Why Parenting Topics Become So Toxic Online + My Perimenopause Wake-Up Call
About this episode
Renee Reina discusses the complexities of parenting data and shares personal experiences with perimenopause symptoms.
Thursday May 21 2026: Welcome back to The Mom Room! In today’s solo episode, I’m diving into one of the most misunderstood topics online: parenting “data.” After seeing endless debates and ignorant comments surrounding Tuesday's episode with Emily Oster, I wanted to explain what people actually mean when they reference “the data.” Spoiler alert: it’s not one magical study that tells parents how to raise their kids. I break down how research typically works, why the public gets flooded with misleading clickbait headlines from single studies, and how nuance completely disappears once parenting conversations hit the internet. I also talk about why certain parenting topics trigger such intense emotional reactions, and why I think so much of it is connected to identity, guilt, societal pressure, and the impossible standards placed on mothers. Then we switch gears into a very personal rant about perimenopause symptoms that completely blindsided me. Sensitive skin? Perioral dermatitis? Melasma? Apparently hormones can wreak havoc in ways I had absolutely no idea about. If you’ve been feeling like your body is suddenly doing strange things for no apparent reason… this conversation might…
More episodes of The Mom Room
- The Symptoms I Could Never Explain & My New Fave ChatGPT Hack
- Oona Metz’s Essential Divorce Guide For Women
- The Sinus Saga, Burnout & Why I Had to Slow Down
- Miranda Kerr on Teaching Kids Forgiveness and Creating a Certified Organic Skincare Brand
- Your Algorithm Is Not Your Kid’s Algorithm, Grade 6 Memories, & The Parking Garage Disaster
- Taylor Wolfe on Having A Busy Season, the Extreme Sport of Parenting, & Using Humor in Dark Moments
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Mom Room podcast page.