Is It Normal to Feel Jealous of Other Moms?

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood | Parenting Tips From Funny Moms

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood

Parenting, Kids & Family, Comedy

4.6 • 962 Ratings

🗓️ 30 July 2025

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Margaret and Amy explore the messy truths about jealousy—why moms feel it, how shame adds fuel to the fire, and what we can actually do about it. From parenting pressures to social comparisons, they discuss how jealousy is normal, but how we respond to feelings of envy can make all the difference. Margaret and Amy discuss: 😬 Why jealousy feels so shameful for moms 🧠 “The Second Arrow” – how feeling guilty about feeling jealous makes things worse 👩‍👧 How our kids’ struggles trigger our own insecurities 🔄 Reframing the inner monologue: from “I’m jealous” to “I’m overwhelmed” 📉 Why “I'm sure they're not as happy as they seem ” isn’t always a helpful thought ✅ Practical tools to cope with comparison and find joy again Whether it’s feeling envious of your husband’s solo lunch breaks or wondering how other families can afford breezy summer vacations, this episode validates it all. Margaret and Amy offer practical advice, a lot of laughs, and a reminder that comparing yourself doesn't mean you're doing motherhood wrong—just that you're human. Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode: Jenifer Demattia for Scary Mommy: "Why I'm Envious Of These Moms" Glennon Doyle for Today.com: 'My family hits the lottery every freaking morning:' Blogger gives kitchen a gratitude makeover ABC news: I Was Jealous of My 'Perfect' Mom Friends We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, jealousy, envy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Are you struggling to peel your kids away from the TV on the weekends?
0:05.0	Are you tired of being pelted with, are we there yet, on long journeys?
0:10.0	Tune in to Koalashine, a new kid's story show with crazy adventures taking you all over the world.
0:15.0	We'll meet peculiar characters, hear cool facts and jokes, and hopefully learn a thing or two. There's even the chance
0:21.8	for your kids' voices to be on the pod. Coala Shine is mindful, fun entertainment on the move,
0:27.6	designed to broaden minds, boost confidence and spark curiosity. You might just love it as much as
0:33.2	your little ones. Just search Koala Shine wherever you get your podcasts. And away we go. Coala shine.
0:43.9	Dressed in like, you know, Olivia Newton-John revenge outfit. What fresh hell. Laughing in the face of
0:53.8	motherhood. I want to be in the front row or do I.
0:56.8	With Margaret Abels and Amy Wilson. Middrift bearing, legging wearing giant sunglasses. A podcast
1:04.0	that solves today's parenting dilemmas so you don't have to. Don't feel jealous that we both
1:09.8	kind of know the Jim Blossoms or Goo Goo
1:12.0	Dawes. Hey everybody. Welcome to What Fresh Hell Laughing in the Face of Motherhood. This is Amy.
1:20.0	And this is Margaret. And today we're talking about jealousy, Amy.
1:25.2	Jealousy. Is there a song about jealousy?
1:28.5	Hey, jealousy.
1:29.6	Hey, jealousy.
1:27.3	That's the one I was thinking of. I was trying to get to like, it's my anxiety. Yeah, nah, nah, nah. And I was like, no, that's anxiety, but you're right. Hey, jealousy is the song. Jim Blossoms, I believe. Oh, wow. I think. We are dating ourselves with a very early old deluxe alert.
2:34.4	Back in my day with the gin blossoms. Right. Met that band once at an after party for the Billboard Music Awards. Really nice. They were friendly enough. You know, I was young and cute. Every rock star is friendly to a young, cute girl. I saw them at like a what do they call those? Like when the rock band, like, sure, for enough money, we'll come play for your annual meeting. And they were incredibly gracious. I kind of went in like, I don't even know if I know the gym blossoms and they, I knew every song they played and they were totally gracious and nice. I'm also, this is not what this episode is about. This is what this episode is about. Slowly bleeding into a bonus episode, but I will say I did not meet the Jim Blossoms. The band I am thinking of is the Gougu dolls. That's who I met. All this to say, Amy, we're here to talk about jealousy. Don't feel jealous that we both kind of no, Jim Blossoms or Goo Goo Dolls and can't tell the difference. And by no, we mean met them once
2:39.9	and they were vaguely nice to us because we were young and cute. Kristen in the Facebook group
2:46.2	says, no matter what kind of mood I'm in, what fresh hell episodes pull me right out of it, never
2:53.6	fails. Much love and appreciation from a burnt out mom of wait for it, Amy, five. Holy cow.
	...

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