Parents are being sold creativity like it's a subscription box. Workshops, kits, frameworks, scripts: the message being that your kid needs more imagination and it's your job to install it. Austin Kleon, author of Steal Like an Artist and Don't Call It Art, has a different take: your kid already has it. The imagination, the playfulness, the willingness to not-know — it's all there. The question isn't how to give it to them. It's how to stop blocking it. And maybe, while we're here, how to get a little of it back ourselves.

Dr. Becky and Austin talk about what creativity actually needs to thrive (not a workshop), what so-called "problem kids" and great artists have in common, why your kid's obsession with garage doors is not a problem, the link between play and depression, the game that got Austin through the pandemic, and the teeth-brushing song Becky invented entirely by accident.

Read Dr. Becky’s ideas for how to be a playful parent when you don’t feel like playing.

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From the newborn days to the teen years, Good Inside now supports parents through every stage of childhood — with practical guidance for the moments that matter most.

Thank you to our partners for making this episode possible:

• Play-Doh: Shop Play-Doh at Walmart for a summer of imaginative play
• Skylight: Get $30 off a 15-inch Skylight Calendar at myskylight.com/becky
• LMNT: Get a free gift with your purchase at drinkLMNT.com/goodinside

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You and your partner love your kids. So why does it sometimes feel like you're parenting in completely different worlds?

In this listener-favorite episode from the Good Inside archives, Dr. Becky talks with a mom named Carmella who feels stuck between two parenting styles: she's the one holding the routines and boundaries, while her husband tends to be more flexible in the moment. The result? More conflict, more emotional labor, and a growing sense that she's carrying the weight of consistency alone.

Together, they unpack what kids actually need when parents approach things differently, how to talk about parenting without turning your partner into the enemy, and why being "on the same page" doesn't mean becoming the same parent.

Because parenting was never meant to be carried by one person.

With Family Plans, annual Good Inside members can now invite a coparent or caregiver into their account - so you’re building from the same foundation, sharing the same language, and supporting your family together. Click the link to learn more.

Thank you to our partners for making this episode possible:

• Play-Doh: Shop Play-Doh at Walmart for a summer of imaginative play
• Airbnb: Host your home or book your next stay on Airbnb
• Oso & Me: Use the code OSOGOOD15 for 15% off clothes newborn through age ten

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AI is getting better at sounding human. Better at conversation. Better at reassurance. Better at knowing exactly what we want to hear.

So what happens when our kids start building relationships with machines designed to remove friction?

In this conversation, Dr. Becky talks with former Wall Street Journal tech columnist Joanna Stern about AI toys, chatbot companions, creativity, learning, and the surprising role frustration plays in healthy human development.

Together, they explore why “helpful” technology can potentially short-circuit the skills kids most need to build: patience, resilience, independent thinking, and real connection.

Joanna also shares what happened when she spent time building a relationship with an AI chatbot herself... and why it left her more concerned about kids and companion bots than ever before.

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From the newborn days to the teen years, Good Inside now supports parents through every stage of childhood — with practical guidance for the moments that matter most.

Thank you to our partners for making this episode possible:

• Play-Doh: Shop Play-Doh at Walmart for a summer of imaginative play
• Coterie: Get 20% off with the code GOODINSIDEBABY20
• LMNT: Get a free 8-count sample pack with your purchase at DrinkLMNT.com/goodinside
• Oso & Me: Use the code OSOGOOD15 for 15% off clothes newborn through age ten

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.