When School Volunteering Gets Out of Control – Ep. 374

September 1, 2025

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In the special segment “Gripe Water,” Laura and Shanna share the hilariously petty parenting problems that have been bothering them lately, diving into the topics of volunteering, school-attendance policies, parties and more. Also, Shanna reports on the highs and lows of helping out at her kids’ summer camp, and Laura discusses the surprising activity that captivated her kids on their recent vacation to Portland. Finally, the moms share their BFPs and BFNs for the week. Shanna’s kids are 6.5 and 9.5 years old, and Laura’s kids are 6.5 years old and 4.5 years old.

 

Topics discussed in this episode:

-Volunteering at your kids’ events and activities

-Hiring teachers/counselors as babysitters

-Taking a summer vacation with kids to Portland, Oregon

-Going to the most amazing pinball arcade

-Going hiking with your kids

-Setting boundaries when it comes to volunteering

-Stringent school-attendance policies

-Feeding your kids at parties

-Frustrating experiences at kids’ sports and extra-curricular activities

-Back-to-school shopping with your kids

-Taking your kids to an immersive art experience

 

Products, links, resources mentioned in this episode:

–Next Level Pinball Museum and Arcade

–Forest Park in Portland

–Hopscotch Immersive Art Experience

 

Past BFP episodes mentioned in this episode:

–Ep. 373 (For the episode where Laura determines that going to Portland every summer is her family’s tradition)

 

Want to get in touch with Shanna and Laura? Send us an email and follow us on social! Instagram, Facebook or TikTok at @bfppodcast

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Big Fat Positive: A Pregnancy and Parenting Journey is produced by Laura Birek, Shanna Micko and Steve Yager.

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