If your family calendar currently looks like a game of Tetris designed by a sleep-deprived raccoon… welcome to Maycember. It's called Maycember because it's busy like December without any of the fun twinkle lights. But here’s a little secret: Penn and I are almost out of Maycember… and it’s kind of amazing. We talk about what it’s like to finally reach the other side of the chaos and why, for those of you currently crying in a school parking lot while hot-gluing a costume together, there really is a light at the end of the tunnel. Penn and I also talk with award-winning journalist Rachel Feintzeig, whose New York Times essay about “considering underachieving” made parents everywhere feel deeply seen. Should we all be shooting for a Medium Maycember? We say yes. We introduce our GPA scale (General Parental Anxiety) and rank Maycember activities from “totally manageable” to “absolutely not” - and somehow we end the episode talking about a Beastie Boys parody song about charging cords. As one does. If you’re deep in Maycember right now — hang in there... one day you will have a chill May. We promise. We love to hear from you! Leave us a message at 323-364-3929 or write the show at podcast@theholdernessfamily.com. You can also listen to this show wherever you get podcasts. #parenting #podcast #marriedlife Learn more about Rachel Feintzeig: https://www.rachelfeintzeig.com/ Read Rachel's article about Underachieving: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/12/opinion/parenting-kids-burn-out.html ___ Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/theholdernessfamily/ https://www.tiktok.com/@theholdernessfamily https://www.facebook.com/TheHoldernessfamily Shop our merch: https://shopholderness.com/ Laugh with us at https://www.youtube.com/@holdernessfamilylaughs?sub_confirmation=1 Sing along at https://www.youtube.com/@theholdernessfamily?sub_confirmation=1 We try our best to respond to comments. XO