupid.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:It was after New Year's. I know that's not summer, but it was every year of just getting drunk, doing crazy things, no care in the world. Drugs, you know, all the way up until all the way up until Psyche.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:So it was around so late 2000s. Late Is it late. I think it was like mid.
Speaker 1:Mid. Okay, so like 2005-ish.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because I've been doing dog training for 20 years.
Speaker 1:I started dog training when Saiku. So that would be it.
Speaker 2:It might be just under 20 years, but yeah, so I would say around then. That's when I started realizing like okay, fuck, like you know, like I need to.
Speaker 1:You got to change some things.
Speaker 2:I remember that summer. That summer, I think three times I woke up in the middle of nowhere, had no idea where I was. My pants were down no, I'm kidding, no, but I woke up like in, like a ditch or you know just head first into the grass. You know, like I wake up, I'm like whoa fuck. You know, like what the fuck? You know, and yeah, and it was that leading to a really really bad new year's.
Speaker 1:Yeah really bad new year's Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:Yeah, really bad new years. And then it's like a switch. I woke up and I was like, okay, I'm not going to live like this anymore.
Speaker 1:Interesting.
Speaker 2:And then that's literally when everything changed. Started trying to being adulting more and like. Yeah, no, relationship-wise Wow okay.
Speaker 1:I'm trying to like put all that yeah relationship wise, there's only like four. Oh, doesn't sound like I had 30, I should probably not say mine. All right, moving on question, for you would and then we'll move on to this or that Would you trade one perfect childhood summer? So think of our best summer as kids for one adult summer with a nanny, a chef and no work.
Speaker 2:So basically a paid vacation.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Would, you switch it? Would you give up that really cool kid's summer if you could have a summer with a nanny, a chef and no work?
Speaker 2:No, I don't think so.
Speaker 1:No, I don't think so either.
Speaker 2:No regrets.
Speaker 1:Because the kids would still be there. A nanny, a chef and no work. Okay, I guess that means that somebody would feed me, take care of my kids and I wouldn't have to work. Exactly I don't know, I wouldn't have to work Exactly I don't know.
Speaker 2:I don't know if I'd want to do it. What about?
Speaker 1:you.
Speaker 2:No, no way.
Speaker 1:No way.
Speaker 2:No, there's very little. I regret.
Speaker 1:Okay, let's do some this or that. Okay, josh. All right, okay, so I'll start off. Freezy pops or fancy cocktails.
Speaker 2:Fancy cocktails Lemonade or iced coffee.
Speaker 1:Iced coffee.
Speaker 2:Fireworks or fireflies, fireworks, fireworks, oh well, summer job.
Speaker 1:Or fireflies, fireworks, fireworks, oh well summer job or summer school Summer job I'd rather make some money, money, money, bike rides or road trips.
Speaker 2:Road trips Sunburn or mosquito bites.
Speaker 1:I'm going to take mosquito bites.
Speaker 2:Fair.
Speaker 1:Sunburns are not fun. No, I've had enough of those.
Speaker 2:A pool float or a pool noodle.
Speaker 1:A pool noodle.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, board games or card games, I already know.
Speaker 1:Ooh, board games, of course. Okay, one more each, let's see, oh josh, water balloons or water guns I do like water balloons, water balloons really yeah, I would have thought you'd go for guns yeah, I would normally uh grilling or chilling chilling. Obviously, james is the griller yeah, that's it oh shit, well listen. Summers then versus now. I feel like we have a lot more responsibilities, a lot less fun, but yet at the same time, fun, but yet at the same time nothing that can't be fixed with a nice glass of rosé sitting in the backyard just chilling.
Speaker 2:And the difference is that when we want, we can create our fun.
Speaker 1:Exactly.
Speaker 2:Exactly, that's the power of being an adult.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, that's true, yeah.
Speaker 1:It's very true Words of wisdom from Tao disciple Josh. All right, well, we want to know what's one summer thing that you did as a kid that you would love to do again now as an adult, or one thing that you would like to get rid of and never do again? Uh, so feel free to comment. On insta, facebook, youtube. We're available spotify apple podcasts everywhere.
Speaker 2:You get your your podcasts, so like subscribe we're just so popular that we had to get on all the platforms yes, people are just dying to see us.
Speaker 1:Come on Like who wouldn't?
Speaker 2:That's it.
Speaker 1:Okay, so have a great week, guys, and we'll see you next time. Bye.
