Don't Even Bother

#2: Can We Bring Back the Good Ol' Days?

• Katiuscia + Megan • Episode 2

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0:00 | 41:41

We're reminiscing about the simplicity of the ’90s and share how Megan's weaving old-school values into her kids’ lives—think landlines and less screen time. With humor and nostalgia, they explore resilience, self-sufficiency, and the joy of meaningful connections, inviting listeners to reflect on their own traditions.

00:27 Simpler Times: Bringing Back the Good Old Days
01:13 Parenting in the Digital Age: Landlines and Discman
02:53 Extravagant Gifts and Childhood Expectations
07:04 Reviving Old School Fun: CDs and Music Tastes
15:11 Social Media and Its Impact on Kids
18:07 Humor and Realism in Social Media
22:54 Latchkey Kids and Growing Up
23:56 Sibling Dynamics and Problem Solving
30:47 Nostalgic Movies and TV Shows
37:38 The Simplicity of the Past

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speaker:

Don't even bother.

katiuscia:

Hey everyone.

megan:

Hi.

katiuscia:

What's up?

megan:

What's up? I just played that commercial for my kids the other day. They're very into nineties commercials. Nice.

katiuscia:

Well, we had some of the best in the nineties for

megan:

sure,

katiuscia:

which I guess we talk about it all the time in our own personal lives and on our voice text. Dude, can we like bring back the good old days where things were normal and cool? Were they though? But they were simple. The simplicity is what I lack. 'cause everything just got so complicated. Yeah. In terms of, I don't know, societal expectations, societal who you wanna be. Yeah. There's just a lot. I feel we just need to bring back the good old days.

megan:

Well, and the planned obsolescence of everything. I want a washing machine that's a metal drum. That's gonna last for 30 years. I want a Honda lawnmower that's gonna last for 30 years. I just want, I want all of those things. So I've been kind of bringing, I've been bringing the, I'm bringing the good old days back at my house.

katiuscia:

I love that you're doing that.

megan:

So we, I have two kids and they're in school and. Every week they come home and it's like, so and so has an Apple watch and so and so has a what? I don't even know. I don't care. Good for that person. I'm not their mom. So I got my kids a landline so they can talk to their friends and they have to share it, and there's no texting and there's no o social media, and they have to. Call, and we have a couple friends who also have landlines now 'cause we're starting a revolution. But generally they have to call the mom's cell phone. And so they have to call and talk to an adult and say, hi, Mrs. Jones, is Bridget, their, you know, and have a whole conversation again, and really bring back those conversational skills, phone skills, and it's hilarious to listen to them. I talk on the phone with their friends, and then inevitably they have about a half hour timer. And so one of 'em will set the kitchen timer and then go screaming at the other one if she's not off the phone in time. And then their auntie bought them Discman CD players for Christmas. Nice. And so we'll go to the use book store and they get to buy CDs, and it's just we're bringing back all the best parts of our childhoods so that. Our kids can stay kids longer,

katiuscia:

which is a huge part of society, is that these kids generally are growing up way too fast.

megan:

Mm-hmm.

katiuscia:

They have everything that they could ever want at their fingertips, to the point, I mean, I've seen people, friends of mine who have kids that are buying them these really extravagant gifts when they're little.

megan:

Mm-hmm.

katiuscia:

And then each year it has to be something better because in the mind of a child. You don't understand that. Maybe this was the big gift, right? We were in our teens when we had, well, this is your big gift.

megan:

Oh yeah.

katiuscia:

You know? Mm-hmm. And this will be the big gift. And then next year you're gonna get a sweater, like you're

megan:

gonna get a toothbrush and some

katiuscia:

socks. You're getting nothing. Yeah. Some socks. Yeah. But kids these days, when you start them that young, giving them all of these extravagant gifts mm-hmm. You have to keep almost one-Upping yourself.

megan:

Yeah.

katiuscia:

To get them the latest and greatest to get them what the next door kid has, because it's almost everything. So I love the fact that you're doing. This with your kids, and I love that they call me because that's just hilarious. Oh yeah. Because getting a call from them and then having the conversation that ensues on the other end, whether it's telling me about the day or reading me a story that they heard in school. This is great. I love it.

megan:

Well, 'cause then you get to just have a conversation with them and I'm not involved in it. Because that's when their little personalities shine.

katiuscia:

Yeah,

megan:

yeah,

katiuscia:

for sure. Yeah. Which is a lot of fun. I mean, I will admit that one time that one of them called me, it was because the friend didn't answer the phone. Oh, sure, sure, sure. So I was not really first choice, but I was the side I got at least

megan:

you're on the list.

katiuscia:

I was on the list. So you were on the

megan:

bench. So

katiuscia:

that makes me feel really good. But I love all of those things to just try to maintain also some form of. Normalcy mm-hmm. That you grew up with, that you know is right and not, not the things that make the kids start to ask all the questions of what they're seeing on social media. How, just how things are progressing on social media. I think that we all joke about waiting for a OL to dial up.

megan:

Oh yeah.

katiuscia:

But a child today will just never know. Kind of a payphone, kind of the, the phone, you know what I mean? Mm-hmm. Any kind of. Thing that we had that was so staple.

megan:

Yeah.

katiuscia:

I mean, you graduated when you were younger to having the house phone to getting your own line.

megan:

Oh,

katiuscia:

yeah. So then maybe you had a, an answering machine.

megan:

Oh, yeah. Or even just having a phone in your room. Oh, yeah. And then I, I've had a job since I was 14, and so I paid to get my own line installed in my room.

katiuscia:

Oh.

megan:

Did

katiuscia:

you have one of those clear phones with all the gadgets inside?

megan:

No, I wanted one, but then I found a cooler one. It was very streamlined. It was very futuristic, which is funny 'cause now I wanted to get the girls a rotary phone.

katiuscia:

Nice.

megan:

But they were really expensive. Then I, my next choice was gonna be the one on the kitchen wall with the 10 foot cord.

katiuscia:

Yeah.

megan:

But we ended up getting a cord list just so that they can have a smidge of privacy, but they're not allowed to, they're not even allowed to take that into their bedrooms.

katiuscia:

Oh.

megan:

They have to go in the office or my bedroom. Okay. And still be within an earshot,

katiuscia:

but they're also at the age where probably sitting still to have a phone conversation

megan:

is not, oh, that doesn't even happen. The little one just paces. That's what I'm saying. She's doing all the weird things. She's climbing on the furniture. She's upside down. She's, you have to, it's hilarious to watch her. And do you know what's really funny is that the big one will talk on the phone, but the little one puts it on speaker.

katiuscia:

Oh.

megan:

She will not hold a phone up to her ear.

katiuscia:

Okay.

megan:

It's wild to watch. And then we had to have a whole conversation about how people of our generation do this. Mm-hmm. But if you watch little kids, if they fake a phone, they do this.

katiuscia:

Oh, well that's all they know.

megan:

It's

katiuscia:

wild. That's what I'm saying, these smart phones with all the apps and everything.

megan:

Mm-hmm.

katiuscia:

My app growing up was. Either the solitaire, the minesweeper, oh yeah. The free cell on the, on the computer.

megan:

Yeah. And you got to change the background of the cards on Solitaire.

katiuscia:

Yes. That was great.

megan:

Or, you know, just a, a fan, an oscillating fan that you talked into.

katiuscia:

Mm-hmm.

megan:

My brothers and I probably spent hours doing that

katiuscia:

changing voice. That's,

megan:

I mean.

katiuscia:

Yeah, there are so many things, but I love that you're at least doing that if you want CDs, by the way, I have many, primarily from college, when my roommates and I would burn them. Oh yeah. So I don't really know if it's not safe for children or maybe some explicit lyrics,

megan:

because we did find my old CDs. Okay. And I had to pull out some, not all, not really a lot. 'cause again, my kids, I'm raising my kids to. Live in the world.

katiuscia:

Yeah.

megan:

And so they hear all kinds of language and they know what's appropriate, what's not appropriate. But I didn't think that certain rap songs, or you don't wanna let 'em listen, easy E, no nwa, no. Or some of the punk rock CDs that were in there was, no, not, not today. But yes, you can have the Beastie Boys and yes, you can have no doubt. And yes, you can have. I'm trying to, George Strait, they have, they now have gone. I love going to buy CDs with them because watching what they pick is hysterical. 'cause one of 'em is obsessed with Dolly Parton.

katiuscia:

Oh my gosh.

megan:

One, they're both wildly into Jimmy Buffett.

katiuscia:

Yeah. That was one thing I always thought, oh my gosh. Her kids,

megan:

they are parrot heads. I like Jimmy Buffett. I'm down with Jimmy Buffett. I don't know that I've ever described myself as a parrot head, but my kids are parrot heads and it's hilarious. It's so funny. Yeah, they're, they just, they have good musical taste.

katiuscia:

Nice.

megan:

Except for the one that's trying to get into Taylor Swift and that's not allowed.

katiuscia:

Mm.

megan:

I refuse to listen to Taylor so. Yeah, you listen to that on your own time. So she did end up, one of her friends got her a Taylor Swift cd so she can listen to that with her headphones on,

katiuscia:

with her headphones

megan:

away from

katiuscia:

me. Don't even bother listening to her

megan:

because you wanna listen to some angry Chick Rock. I, I got you covered, but it's not gonna be Taylor Swift.

katiuscia:

No. Probably not, but No, that's, it's a super cool thing to me. When you told me you were doing that and I had shared it with some other people who also have kids, and I think this is a wildly creative idea. Yeah. Just because nobody thinks of trying to, I think a lot of people think, I wish my kids had the childhood that I had.

megan:

Sure.

katiuscia:

But there are ways that you can approach it. Yeah. To try to give them. Somewhat of it. Yeah. You know what I mean? You can't give them everything of it, but you can give them so much. Oh

megan:

yeah. They both have a clock radio,

katiuscia:

nice

megan:

alarm clock in their room. They don't wake up to it. But that's 'cause I haven't set it on the awful alarm yet.

katiuscia:

The awful alarm.

megan:

The dramatic way to wake up.

katiuscia:

Yeah.

megan:

They don't play online video games. They play Mario Kart on the Wii. If I could find them. Duck Hunt. You better believe that I would be schooling everybody in Duck Hunt. That was my game, but I haven't found it yet.

katiuscia:

I feel like we should just also do a PSA and maybe an ask from the general public. If anybody has a very old school Nintendo, that they still, oh, an

megan:

original Nintendo

katiuscia:

that they still have games for. That you'd have to, to get it to work and not fully insert it, but shut down. I feel. If I could play Mario three and warp the worlds.

megan:

Mm-hmm.

katiuscia:

Or if I could play Zelda. Yeah, yeah.

megan:

Oh yeah.

katiuscia:

But Zelda, oh,

megan:

Zelda was fun.

katiuscia:

Zelda was amazing.

megan:

Mm-hmm.

katiuscia:

And I just haven't been able to make a friend who maybe has this piece of history,

megan:

I'm telling you, trying to find, we sports resort. Was an ordeal.

katiuscia:

Oh.

megan:

Because we, bowling is my favorite after duck Hunt, but we bowling. But I love bowling in real life. Bowling is fun. I love real bowling. My brother and I were on a bowling league together in college one year.

katiuscia:

Nice.

megan:

And it was mainly just a drinking league that did some bowling, but Oh man. I love bowling. So we bowling is is where it at. Have you

katiuscia:

taken your kids bowling?

megan:

Oh yeah.

katiuscia:

Real bowling. Oh yeah. Okay. And they like it?

megan:

Yeah.

katiuscia:

Nice.

megan:

Yeah.

katiuscia:

I'm not great at bowling, but it's so fun.

megan:

I am not a very competitive person until we're bowling. If we're bowling and drinking, I will,

katiuscia:

oh,

megan:

I'll get competitive.

katiuscia:

Okay.

megan:

It's. It's an experience.

katiuscia:

Do you have your own bowling shoes?

megan:

Not yet, but I would like to buy some Really, 'cause the thought of, I have to really disassociate to put on bowling shoes. Shoes you to like, but yeah,

katiuscia:

you have

megan:

to, I would, I would buy my own bowling shoes.

katiuscia:

I feel like there are so many fun things that even as adults. We always think going out, going to the bars, not we. 'cause I don't go to many bars. Neither do you? We're not like huge people. I don't go anywhere people, but I'm saying we forget, generally speaking as adults, sometimes we forget that there are other cool things to do that you could go bowling and it's fun. You can, yeah. I wanted to have, so when I turned 40, my big thing did I tell you my ideal thing was to throw a birthday party. At a roller rink because your girls had been two. Oh yeah.

megan:

My girls are big at the roller rink. They're not good.

katiuscia:

I haven't been on roller skates in forever. Don't either. But I had a birthday party at a roller skating rink. I believe I was seven.

megan:

Okay.

katiuscia:

And that was probably the last time I was on roller skates. And then I kind of went to roller blades, but I wasn't very good at those. Roller skates are better.

megan:

Yeah. I grew up on a street that was like a. Six to, I'm gonna tell you it was an 8% grade, but I don't know that that's accurate. Right. Because I don't know that that's even a thing. But it was hella steep. So I was not good at riding bike or rollerblading. I had all of those things, but I was real good at walking everywhere. 'cause you can't, once your brother convinces you to get on a skateboard and go down that hill into the giant blackberry patch at the bottom, it's. It'll, it'll scar you a little bit. It'll

katiuscia:

kind of sit. Mm-hmm. It'll be a good little reminder.

megan:

Yeah. So yeah, we don't do as much. They have roller blades and they'll do it, and they like to get invited to the roller rink birthday parties.

katiuscia:

Okay.

megan:

Um, and now they have those little helpers. Have you seen those? It's like a walker. It's like a old lady walker, but. On wheels on

katiuscia:

the rink

megan:

Uhhuh. Oh. They have my ice skating rinks too, which I cannot ice skate. That is a hundred percent not

katiuscia:

happening. Ice skate also, it's a, it feels like a weapon to me that, you know what I mean? Yeah. If I fell and twisted, I would be the person that would fall on ice skates somehow own neck. Somehow do, yeah. Somehow do Swan lake like flip. Mm-hmm. All of the yoga I've ever done in my life would come out at that one moment. Yeah. It would be. You wanted your head behind your leg or butt your butting behind your neck now. Mm-hmm. You gotta, but the 40th. Roller skating birthday party was very much a thing for me. Okay. But I had the puppies at that time.

megan:

Oh sure. Sure.

katiuscia:

So I couldn't do anything. And so I thought, it's okay, I'll just do it in spring. Nobody wants to do it in winter anyway. I guess maybe we would, but

megan:

yeah,

katiuscia:

it was just, it was gonna be easier and then I just didn't.

megan:

Okay.

katiuscia:

And now I'm past that.

megan:

Okay.

katiuscia:

And so it doesn't seem as exciting to be Wawa for this next birthday that has no relevance in life.

megan:

But why not just do it then? Why does it have to be a, a increment of five?

katiuscia:

No, but it's just, it was just a big birthday.

megan:

Yeah, sure.

katiuscia:

I'll just say it's my belated 40th birthday party.

megan:

There you go.

katiuscia:

Okay.

megan:

Or just lie.

katiuscia:

Well, no, you don't wanna be, I don't wanna turn 40 twice. Okay. My mom was 35 for so many years when I was in elementary school every time I was her birthday.

megan:

I love that.

katiuscia:

Yeah. She was like, I'm 35, so people would ask. She was just 35. Again,

megan:

most of the time I don't even remember how old I actually am, so I just, I don't know. I go, there's bringing it. I'm gonna have to count. And it's a whole thing

katiuscia:

on your hands.

megan:

It's a count on our hands. It depends on how much coffee I've had that day.

katiuscia:

Yeah,

megan:

yeah. So yeah, we're bringing back the good old days.

katiuscia:

I love it.

megan:

And what else do we do?

katiuscia:

I love that they have no social media either, because they're definitely at an age where so many of their peers do have social media. Mm-hmm. Just that group. The age group in general Yeah. Has social media. So the fact that they don't, we love social media as adults,

megan:

but we've also carefully curated our own algorithms with the help of our government surveillance agents. And I don't follow things that make me feel bad about myself. I don't follow things. I just want, it's just a nice little brain dump. It's just a fun thing. I love sending. Reels and memes to people that I care about and being like, this made me think of you. Yeah. You know? And I don't really want uplifting shit either though. No, thank you. I just want funny things. That's all I care about. And so I'll let my kids watch Instagram reels with me. They love funny animal videos, so, 'cause they're animal people and so they like to watch animals. Doing funny things. Didn't

katiuscia:

you say your kids were watching America's?

megan:

They love funniest America's Funniest

katiuscia:

videos. Funniest videos.

megan:

Funniest. They love it.

katiuscia:

Yeah. There's a lot of that kind of stuff on

megan:

mm-hmm.

katiuscia:

Social media, like on Instagram and that's

megan:

Yeah,

katiuscia:

there's a ton.

megan:

Yeah.

katiuscia:

Where you forget that, oh, ouch. That would hurt. So. Social media for me is I do like the uplifting shit. I like it and, and you

megan:

send it to me every now and then and I don't mind it

katiuscia:

sense.

megan:

And I'll heart it and I'll be like, okay, thank you.

katiuscia:

If it makes me think of you, 'cause I know you're not that person.

megan:

Yeah.

katiuscia:

But if it's something, I

megan:

don't want a life lesson. I've had enough life lesson,

katiuscia:

I had this. So whenever I traveled to Italy, 'cause we have a family home there, there's this running joke I always have with my friends there. And it's. Always the people who wanna be the most inspirational on social media that are, they'll post something like, just enjoy every moment of life. And then they're half naked. Well,

megan:

that's not realistic,

katiuscia:

Sharon, but that half naked on a beach, but that's the caption, right? Or it's just the most random that you can look at it. Where we've been on the internet forever, where we know what social media is good for. Mm-hmm. And what we take out of it. But there are a lot of people who just see that and they're like, oh, I am gonna enjoy life now that I saw, or it's just, it's just, it's so twisted. Social media is a very, very twisted world, and I don't look at it to, and I don't feel bad about myself watching it. Which again, is something as you're an adult.

megan:

Yeah.

katiuscia:

And you're looking at these things, you literally take them for what they're worth. It's a highlight reel when it's these great moments for people. I will say there are some people who genuinely have that life and I love and admire them for it. Sure. Just that constant grace and positivity. If I am not in a position or not in a mindset to post something positive or whatever, I'll typically post something funny or I won't post it all. There is nothing wrong with not posting on social media. Oh, for sure. Like there's something about just taking it in and laughing at what you laugh at. I will say kudos to the people who are probably majority our generation with their comments. The comments,

megan:

oh, the comments are brilliant, and I could never, I will look at comment sections and I'm like, I never would've thought of that in a million years. That's brilliant. I love it.

katiuscia:

They're just so clever.

megan:

Yeah.

katiuscia:

So it gives me hope

megan:

mm-hmm.

katiuscia:

In who's gonna lead the country, you know, years down the line if they're, if they grew up like us.

megan:

Yeah.

katiuscia:

And they have twisted senses of humor. You're pretty on point with reality if you have a twisted sense of humor, because you understand that nothing is real. Fairy tales utopia real.

megan:

Yeah.

katiuscia:

But that's just not accurate as to how actual daily life is. Oh yeah. If you can make fun of it,

megan:

mm-hmm.

katiuscia:

Then I kind of trust you to be making big decisions. But I think it's just the people who. Genuinely confined the twisted humor. Mm-hmm. In the world. Mm-hmm. That are the ones who are actually the most realistic because they just understand. Yeah. That. Nothing is gonna be without problems, nothing is going to come easy. Mm-hmm. It's not all going to be smooth. And everyone live in this weird utopia. 'cause number one, that's not normal. It's not real. Two, it's not cool. Three government grocery stores won't work. And I'm looking at you, New York, it's not gonna work. Mm-hmm. To each their owns. We live in Idaho.

megan:

That's called, that's called socialism.

katiuscia:

Yeah. Bad.

megan:

And it doesn't work.

katiuscia:

Socialism bad. Capitalism good.

megan:

Yeah. And well, I had a thought and it just left my brain. I have etch sketch brain sometimes, so I just shook my head too hard and it's, it'll come back.

katiuscia:

No, it'll come back. But just we appreciate everyone. It's funny in the comments.

megan:

Oh, it's the, those people. If you can have a little bit of a twisted sense of humor and you know that none of this is real. Because we're probably all living in a simulation anyway, but those are the happier people because you're also not getting offended at every little thing.

katiuscia:

Yeah.

megan:

I think the people who don't get offended are happier. And I was just, I was talking to my kids about that the other day and we were talking about stereotypes. 'cause have you ever had to explain what a stereotype is to somebody?

katiuscia:

Can't say that. I have,

megan:

that blew my mind to try to explain that to this little human that I'm molding. And it was, well a lot of them are based on. Kind of true things, but then it gets skewed or it gets distorted or whatever. And it's not true for all these people. And it's just a way of us versus them, you know? But I was talking about how the Irish don't get offended about anything ever, and they'll make fun of their own selves, you know? And they'll take it and run with it. If the Irish were as offended as other people, you wouldn't have lucky charm serial anymore.

katiuscia:

That's true.

megan:

But they don't. They don't give a shit.

katiuscia:

Yeah.

megan:

And they'll turn around and roast too, just as hard. And that's, and they're just happier for it, I think.

katiuscia:

I think the ability to laugh at yourself. Mm-hmm. Also, but I do believe that comes with your surroundings and the sense of who you're around. Mm-hmm. When you are raised. So back to generational, back to societal expectations and the way society puts all these rules on everything. If you allow a child to get offended at everything, they're gonna have a really rude awakening when they're in the adult world because no one gives a shit about your feelings. Yeah, sorry. We grew up like that. We grew up with. Okay. If someone hurt your feelings, it hurts. I'm not saying it's not a valid feeling or it wasn't, but it's just what are you gonna do about it? Yeah. And that's how I try to approach everything these days. Mm-hmm. Like there's problems in the world, everywhere. Oh my God, they suck, but hold on, take a breath. Mm-hmm. What? What can I do about it to change it? Nothing.

megan:

So I abide by the Roadhouse Rules of Life. I haven't seen a lot of movies, but. Big Roadhouse fan,

katiuscia:

okay?

megan:

And so in Roadhouse, he's teaching these guys how to be bouncers. And he's like, drunk guy, drunk People are going to try to get a rise out of you. And I want you to be nice until it's time to not be nice. And one of the guys goes, well, what if he calls my mom a whore? And Patrick Swayze looks right at him and goes, well, is she? And so that's what I do when my kids are fighting. Well, she called me stupid and I go, well, are you stupid? Then No, move on.

katiuscia:

Move on.

megan:

Your feelings are valid, but what you do with them is your responsibility,

katiuscia:

so Totally. That's the only thing you can control. Yeah.

megan:

So that's, you

katiuscia:

can't control what other people say about you or what other people do, but yeah, I, I just feel you have to have a little bit twisted of a sense of humor, but also just the way we were raised. Mm-hmm. I had a single mom, you know what I mean? So I did too for

megan:

time.

katiuscia:

So a lot of our growing was latchkey kid mentality where you're kind of fending for yourself. Oh yeah. You have to,

megan:

oh yeah.

katiuscia:

You have to be responsible. You've gotta get your stuff done before mom gets home from work. You've gotta eat a snack. There's, there's,

megan:

and it was usually a weird snack.

katiuscia:

Sure.

megan:

There, I saw a meme one time that was like, I miss those hours between three and five, where you could be at home with your brother and made, make a weird snack and then hit each other. That's 'cause that's how we did it.

katiuscia:

Yeah. You just had to kind of. It's, it's almost, what was it? Oh my gosh. The islands. The kids on the island, Lord. The flies.

megan:

Yeah.

katiuscia:

The kids are in charge. Oh yeah. For those certain hours. Mm-hmm. But you weren't, what's the word? Where you're not, oh my gosh. You are still gonna be punished if you do something stupid.

megan:

You weren't supervised, but you have expectations weren't, and those expectations were pretty clear.

katiuscia:

Yeah. You're not immune.

megan:

Oh. Oh, okay.

katiuscia:

There it is. Sorry.

megan:

Yeah. But you couldn't be, I mean, you were an only child. I have so many siblings 'cause my whole family is divorced and remarried and adopted and it's just bonkers. But I grew up with three older brothers and we beat the hell out of each other. But then. There was no running to mom. My mom didn't wanna hear any of that.

katiuscia:

No.

megan:

And my kids are constantly tattling on each other, and I don't have the capacity to referee those fights. I have no idea. Because we were solving problems behind closed doors. We were solving problems on our own. We were making negotiations. Like, if you don't tell Mom that I just put your head through the wall, I will do your laundry for the next six weeks. Well, that was worth it.

katiuscia:

Totally.

megan:

So my mom still doesn't know that story.

katiuscia:

Surprise.

megan:

Yeah. And, and one of my brothers has passed away, so he's not telling the story either. So it's just up to me now to tell that story there.

katiuscia:

Or not. Or not, but, but

megan:

she did. I'm constantly, we're constantly trying to get our kids to be on that same weird team. Look out for each other.

katiuscia:

Yeah. ' megan: cause you're gonna world without me one day. And. And you have each other. And you have each other. And that's, and that's a beautiful thing. Yeah. So, no, I don't have siblings, but I have aunts and uncles that are Oh yeah. My mom is the oldest of five, so her baby sister is six and a half years older than me.

megan:

Oh, okay.

katiuscia:

And she'll bring it up sometimes. So when I would go to my grandparents' house and they would watch me while my mom was at work or something, she would be there. 'cause she was again young, right? Mm-hmm. She's gonna be there. And they had a yellow that not, it's not too mustardy, but it was that seventies yellow phone.

megan:

It's called Harvest gold.

katiuscia:

There it is attached to the wall.

megan:

Oh yeah,

katiuscia:

with the cord. It was line two in the kitchen.

megan:

Okay.

katiuscia:

So line one was down. Line two was that one, and I don't remember what she did to me. 'cause there was a lot of periods of obviously teasing, sibling teasing. Oh

megan:

yeah.

katiuscia:

So I picked up that phone. Yeah. And I hit her on the head with it and there was a crack in that phone that just stayed there. So every now and then she'll be like, oh, I didn't, at least I didn't crack a phone on someone's head. But you also took me to see Silence of the Lambs when I was seven at the movie theater because, yeah, because she was sneaking in with her friends. Mm-hmm. But she couldn't tell my grandma that she was going to a, rated our movie. Right. So the stipulation was, you have to bring me.

megan:

Oh yeah,

katiuscia:

that's, and so I got that joy. Of terror and horror. Mm-hmm. And now today, that's one of the most epic movies. Oh yeah. It's one of, I quote it all the time, it's one of my faves. It's such a good movie for how low budget it was. Mm-hmm. But you can't see Buffalo Bill in another movie without being

megan:

Yeah.

katiuscia:

Bitch, you better not hurt my dog. There's so much.

megan:

Yep.

katiuscia:

It was a great movie.

megan:

I saw Witches of Eastwick way too young. And cocktail and the things that, yeah, I mean, we were just wildly unsupervised.

katiuscia:

It's just not the same anymore. So bring it back.

megan:

We

katiuscia:

supervised, but

megan:

it, it is, it's a weird, I'm trying to walk the line because a lot of trauma shaped our, to our humor. True. And I don't want that for my kids, obviously, but we want to Yeah. Bring back the simplicity and the, the resiliency. The ability to fend for yourself, but I also want them to know that they don't have to. I just want them to have those skills so. Yeah,

katiuscia:

those are important.

megan:

Yeah.

katiuscia:

It's how you survive. Also, you would be in a different position today with those kids because no matter what you tell them, knowing that maybe their friends aren't gonna have seen that movie. Oh, yeah. But then if they go talk about, now you're gonna get a phone call from about, but this is where people get offended. Yeah. And they just become bitches about everything. Mm-hmm. I can't handle this. This hurt my feelings. This is wrong. Da da, da, da, da. Yeah, it's gotten out of control. Oh yeah. I mean, if we talk about societal norms and expectations, this shit is out of control. Mm-hmm. But when you allow something to go so far, how do you reel it back? You can't. This has been allowed for years to be whatever you wanna be in the world, right? You're a cat. You could be a cat. That's bullshit. You're clearly not a cat. So. Where we always say, if you're easily offended, don't even bother listening to this. Mm-hmm. Like, I'm sorry that you're easily offended, but it's not, your feelings aren't my problem unless I've purposely made you feel a certain way. But there is a flip to logic. And I can't go against for my own value system, I can't refer to you in a pronoun of a cat. Oh

megan:

yeah. Yeah.

katiuscia:

Because that's what you wanna be. It's just not gonna happen. And it's not a disrespect thing, it's just I wasn't raised like that and I don't feel I have to change the way I view the world. Because the world wants this one bubble and this one person wants to be a cat and now I have to speak to them in meow. No,

megan:

I mean if you wanna change your name to,

katiuscia:

I'm good with that

megan:

fluffy biscuits mc whisker face. I will call you that

katiuscia:

Totally.

megan:

But I'm not gonna call you by your cat pronouns.

katiuscia:

No, no, no, no. Names fine. But the second you try to change science and logic. Yeah. It's really logic.

megan:

It is,

katiuscia:

it's,

megan:

I'm not gonna make, I'm not gonna get sucked into a make bully vortex.

katiuscia:

No. Doesn't end. That doesn't, that's what I'm saying. That doesn't end. So once you buy into it, once you allow yourself, it's a

megan:

slippery slope. And that's such an overused term, but it's true.

katiuscia:

But it is. Yeah. 'cause you can't reel it back in. Yeah. Once you've given, but think of even your kids, if you had given your kids everything they want and then one day, actually we're not gonna do it that way anymore. And they don't think they did anything wrong. Right. 'cause they're just, wait a minute, we're just doing what you said was Okay. And now you're, you're taking it all back. That doesn't work. So think of that on a really big scale. Yeah. And I will say as someone who loves to travel, loves to travel abroad, where there's culture in other countries. Mm-hmm. I love Europe. Italy's my fve. There are things here that Italians are like, you guys in America are, we have locked, lost

megan:

it.

katiuscia:

Yeah. And it's true. Oh yeah. 'cause you've taken away logic.

megan:

Mm-hmm.

katiuscia:

Basic

megan:

logic. Yeah.

katiuscia:

So I think that's a. Huge thing. And I love the fact that you're giving your kids that upbringing. Yeah. Those experiences. Because gosh, if we could go back and do it again, it'd be, yeah. Well, so cool.

megan:

We do a, usually every weekend we'll watch a movie and it's usually a movie from our childhood. Not the witches of Eastwick, but I mean, so they, they like to watch the Sandlot and the Mighty Ducks and the. I don't know. My, my husband has better childhood movie recommendations than I do obviously. 'cause we're just, some of 'em are cheesy as hell. Some of 'em are just awful.

katiuscia:

Hold on. I have to interject though, because your kids were at my house about a week ago.

megan:

Oh yeah.

katiuscia:

This was a new favorite TV show. They were at my house, Megan, I don't really entertain kids. I don't really know what I have. I have dogs. They could play with the dogs, teach them tricks. And so then I remembered puzzles. I puzzles. So I have a thousand piece puzzle. Hey, I have this puzzle. Do you wanna do it? And they were all puzzled. They like puzzle. They in

megan:

theory,

katiuscia:

in theory, I learned that after I ripped open Kaha did the old puzzle

megan:

herself,

katiuscia:

this thousand piece puzzle. And I am also the person that if I start it,

megan:

mm-hmm

katiuscia:

I'm not stopping. Like that shit has to be done. 00 AM no problem. It's gotta get done because my table has to be clean. 'cause I'm very weirdly particular about the cleanliness of my home. So it had to get cleaned. They did it for, one of 'em was, I'll do this part. Okay. The other one was just kind of looking around, oh, the

megan:

other one has the wildest case of a DD you've ever seen in a little girl.

katiuscia:

That's the one. So she was looking everywhere and then all of a sudden, the one who was helping me and I'm was

megan:

gone,

katiuscia:

and I'm getting edges, I'm doing this. She's like, Hey, do you have Prime video? Because we've been watching Saved by the Bell. Did your mom tell you that? We grew up on that show? Mm-hmm.

megan:

Yeah.

katiuscia:

So they were watching. That's it. That was it. They would come over every five minutes. It was tip, usually it was the, the smaller one. Usually when I was trying to find a piece to the border, but scouring through the other ones and she would come over and sit in my spot and start fucking with everything. And I'm like, oh yeah, no, no, no, no, no. Now we're in, we're in anti mode. You, you can't, don't touch my don't touch border. Don't touch it. Just go back and watch, say by the bell,

megan:

and you'll tell her I'm looking for border pieces. This child has never done a puzzle by the border first ever in her life. It stresses me out. She was my Play-Doh mixer. Yeah, I'm looking for the border of this puzzle and she'll be like, look at this cool shape.

katiuscia:

Oh no,

megan:

it looks like a bird. And you're just, oh buddy, okay. Just find all the purple pieces. Okay.

katiuscia:

Yeah, that's it. Just pick a color. Go there.

megan:

She has strengths. Those are not it. Puzzles are not it. She's fun to do it with though, 'cause she pulls me outta my two seriousness. I don't need to be that serious about a puzzle, but

katiuscia:

that's great. I, my whole mentality was I can do puzzles. It typically takes me a couple days to knock out a thousand piece. But I haven't done this one. Three mines are better than one.

megan:

That was a hard puzzle though. 'cause I came to pick 'em up and I got sucked into the puzzle vortex. I could have been there for six hours doing that puzzle with you and they would've still been on the couch watching Saved by the Bell.

katiuscia:

Yeah,

megan:

they,

katiuscia:

they really liked

megan:

it. Love saved by the Bell.

katiuscia:

Mm-hmm.

megan:

And my cousins and I, so I have a bunch of brothers and then I have two girl cousins who are kind of like my sisters. And we used to joke that every situation in our lives could be. Referenced to A Saved By the Bell episode. Remember it in Saved by the Bell when this happened. This is exactly what's happening in my life.

katiuscia:

Mm-hmm.

megan:

And then when we got older, it became friends. Oh. So it went from Saved by the Bell to Friends and now I don't know what it is.

katiuscia:

Saved by the bell. There was always some kinda life lesson, right? Mm-hmm. Mr. Belding, miss Bliss.

megan:

Mm-hmm.

katiuscia:

Um, but there was one episode that I still reference all the time with my friend Joe.

megan:

Please tell me it's the caffeine pills.

katiuscia:

Yes. Never enough time. The no dose. I'm excited. I'm so excited. I'm so scared. But there's just never enough time. Yeah. And that's always the never enough time. There's, there's never enough time for anything. Mm-hmm. So it's always that one that's just, I just see her dancing, doing all of it. And then those pills, are you taking pills?

megan:

Yeah.

katiuscia:

Oh, that's the least of your concerns. If you're worried about Jessie taking no dose, wait until she's chewing Xanax. Like some other people like. Dick gets real when you get older.

megan:

Little did we know a few years later she'd be stripping.

katiuscia:

Oh, that's right. She did that one too. So just totally changed our, but I, I love that they're watching that. Yeah, because it's, it's actually, I was, because you know, I'm obviously listening to it as I'm doing this puzzle. Oh, I guess I'm just a lone wolf doing it all on my own. There's, it's clean. It's pretty clean. It

megan:

is pretty clean. There's are a few things that I'm like, oh, I'm gonna have to, I'm gonna have to explain that later probably. Mm-hmm. But really they don't. They haven't asked a ton of questions. Although there was one episode that was a lot of environmental propaganda we'll say.

katiuscia:

Hmm.

megan:

And we were like, that's propaganda.

katiuscia:

Yeah.

megan:

You can watch it, but don't, don't listen. Don't believe it. And they were like, okay.

katiuscia:

Yeah. So kids in our generation had saved by the bell Yeah. To look up to. Yeah, right. Those were our, they were in high school.

megan:

Oh,

katiuscia:

wow. We could watch them

megan:

and learn. I wanted to be Kelly Kapowski. I never ever got to that level. Of Girlness, I don't think ever, but she, Tiffany, Amber Thon was the pinnacle.

katiuscia:

And I will say, from everything I've seen with Tiffany Amber Thon online, she's cool as shit. Oh yeah. So shout out to Kelly Kapowski as an adult girl. You got it. You made it. You're cool.

megan:

Tiffany, if you wanna come on the podcast, we, we would love to have you. We

katiuscia:

would love to have you.

megan:

I mean, really anybody

katiuscia:

AC Slater? Is Mario Lopez on, what? Is he still on EI

megan:

don't know.

katiuscia:

I don't wanna happen to Jesse.

megan:

I don't know that e has been relevant in my life in 20 years.

katiuscia:

I watch the same shows on Netflix and then I'm not, or, or Game of Thrones. I rewatch that all the time.

megan:

Sure. Lisa Turtle, what? Ha, what happened to Lisa Turtle?

katiuscia:

What happened to Lisa Turtle? She had a shopping problem. She's on that show. She was a, she was the lesson to not. Use your parents' credit card.

megan:

Yeah.

katiuscia:

But I think of who kids have today to look up to. Greta Thunberg. Woo woo.

megan:

How dare you. How dare you.

katiuscia:

Don't even

megan:

bother that shit. No, it's not. I just, yeah. Let's keep kick it back to the, the good old day that I wholesome. But it is, 'cause it wasn't, they weren't talking about heavy things. Nobody at Bayside High was trying to be a cat.

katiuscia:

It's true.

megan:

None of them were furries. Mr. Belding probably was a furry in real life, or in his secret life.

katiuscia:

In his secret life,

megan:

but yeah. Yeah, I don't know. Just all that shit from the nineties. It's just easy for me to let my kids watch it and yeah. I'll have to explain a whole ton of it.

katiuscia:

No, it's pretty, it's pretty relevant. Just in the, it's normal. Yeah. It's relevant in the sense of normalcy.

megan:

These are kids being kids.

katiuscia:

Kids being kids, doing stupid shit. Mm-hmm. Getting in trouble. Yeah. With his big cell phone, Zach. Oh, the big brick cell phone. The brick. That was amazing. But no, I think just those moments that we had growing up. Where you could go to your, your, your friend's mom was gonna pick you up from school. Mm-hmm. So that was done, but you weren't texting your mom to tell her how I'm getting home from school. There was a lot of fending for yourself, but also just letting people know the plan or can I go to so-and-so's house today after school?

megan:

Oh, we'd have to use the payphone and do a collect call. And in the, where you said your name, you had to say it as fast as possible so they

katiuscia:

could just say, no, I don't have

megan:

to, mom, I'm gonna Stephanie Sas. Okay, bye. And then you just hang up

katiuscia:

and that was it. Yeah. But those days of. Not being so attached to a device. Yeah. Also to a tablet, to a phone, to anything. I miss those days of just feeling free because there is some kind of the holding mechanism.

megan:

Mm-hmm.

katiuscia:

To having a device on hand where you have easy access to everything you want. Now we have chat, GPT. There's so much that when we were younger we just were so much more rogue and it was Oh, for sure. So much more fun. I love that you're doing that for your kids. Thank

megan:

you

katiuscia:

for anyone else. Just keep bringing back these moments that

megan:

Yeah.

katiuscia:

You loved in your childhood and growing up in your teen years. And just do them. If you wanna have a roller skating party with me, yeah. Let us know. We'll do it. We'll go. I'm not saying there won't be alcohol involved, I'm just saying there can be, but you can also roller skate or you can also mm-hmm. Bowl, you can hybrid now 'cause you're an adult and you can do it all.

megan:

I think Don,

katiuscia:

there's never enough time.

megan:

We don't take enough advantage of being adults.

katiuscia:

Yeah.

megan:

But there was, last time we were at the roller rink for a birthday party, there was an adult costume party at the roller rink and it was hilarious.

katiuscia:

Oh.

megan:

And the people that we were with were really fun, but that party, we were cracking up. 'cause a couple of those guys were wearing eighties hair metal wigs and vests with no shirts on. Nice. And they were wasted. And it was hilarious. Yeah. And it wasn't even inappropriate to be around kids. They were just having the time of their lives

katiuscia:

within their own. Yeah. Just keep, keep it alive. Don't let it die. Just 'cause you've grown up. Like keep it always in your head as these were the best days. That's why I love all those creators on social media. Mm-hmm. Who do all the nineties flashbacks. This is what it was like.

megan:

Yeah.

katiuscia:

Because it is, and it hits us. Talk about that point. Mm-hmm. That pain point. It hits us of nostalgia. Oh my god, I remember that shit.

megan:

Yeah.

katiuscia:

All the random things. It's such a beautiful thing to have people. Like us who also don't wanna forget. And you wanna keep it going and keep it rolling.

megan:

Yep. Well, and then one of my, my older child was like, oh, I kind of understand why you are the way you are. When she, I made them watch, watch Gem and the rockers nice. And they were like, this is bad mom. Have you seen some of the computer generated bullshit animation that is on Disney Junior? Yeah, Jim and the rockers was the real deal. It was the real deal. It just kinda helps them. Understand our generation a little bit better too, and appreciate the things that they do have that are better.

katiuscia:

Yeah. And as they get older, they'll appreciate our generation more. Oh my gosh, this, my mom did this. This is what she was telling. Mm-hmm. They'll understand it more than they do right now. They are getting a huge lesson right now, so kudos to that. Yeah. I love it. Let's bring back the good old days. Yeah. Everybody just. And everything you do.

megan:

So if you're doing something in your life, whether with kids or not with kids and you're bringing back the good old days, holler at us. Let us know what's our Instagram.

katiuscia:

We

megan:

should probably say that we have an email too, but I dunno what it's,

katiuscia:

yeah, Instagram is at don't even bother pod.

megan:

Yep.

katiuscia:

That's the handle. So yeah, reach out, let us know. Yeah,

megan:

holler at us. Give us a

katiuscia:

call. Tag us in your old school things. 'cause we love, we love that so much, but. Yeah, we'll let you get back to your lives. Right?

megan:

Yeah.

katiuscia:

So I guess have a good day to everybody, except if you burn the American flag. 'cause you say you hate it here, you need to leave. He's out.

megan:

Bye.