Turning This Car Around

This week's episode is, sadly, Moltz-free. Jon and Lex do their best to talk about decisions parents face when a child performs well educationally. And then there is hugging. Lex's accelerated/special learning included a lot of Tangram work. Jon mentioned ELP, the Utah equivalent of New Jersey's Primary Enrichment Program (PEP). For the record, this is called "Extended Learning Program". Follow us: @ttcashow. Lex Friedman can be found @lexfri, John Moltz can be found @Moltz and Jon Armstrong is @blurb.

This week we talk about Apple Watches and kids. Also what you'll keep of your kids art. Moltz tells a story about a loose dog which makes him thing of The Incredible Journey. The book and the movie but not this version of the movie. Lex and Moltz tell Jon all about their Apple Watches. Jon makes a reference to a song by the Cure that Lex and Moltz don't get. Speaking of music, check out Innocence and Despair an album recorded at The Langley Schools back in the 1970s. It's kids singing adult songs. Try Desperado. Hearing a little girl sing "Your prison is walking through this world all alone" is pretty cool. While talking about kid art, somehow the Starsky and Hutch car comes up. Don't stick around for our discussion of men's leather underwear. But they make great Mothers Day gifts. Follow us: @ttcashow. Lex Friedman can be found @lexfri, John Moltz can be found @Moltz and Jon Armstrong is @blurb.

Moltz is ridiculously mad about the Apple Watch ordering situation. He's pretty sure that two-thirds of listeners have ordered an Apple Watch. But the real subject of this week's episode is physical education and some about games. And camp. Anyhow. Lex's daughter plays Newcomb, a version of volleyball. Moltz's son recently earned his purple belt. Somehow we learn about whether or not Passover and Easter have to happen about the same time. Moltz and Jon are fans of Taco Time, which Moltz uses as a reward for karate time. Follow us: @ttcashow. Lex Friedman can be found @lexfri, John Moltz can be found @Moltz and Jon Armstrong is @blurb.

This week Moltz relates his experience at camp. This camp, to be precise. Jon expresses his love for all things Wes Anderson like Grand Budapest Hotel and, pertinent to this conversation, Moonrise Kingdom. He's also a fan of Boyhood, although that's not Wes Anderson. Moltz keeps bringing up Daredevil. Moltz also reminisces about his childhood experience at camp. This camp, to be precise. Cody makes an appearance and Lex would like you to know there is some evidence that you shouldn't neuter your pet too early. Follow us: @ttcashow. Lex Friedman can be found @lexfri, John Moltz can be found @Moltz and Jon Armstrong is @blurb.

Today's show features a Moltz-free zone where Jon and Lex talk about parenting and stuff. And we hope Moltz is surviving camp. Follow us: @ttcashow. Lex Friedman can be found @lexfri, John Moltz can be found @Moltz and Jon Armstrong is @blurb.

This week we talk about the theater. Lex likes Little Shop of Horrors. But his favorite stage production is The Book of Mormon. Jon likes The Elephant Man. Moltz picks Camelot. Jon was in Dracula. Moltz was in Antigone. What this has to do with parenting is anyone's guess. Jon's daughters have seen Mary Poppins and Lex's daughter has seen Matilda. Moltz's son doesn't want to sit still that long. THIS JUST IN: Turning This Car Around stats. Lex's daughter has her own web site and it's awesome. Our thanks to WealthFront, the automated investment service that makes it easy to invest your money the right way. It automatically rebalances your portfolio and re-invests your dividends, all commission-free. Visit WealthFront.com/ttca to invest your first $10,000 for free. Follow us: @ttcashow. Lex Friedman can be found @lexfri, John Moltz can be found @Moltz and Jon Armstrong is @blurb.

No Lex this week, so Jon and Moltz talk about learning how to drink, "Dad voice", collecting things and Jon's advice on how to scan old negatives using Legos. There's a brief diversion about our old Macs, including the Centris 660AV and the old Mac Pro and the 2007 iMac. Moltz and his son did their first Meerkat which was of them playing Beanboozled. Nerds that we are, we lean a little earlier on when to get kids a smartphone. We wish that Apple's Family Sharing worked well enough to use but it doesn't yet. Our thanks this week to Bluum. Bluum sends a monthly box of five full-sized high-value products that are perfectly suited to your child's age, gender and stage of development. The retail value of the products always exceeds the monthly subscription fee. They only send products that are relevant to your child right now because you can customize what you receive. Go to bluum.com/turning and use promo code "CAR40" for 40 percent off the first month of all plans. Our thanks also to WealthFront, the automated investment service that makes it easy to invest your money the right way. It automatically rebalances your portfolio and re-invests your dividends, all commission-free. Visit WealthFront.com/ttca to invest your first $10,000 for free. Follow us: @ttcashow. Lex Friedman can be found @lexfri, John Moltz can be found @Moltz and Jon Armstrong is @blurb.

It's an all-scare-tactics episode as we talk about THE DANGER THAT LURKS FOR CHILDREN EVERYWHERE. If Kimmy Schmidt can get abducted, it can happen to anyone, right? Except it turn out it's really rare and much rarer than people think. Still, parents are cited for letting their kids walk a mile alone. It's madness. Instead of investigating parents who let their kids walk home alone they should be investigating things like Motherboy. Our thanks this week to Bluum. Bluum sends a monthly box of five full-sized high-value products that are perfectly suited to your child's age, gender and stage of development. The retail value of the products always exceeds the monthly subscription fee. They only send products that are relevant to your child right now because you can customize what you receive. A baby needs three things: Mom, dad and Bluum. Go to bluum.com/turning and use promo code "CAR40" for 40 percent off the first month of all plans. Our thanks also to WealthFront, the automated investment service that makes it easy to invest your money the right way. It automatically rebalances your portfolio and re-invests your dividends, all commission-free. Visit WealthFront.com/ttca to invest your first $10,000 for free. Follow us: @ttcashow. Lex Friedman can be found @lexfri, John Moltz can be found @Moltz and Jon Armstrong is @blurb.

We start by talking about the Apple Watch and new MacBooks because we're dads who are also nerds. Good news Minecraft fans! Mojang will soon be shipping its own Java with Minecraft so you don't need Oracle's tarted up version. If you want your kids to learn programming and other stuff through Minecraft, check out MinecraftEDU which provides support services from schools to use Minecraft and LearnToMod which is an introduction to programming mods for kids. Lex then explains Kidz Bop which is either a great way to introduce kids to music they otherwise shouldn't listen to or a damn nightmare, depending on your point of view. Richard Cheese's covers are better but not kid-friendly. The Jonathan Coulton cover of Baby Got Back is not for kids, either. Can't Touch This is probably OK. To continue the stream of consciousness of this episode, we mention the next season of Community and Daredevil on Netflix and a bunch of other stuff. But check out this Daredevil trailer. Looks good. Hank is reading The Martian even though it has a lot of swear words in it and will probably go see the movie. Somehow we get back to the Apple Watch but this time talk about Every Mother Counts and Jon's connection to it and Christy Turlington Burns who has an Apple Watch and you don't. Our thanks this week to Bluum. Bluum sends a monthly box of five full-sized high-value products that are perfectly suited to your child's age, gender and stage of development. The retail value of the products always exceeds the monthly subscription fee. They only send products that are relevant to your child right now because you can customize what you receive. A baby needs three things: Mom, dad and Bluum. Go to bluum.com/turning and use promo code "CAR40" for 40 percent off the first month of all plans. Our thanks also to WealthFront, the automated investment service that makes it easy to invest your money the right way. It automatically rebalances your portfolio and re-invests your dividends, all commission-free. Visit WealthFront.com/ttca to invest your first $10,000 for free. Follow us: @ttcashow. Lex Friedman can be found @lexfri, John Moltz can be found @Moltz and Jon Armstrong is @blurb.

Let's talk about performances. Music, plays and kicking ass. First we talk about the weather. There's so much snow on the east coast planes are sliding off the runways but in Washington state there isn't enough snow on the volcano to play in. Jon's daughter just nailed a recital. Moltz's son doesn't like performing much anymore unless it's breaking boards. Certain faiths might help you get used to public speaking. The Parental Guilt Industrial Complex is run by Barbara Streisand. Speaking of performances, Pee Wee Herman is coming back. Our thanks this week to Bluum. Bluum sends a monthly box of five full-sized high-value products that are perfectly suited to your child's age, gender and stage of development. The retail value of the products always exceeds the monthly subscription fee. They only send products that are relevant to your child right now because you can customize what you receive. A baby needs three things: Mom, dad and Bluum. Go to bluum.com/turning and use promo code "CAR40" for 40 percent off the first month of all plans. Follow us: @ttcashow. Lex Friedman can be found @lexfri, John Moltz can be found @Moltz and Jon Armstrong is @blurb.

This week we talk about explaining the hard things, like death. Jon knows some girls who are literalists like Amelia Bedelia or Drax the Destroyer. Sometimes explanations get hard. Lex uses Dead Man's Switch which will send out pre-written emails in the event of his untimely demise. This whole episode is a real downer. Our thanks this week to Bluum. Bluum sends a monthly box of five full-sized high-value products that are perfectly suited to your child's age, gender and stage of development. The retail value of the products always exceeds the monthly subscription fee. They only send products that are relevant to your child right now because you can customize what you receive. A baby needs three things: Mom, dad and Bluum. Go to bluum.com/turning and use promo code "CAR40" for 40 percent off the first month of all plans. Follow us: @ttcashow. Lex Friedman can be found @lexfri, John Moltz can be found @Moltz and Jon Armstrong is @blurb.

This week we talk about fears. Eventually. Sometimes you just start a podcast and then you figure out what it's about during the podcast. Jon recounts a treatment he's heard of for OCD. Lex's daughter is considering donating her hair and if your or someone you know is doing that, go with Pantene Beautiful Lengths rather than Locks of Love. Moltz's son is not a fan of loud noises and he helpfully tried to pass that along to Scott Simpson's son. Our thanks to Fracture for sponsoring this week's episode. Fracture prints your photographs directly on glass. It's like hanging your iPad on the wall. Colors pop and it comes ready to hang. We're Fracture customers and you should be too. Go to their web site and use the code "TTCA" for 15 percent off. Follow us: @ttcashow. Lex Friedman can be found @lexfri, John Moltz can be found @Moltz and Jon Armstrong is @blurb.

Dogs, dogs, dogs. Lex is getting a new dog. This dog, to be specific. Jon recommends The Art of Raising a Puppy. Lex and Moltz aren't so sure. Moltz recommends a squirt bottle for raising a dog. Uber for puppies is a thing. Jon offers a cautionary tale about Beverly Hills Chihuahua. If you don't want a dog, you might get away with getting your kid a Fur Real. Our thanks to Fracture for sponsoring this week's episode. Fracture prints your photographs directly on glass. It's like hanging your iPad on the wall. Colors pop and it comes ready to hang. We're Fracture customers and you should be too. Go to their web site and use the code "TTCA" for 15 percent off. Our thanks also to Loot Crate, a monthly subscription box service for epic geek items. For less than $20 a month you get 6-8 items that include licensed gear, apparel and collectible items. And they are awesome. Go to LootCrate.com/TTCA and enter code "TTCA" to save $3 on any subscription. Follow us: @ttcashow. Lex Friedman can be found @lexfri, John Moltz can be found @Moltz and Jon Armstrong is @blurb.

This week we talk about chores. Jon rudely brings up the last five minutes of the Superbowl. This episode is not brought to you by Febreze, Swiffer or the shredding industry but it might as well have been because those are good chores for kids. Moltz doesn't recall having to clean up his Star Trek action figures when he was a kid. Jon used to vacuum every time a Senator Jake Garn came over. Moltz's kid likes to help cook, particularly if it's omurice. Our thanks to Fracture for sponsoring this week's episode. Fracture prints your photographs directly on glass. It's like hanging your iPad on the wall. Colors pop and it comes ready to hang. We're Fracture customers and you should be too. Go to their web site and use the code "TTCA" for 15 percent off. Our thanks also to Loot Crate, a monthly subscription box service for epic geek items. For less than $20 a month you get 6-8 items that include licensed gear, apparel and collectible items. And they are awesome. Go to LootCrate.com/TTCA and enter code "TTCA" to save $3 on any subscription. Follow us: @ttcashow. Lex Friedman can be found @lexfri, John Moltz can be found @Moltz and Jon Armstrong is @blurb.

This week we talk about pets because we're so sick of talking about kids. Moltz recommends guinea pigs as small pets but his info on bedding is out of date and backwards. There's not conclusive evidence, but you probably shouldn't use either pine or cedar shavings but should use fleece or paper. It's important to learn the difference between rabbit poop and brown Sixlets. Guinea pigs and rabbits have to eat their own poop because... well, they just do. Jon has also owned dogs, the Internet-famous Chuck and Coco. If you're in LA, Jon recommends Animal Crackers. This episode is not brought to you by Nature's Miracle but it should have been. Lex wants to get a Morkie. Here's a picture of Moltz's dog when they first met him. Moltz believes poodles look better with the puppy haircut which is to say no haircut. Here's Grant in action as a pup. That video also features Hank with a Salvador Dali mustache. (Some of these Flickr links weren't working in Safari for some reason, but do work in Chrome.) If you have a poodle, sometimes you have to overcompensate in his dress. Training is as much for the humans as it is for the dog. Always agree with your spouse on what kind of haircut the dog will have before he goes to the groomer or you might end up with this. If you do get a dog and you totally should because what else are you doing, get the dog this squirrel thing. Follow us: @ttcashow. Lex Friedman can be found @lexfri, John Moltz can be found @Moltz and Jon Armstrong is @blurb.