Robin Jennings Palmer is the mother of five boys. Yes, five. And yes, she’s probably heard whatever you’re currently thinking about that.

So, just for posterity, and because I had originally targeted this episode for Mother’s Day which got derailed because my back decided to stage a revolt against my body (and life), we had to punt it to Father’s Day. Regardless, Robin is one of the most delightful people I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing, and on this week’s show she’s gracious enough to share with us the story of how she came to rule the roost over what she’s referred to as “The Boypocalypse” in her home. This is also probably why we recorded the show at my house.

On a broad level, one of the reasons I like to interview stay-at-home parents is because their work is largely thankless and unseen. In my estimation, it deserves some time in the sun and warrants some accolades. This is work at least on par with any of the other professions I’ve featured on the 140+ episodes of this show.

On a more personal level, I like digging into the nuts and bolt of how other parents do it. Parenting is hard. I speak from experience. So when I have the opportunity to lean on someone who’s got kids ranging in age from 14 to 3, I think it’s useful for all of us to sit down and listen to her story.

On an even deeper personal level, Robin and I have been friends since high school, and she’s someone I was initially intimidated by. Why? She was, in her own words, “5’1″ and a buck-25. What the hell was so intimidating about me?” Well, if you’ve come this far and aren’t convinced of why you should listen to this show, maybe the fact that she once took down a tall, blond, German football player and made him kiss the floor in the middle of math class will get you there.

That’s what I thought.

You can download this episode on Apple Podcasts, stream it on Stitcher, or listen at the Jon of All Trades homepage.

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