About this episode

Ophira Eisenberg talks with Lizzie and Wendy Molyneux about parenting, childhood experiences, and the nuances of children's entertainment.

Lizzie and Wendy Molyneux, the sister writing team behind Bob's Burgers and The Great North, join Ophira to compare growing up in a large family with raising seven kids of their own while balancing television writing, showrunning, and creative work. They swap stories about "feral" childhoods that somehow still included dinner together, debate what actually counts as being a strict parent, and explain why weekday iPad bans, family meals without devices, and simply convincing kids to shower can feel like the biggest parenting victories. The conversation turns to children's entertainment from the perspective of people who make it, touching on why professionally produced kids' shows feel safer than the unpredictable corners of YouTube, why parents inevitably ruin Bluey by recommending it too enthusiastically, and how video games sometimes function more like social time than screen time. They also embrace the strange reality that every generation of kids finds its own wonderfully bizarre obsession, leading to an unexpectedly thoughtful discussion about Skibidi Toilet, why children are naturally drawn to weirdness no matter how carefully adults curate their world, and why fighting…

People in this episode

Host: Ophira Eisenberg

Guests: Lizzie Molyneux, Wendy Molyneux

Topics covered

• parenting
• children's entertainment
• family dynamics
• television writing
• childhood experiences
• weirdness in kids

Keywords

• parenting
• children's shows
• family meals
• television
• childhood
• weird kids
• Skibidi Toilet
• Bluey
• iPad bans

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Skibidi Toilet, iPad, Bluey, Skibidi Toilet mystery packs

Books & works: Bob's Burgers, The Great North

More episodes of Parenting is a Joke

• Blended Religions with Holly Rizzuto-Palker · July 21, 2026 · 31 min
• Holly Rizzuto-Palker Went for Gymboree to Comedy · July 14, 2026 · 51 min
• Jo Piazza Sees Through the Trad Wife Dream · June 30, 2026 · 44 min
• The Automatic Family with Mike Albo · June 23, 2026 · 42 min
• Mike Albo Deserves to be a Daddy · June 16, 2026 · 46 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Parenting is a Joke podcast page.