Reflecting on Parenting and Career Stress

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Search Monzo to get them started with money independence. For children aged 6 to 15, parent or guardian account needed first, UK residence only, T's and C's apply. Hello, you're listening to Parent in Hell with Ruben. Can you see Josh Widakum? Josh Withicum. And Rob Beckett. Rob Beckett . Oh, there we go, Rob. That was absolutely flawless. Was his name Ribbin? Rubin. Rubin. Ru say it sounded like she said Ribbon. Is it an accent? Can I hear it again, please, Josh? Ruben, can you see Josh where do you come? It's Ruben in a Scottish accent. But then its sound like Ribbon. Ruben . Rubin. Rubin. Josh, uh can I pick up on your energy? Yeah. I feel like you are relaxed because you've been at home for a few days, but a little bit absolutely depleted because it's been an intense week and you're like happy, chilled, but no energy. As of the time of recording, Rob. We are doing this in the midst of packing. Oh . Oh . For a little week holiday. We're going on holiday for half term. Nice. We're recording this Sunday of the bank holiday weekend at nine thirty AM. Hardcore for your ears, so you little saps don't go, Oh, they don't put much effort in anymore. We're here, frontline, Sunday. I've got the kids in the office downstairs drawing on the walls. Exactly. Where's r where's Lou? She's in uh France for a friend's fortieth. Oh lovely. Oh lovely. I'm loving being at home. She needed a break away. I need ed normality at home with the kids. Yep, exactly. So I am quite relaxed, but I don't enjoy packing. And um it was my son's birthday yesterday party. Let me just read out this Rubens thing. Yeah, let's get Ruben. Get Ribbon sorted. This is Ruben, aged 28 months, from Livingston, Scotland. Twenty-eight months? Is that two years? About thirty seconds after this clip I had to play Lego with him and pretend to be Josh and Rob. Thanks, Chloe Jacobs. Oh, thanks, Chloe. You might also have noticed the the quality of the sound of that production, Rob, because I've got a new phone. Oh, you've got a new phone? What are you going for? Finally upgraded to uh just the newest iPhone, obviously because I don't know what I'm talking about. So I just go. Can I have this can I have the same one but the modern version? I'm gonna get a Google Pixel for personal and then keep my iPhone for business. Yeah, you talk about this and I don't know what what that means. Well I'll tell you what it means actually. How do I contact you on our WhatsApp group? No, so that'll be my work one, but what I'll do is What if I want to indulge in some fun banter? Well th, that's exactly what the new phone will be for. So what it'll be for is, Josh, um I'm gonna give a personal number out to friends and one of my the agents and say only in an emergency call this number. This is like Scorsese's got his trousers down at Clarid's, go there and do your worst, Rob. No, so I'll give on my personal phone, I won't have social media. Oh right. I was gonna say, if I'm honest with you, the work stuff's not the thing that drags me into my phone addiction. No, exactly, but I only really need social media for work. I'm not a big fat. It doesn't bring anything to my life socially. You do spend a lot of time, I don't know if it's changed, you do spend an inordinate allowed time kind of doom scrolling TikTok. So so you're trying to lose that. Trying to lose that. So this is what it would be. So then I've used my work phone from like 10am till 6 p.m. or 5 p.m. in the week, yeah? Then I put that in a drawer and turn it off until the next morning. And then I do have my other phone, and on my other phone is uh Ringo if I'm driving anywhere for the park ing. No. I'll have a WhatsApp and iMessage, but it'll be a new m number and I'll only give this number out to friends and family that won't contact me about work and you'll know that you've got Rob personal. Michael? Michael can have it, 'cause sometimes we have banter about football shirts. If but if he doesn't want it, that's fine as well. I'll give people the choice. And I'll have my calendar on it, but I won't have any emails on it, no emails, and um no social media. I'm excited for this. Yeah. And I'm just gonna float around like a businessman in the eighties. It's just like, well, email shouldn't mail. Yeah, yeah. And then you've got a gig in the evening and you haven't got the address because the address isn't email. Yeah, no, but I'll have my work phone then 'cause I'll still be at work. Oh I see. Yeah, yeah, fine. Yeah. Okay. I like it. I like it. I like it. I'm just exploring the plan. I'm exploring the plan. Explore the plan. I'm opened up. Dig. Yeah, okay. So you're lying by the pool on holiday. Are you taking your work phone and putting it in that little safe you get in the hotel room? Yeah, and I'll check it for an hour in the morning. So what are you doing by the pool? Are you gonna have podcasts on this phone? I'm gonna have podcasts on there. I'm gonna have music on there. I'm gonna throw some apps out and I want you to say whether they're on the work phone uh on the personal phone on personal phone, yeah. Okay. Um banking. Banking Amazon. Can I tell you something? And this makes you feel like a seventies house husband. You know like those dads of men that still have their clothes bought for them by their wives and they pack them. You've never bought anything online. I have never had an Amazon account. What? I've only ever just used logged in to lose. On her phone? No, I I'll I I will use her login on my phone. Oh right. But then sometimes I I'll have to shout downstairs, What? Give me the code. Right, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I need to purchase something. Give me the code. Do you gonna have the Amazon app on your personal phone? Now, this is where it's gonna get sticky. Passwords. Passwords. I know none. They're all on my work phone. What what is current just leave my phone? Can I ask why you're going for a different type of phone? Just to ha so it feels different. Right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So um what I'd like to discuss with you, Rob, other apps. I'm gonna go through my apps actually. I just Are you gonna have stuff like Netflix? Maybe, maybe not, but I wouldn't install it immediately. I'd I'd I'd see if I need it. But maybe for uh on holiday on on the plane I'd have Netflix. iPlayer iPlayer Netflix stuff like that yes I probably will on the personal deliver room? On the personal one? Yeah. Yeah. Also the child covenant. One second. You're right, I'm just recording. Oh you need the internet. Oh sorry about this. I should have done this before. I knew there was something. Oh no. Right, can you stop playing with baby Yoda? Oh god, hang on. It's all right. I'm just gonna log my the kids are with me, Josh, at the office 'cause it's half term. Just give them just give them your personal phone Rob or your work phone. What's that? Well no no uh they brought their iPads but I I forgot to log them in. Oh no. Right. Oh no. It's a long one as well . Oh no. You right there? You okay? Not share it. Um hang on. Let's see if Oh yes, it shares. Sorry about this, Josh. Bring the iPad up and I can get you online . Sorry, Josh. Michael. Um give me some more apps while I'm doing this. Okay . Um is a new iPhone, it's massive. No, it is a bit bigger actually, but I didn't go with the big one. I fucking hate those big ones that people go for. Um so all of my other ones are like just those things that you just accrue. Do you know what I mean? Yeah but you need like banking and you need parking and stuff like that. Yeah, all that. So it will work, Rob. It'll work. Yeah, I think it's a really good idea. So that's the plan. And I think it's an excellent idea. All done. They're online. But yeah, that's the plan. I'll let you know I'll get on. Yeah, good idea. So what are you up to for half term? So half term, I'm off for most of it. I've got to do two days of work in the middle. But Lou, so Lou's coming back Tuesday. So we've just been chilling in the garden. The weather's so good. Did you get the call up for that job you were covering on Friday? No. Basically there's jobs in TV where when there's a TV show on and there's like a big cast, sometimes they pay people to be on standby and you don't get paid the full fee, but you get paid a decent fee to sit at home next to your phone like a emergency plumber . And it rings either either well no, that that would be work phone there. Yeah. Um I wouldn't have my personal one out because I take sta standby seriously. Yeah., of course. Actually Well, some people don't. Some people just like live their life with the phone. I'm like, no, I'm in and I've got the phone there. I sit at my kitchen table with a glass of water and phone in front of me and I do not move until I get the call. And you think of jokes that you could come up with were you to get the call? Yeah, and I'm dressed in my outfits. Yeah, of course. My comedy outfits. And I've got my squirty luck feather squirty flower. I've got my red nose and I'm a clown on standby. Yeah, exactly. Um but I didn't call up so But some people will do it for a whole series of something. So they'll often get the call in that situation, because if there's like ten episodes they'll probably get a a drop out. But it does mean that some people are like , I don't know, on stand by for the whole series of Would I Lie To You with with their lies. Do you know what I mean? Oh yeah. Yeah, well it depend yeah, this one wasn't as much prep, so that was alrig.ht But um yeah, no, I didn't get a call up. Um so I was just chilling at home, then I managed I got the call up at half ten to tell me I was released. 'Cause basically some of them, once everyone arrives at the studio, you're good as gold. So I'm not gonna name the show because I think that's a bit unfair. But you know on some shows you have to prepare what you're gonna talk about, you'll bring a topic or you'll bring you'll be doing a bit or whatever. Yeah. I know of a story of a show where you have to bring what you're gonna talk about, and each person brings a different thing they're going to talk about. And then someone pulled out, and the replacement had to just talk about this topic because they the whole show is built around it. So you're not just replacing the person and coming in like you were on that show. Right, doing your own thing. You have to replace the You have to suddenly pretend that this is what you care about and this is what you've brought. Because all the production that's gone into it. Oh well that's brutal. Because of all the production, yeah. So someone had to come in. Your daughter's here. That noise. No, there's some weird noise. What's going on? One second. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. This is a classic old school app. This is a classic old school parenting hell app. Do you know what? I'm gonna celebrate by uh dancing my teabag with my fingers while Rob's not there because he won't see it. One of them just used a toilet and that's the toilet making a noise that it does for a bit after someone's been to the toilet, but normally I'm here on my own. You've never been to the toilet. Well I have been to the it stopped. I have been to the toilet, but not normally during the pod. Yeah, of course. Of course. That would be that would be awful. Yeah, horrible. Just I oh'll I'll don't mind. move the camera. Uh now. Yeah, go on. My son's birthday. My son's birthday party yesterday. Yes, Diggerland. Diggerland. How was Diggerland? Have you ever been to Diggerland? No, I haven't. It's a bit far, but you know, it's not the kind of one you can do for a day from London. So there's quite a few Diggerlands in the UK. Oh, okay. So there's this is the Devon Diggerland. Yeah, well just look at HS2. Bloody the whole country a's digger land. Here we go. Here we bloody go. Get him on LBC. Yeah. Just to get to him twenty minutes quicker. Come on. Here we go. Here we go. HS Pooh, that's what I call it. Ideally, I'd get to Manchester slower, am I right? Because I don't want to bloody be there, etcetera. Come on, word, here we go. You alright? Yeah, can I come in now? Yeah, quickly, but I I've got a you've got a look yeah, come in quick. I found this . Yeah, okay well I'll I'll better take that, thank you. Okay, so they're in my office, so they're fo finding stuff that I've not really pre-checked. Oh no, it's not a porno, is it? No No. It's readers wives. It's creative sweary cats, right? Oh no, and it says fuck off on it. Yeah, so she said I've just found this and I d and I don't think we should have it, and it's got fuck off written on it. Then the next page is So what is this? Well, I think t Tom Elliott, the guy who's to tour management, he bought it for me as an end of tour present because he used to do colouring in. And it says zero fucks given, arsehole, and it's a picture of a cat with its arsehole . And it's a colouring book. Yeah, bollock, bullshit, damn you. Oh, they're not too bad. Dickhead. Fuck face . Fuck off. Fuck this shit. Fuck you. Um cum. Oh. Oh Oh no, oh no, oh that noise Oh we're better than that aren't we? Oh come oh that's a shame Limp dick, motherfucker, nipple dick, piss off, slut , twat waffle, wanker, and that's it, yeah. So yeah, well well, thanks for giving it to me . Do you know what? Good on him. Good on her. She's definitely had a good old read of that. Yeah, yeah. She I hope she didn't go, oh, come, that's a shame. That's a real shame. C-U-M. That's not how it's spelt, Dad. We've all let ourselves down here, haven't we? I mean, that's not great parenting, is it? That I've taken her to work, she's found a book with cum written in it, and she said, Dad, I don't think we should have this and given it who's parenting who? She's not wrong. She's not wrong. She's not wrong. And then I told her off for coming up. Anyway, sorry about that. So we went to dig a land. Yes. It is brilliant. It was so hot. It was the hottest day. Oh was that yesterday? That's meant. It was 30 degrees. It was so I tell you what, Rob. Yeah. Yesterday was a day. I felt so fucking smug about not living in Victoria Park . Well, I bet it wouldn't be good to live near Victoria Park when you live near there. No, Rob. Have you been there? Was it too busy? Oh my god, it's yeah, it's full the whole of the V Victoria Park village is full of people buying beer to go and sit in the park. It's just absolutely rammed, and then the park is immovably full and London is just so fucking hot. London is hot. London is so people don't talk enough about how hot London gets. You know they talk about how smoggy it was in Victorian times. People need to go.'s It gonna be a hot day, which will be great for everywhere but London where it's fucking shit. But what it it's it's it's like an absolute furnace. But what the problem is though, is like when you go to New New York gets hot like that, but then the problem in New York is it's often rain in New York. No, no, not in the summer, it's red up. But then what happens is you wear shorts and a t shirt, and then you go into any shop or restaurant or office and it's freezing with the air con. Where in London that there's not that much air con. You just go into a corner shop or like a off licence and a chocolate's melting. Oh, there's just a just a guy just dying behind the the counter . Boss man's like in a puddle. Yeah. I tell you what, we went to Chelsea Flower Show on Friday. By we, I mean me, Emma and Yo Emma and Jojo. Oh yeah, you knew best mates. I knew best mates. You rat. He's snivelling a little where's my invite? I looked on my personal phone, my work phone, nothing. Just you being held by a massive man. But even Jojo is sweating. How big's Jojo? By the way, Jojo, if you look beyond the dancing and the sort of exuberant personality, he could be a heavyweight boxer. He's an absolute unit. His posture is off the charts. This dancing posture thing, the massive asses and rock hard core is outrageous. Yeah, even Jojo was sweating at Chelsea Flower Show. Jojo's from South Africa. Yeah . Like, so it's too hot in London. So what would happen in London? It's by now we'd be going, it's gonna be almost impossible to go to sleep because our house was boiling. Yes. Yeah. And we had one aircon unit in my daughter's room. With the tube hanging out the window. With the tube hanging out the window. And it's so big and heavy. It's a ment corner of the room for eleven months of the year when it's not needed because he couldn't move it somewhere else. It is like a fridge. Yeah. It was unbelievable. Well, 'cause I panicked bought one of them from Curry's for like 200 quid when Lou came back for an operation and I was getting her, and uh and where we used to live, out the sun would set in our windows, the rooms were absolutely unbearable. So I bought this one unit, so I had an aircon unit going in the room and it was when it was like 40 degrees. You know what 38 degrees, 40 degrees? It was mental. And um I had it on full blast at 18 in the room, and the room was still 25 degrees. Oh my word, Rob. They're just and it's so heavy. And they're so heavy. So heavy. And you've got to have the little window open and but you've got that little slot thing. Yesterday evening, Rob, do you know what we did? What'd you do? My parents present to my daughter and son for Christmas, which has been a great present, was that they were gonna make them a veg garden. Bit of fucking babysitting now they're nearby. Yeah, here we go. Here we bloody go. Well basically. Yeah, pull your finger out, you've done you've had six years and half part time contract. How about you get up here and put a shift in, yeah? It wasn't quite like. Obviously you couldn't couldn't do it in London, couldn't do it in London 'cause it was too far. Now we're here, pull your finger out and get babies in. Is that what you said to him? Was that the present? No, that's not the present, no. No, no, no. So they've in the garden they've made my daughter and son a veg garden. Ah. And veg and fruits, so they're growing that with them. So they came around at four yesterday. My dad did and mum did the garden with my children. So the the veg garden's in your garden? In our garden, yeah. Right, so they're present to your children as they're digging holes in your garden. I knew you were gonna find a hole in it, no pun intended. No I'm only messing. No, that's a lovely thing to do. Good luck with your work phone system, Rob. We're all we'll believe that'll work . No, I'm only ja I am digging a hole in it just uh you know podcast fun. Podcast fun. But it is no point them having it at their house because they won't see the growth every day. I'll be able to do it every day. Exactly. So we just sat out in the garden till about half eight in the evening, and it was lovely. And at no point were we thinking, oh my God , you know, it's too hot. We've got to go to bed in a minute. We've got to go to bed in a minute and we're dreading it. So why is that just exeter is cooler and is you've got more space and there's a bit of a breeze, because where you were before, you're in a terraced house. A we've got a garden. Well you had a garden before, but it's like a pack Yeah, but it it was a it was the size of this room and it was patched onto other gardens. And it was like a boxed in patch, yeah. Yeah, so you're not like this is my oasis. Do you know what I mean? And there's no breeze. There's no breeze. It's cooler. The whole house is cooler. Why is your house cooler than why not why is your house, but why you live is cooler. Because there's not a billion buildings around you and loads of vehicles and all kinds of things that make it warm, presumably. Well yeah, underground, the underground as well. Yeah. So London's just boiling. So it's not as boiling. We've got a lot more room. I had to go and trade in my old iPhone. I just got a lovely bus into town, six minutes, went to the Apple store, did it, came back. Previously, Rob, previously, I'd have been driving to West field, struggling to get a parking space. Everyone's in there 'cause it's air conditioned, queuing up to get an appointment. Oh Rob. Exactly. So now now now your life's much easier and you're not, you know, gonna have to Here we go, here we go. Here we go. Even you know the mechanics work. And now you could just really enjoy that when you're getting a train to and from London twice a week , every week, forever now. I had a bit of a bad one on Friday, Rob. I had a bad one after Chelsea Flower Show. So you had to go back up to London again? Oh, I popped up for the Chelsea Flower Show because I loved Chelsea. You popped up, just popped up quick six, seven hour journey round, trip, pop-up. Well, minimum on Friday is bank holiday. So bank holiday Friday, what time are you leaving? Two. Yeah. So we I went up early, few hours Chelsea Flower Show. Yeah. Get to Paddington . Points failure. All the trains are delayed. Luckily, I managed to get one. That's actually earlier than the train I needed because it's the one before that's been delayed. I'm winning it live. Oh I like that. That's nice. Yeah. I'm just chilling. Get beyond Reading. Train stops. Bad news. We're gonna have to go back to Reading. We can't proceed. No, no one ever wants to go back to Reading. No offense, Reading. Going back to Reading , can't proceed. Oh. So I go back to Reading. Everyone gets detrained, as they say. Go to platform twelve or whatever. We get to platform twelve. It is two sets of people on one trade. Yeah. You know, Ivory Tower concerns. I'm thinking it's fine. I've got a first class ticket. And uh uh because you do the last leg and some people presume that you're disabled, do you ever maybe start a little limp towards a seat and they just assume you might be Brooker? No, I I've never been mistaken for Alex Brooker. Because I've been accused of being you and disabled numerous a time. Yeah, well that yeah, yeah, yeah. Like I th they've said you're Josh Winnakum and put me in the accessibility room in hotels more than once. Yeah I've yeah yeah. No no no that hasn't I didn't I don't do that. 'Cause you know, I'm a public figure. And trains we've all seen, you know, you don't want to sit in the wrong clothes you don't want strictly star stealing seats in disability claim. Before you know it, Rob, I've decided I think it's fine. I'm first class here, Rob. I've paid the extra. Here we go. You should have space. I get to first class. Yeah. There's no space. I sit on the floor. Do the full Jeremy Corbyn because I don't want to stand up for three hours. So I make a space amongst the luggage on the floor. See, I sit on the luggage rack, the top bit of the luggage rack. What? The thing above people. No . You just lie in there. Just a little coffin lying. No, no, on southeastern trains. I'd love to get on a train. Oh you're like bit snug in it. Where you been just been down a flower show with Jojo and Emma Pass me a fucking tea up here. Anyone got any red bush? I'm I'm gasping. Boiling up here . No, on the South Easter they've got like because it's a commuter train, they've got like a little luggage rack that's sort of about as wide as your shoulders and about as deep as your thought was the thighs. So it's like it's where you put like little little backpacks rather than big suitcases. Yeah, right, yeah, no, no, they haven't got that on GWR. And you could I sometimes used to jump up and snuggle in there. Yeah, yeah. No, so I'm on the floor, lent on a bag, thinking obvious jealousy to the people in the chairs, but then gloriously three old people get on. Yep. And they go. We're gonna need three people to leave their seats. Oh. And the tension in the room is incredible. How old are these people though? Oh the definitely there's no question. There there's no sta there's no way they're standing. And then these people had to move. So then I'm thinking I'm sat on the floor here for three hours here. Yeah, yeah. And then we're there for half an hour, still haven't left. And then they declare there's another train going to Exeter. Anyone who's going to Exeter , move onto this train. So I run across the other platform, get a seat, my third train home. And what time did that leave after your that was that much ? I got home at six PM. I got to Paddington at half one. Right. Cool. Yeah . And then I was going to the beach. Well, it's good because going forward you won't be needing to get the train on Fridays and Saturdays, so you should be fine. I'll be fine, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm getting the train up first thing on Friday. That's what I'm doing. Okay. Yeah. With my work and personal phone in in either pocket. Oh one in each one in each pocket. And two separate headphone cases, one for personal and one for business. Oh yeah, of course. You'll have to do that. Absolutely. This episode is brought to you by new personal non-bio ultra stain removal capsules. Josh, how much washing do you think you guys get through? Oh mate, so much. Because you're kids, right? Obviously, it's not like they're keeping their clothes clean is their priority. Do you know what I mean? No, having fun is their priority. Yes, so so you could be getting through more than one outfit in the day because you know they'll go play in the garden, they'll jump on the trampoline, but it will be muddy to get to the trampoline or whatever. But you've got to just accept that because that's being a kid. Do you know what I mean? You don't want to be going to your kid, oh this is important. You want them to be enjoying their life, right? Well well, and I got my daughter that hot chocolate, she had like a white jumper on and was driving along. I was like, That's not chocolate if you want. And I was like, She's definitely gonna spill that on a jumper. But I'm like, Do you wanna be the dad that's like take the jumper off, put it to the side, 'cause you might spill it, drink it, you know, no, just let her learn, let it dribble down the top, we can wash it when you get home. Exactly, because that stain, Rob, says I'm having a fun time. Yes. Your grass stains on your trousers, they say I've had a fun time outside. Now if, you have all this wonderful chaos going on in your house, give Purcell's new non-bio ultra stain removal capsules a whirl. They're designed to be gentle for the whole family. It's gentle but powerful too, as it delivers ultra stain removal and the fast dissolving capsules work even in quick and cold washes. Perfect for all those stains and spillages. Even when you're covered in hot chocolate. Exactly. Try new Purcell non-bio ultra stain removal capsules. Ultra stain removal with a gentle touch on sensitive skin. Always keep away from children . So the other thing is we went to the beach on Friday night after school. Ah. Exworth Beach. Had a lovely time . Oh, so my daughter and her friend were doing a gymnastics and dance display for us. Yep. And my daughter said, Oh Dad, Daddy, could you announce it like you're hosting strictly? And I was like, I'm not gonna do that. Aww. Because if anyone sees me and goes, Do you know what ? I walk past Josh Ridicum, he was making his family play that he was the host of Strictly Yeah but you are you're not playing you are he was unveiled as the host of Strictly three days later he's got his family on the beach and he's making them practice . No, I think do it. Also, we have got the good thing now about podcasts and social media is you've now got a platform to explain what you're doing. So no one, if anyone because now if people read a newspaper headline of you or Emma or Joe or anyone in the public eye, what I do is if there's a mad claim, Josh Willacombe in crazy strictly performance on beach in front of children, I just think, well, that's obviously not what's happened. That's just the headline they've done to do clickbait. Cool. So I'll read it and then I'll find whoever they're talking about on their social media and see the clip explaining what's gone on. Yeah. So this is my version of that. Yeah. So there you go. But yeah, I did do I did do it slightly. I did the voiceover, but it isn't me. You know, the dancing. Oh, go on. Give us a little blast. Give us a little blast. Dancing the cha cha is Rob and Lou . Ah , we've not danced for years. So then we went to Digaland on Saturday. Nice. He's great. Let me show you one of the rides, Rob . Let me show you one of the rides. So have they got rides? I just thought you just got in diggers and moved dirt. Well, this is a digger meets a ride. Okay? Do you want me to send this to your personal or to a business? Business, this is a strictly business um interaction. No, look, no, but whatnot now I'd have my work phone with me because I'm at work. Yeah, of course, now I know it. So this is the ground shuttle. Oh, so it's like Rose is absolutely loving it . So it's a digger lifting up what is a p massive pallet with people on. Yeah. And he's just driving you round on a bit of mud. Just swinging them around and bouncing them up and down. I wouldn't call that a ride. They were loving it. It looks mental. Yeah. What a job. How has that got Park's health and safety? Oh, he did a great, he did a great bit of patter beforehand. It looks about a thousand degrees. It looks like you were like Yeah. He did a great bit patter beforehand. He said, um if anyone has a problem during the ride, put your hands up and I'll ignore you. Bit of fun. There we go. So where are you are you on this ride? Is that you filming Rose on it? No, because I was filling the car with presents and then I came back and they were on it and suddenly everyone was on this ride. And I wasn't, so I just filmed it. That's so funny. That's great fun. So where is Diggerland? That one was in Columden, but there's ones all around the country . You are Columden . They love it down there, don't they? Yeah. They will chuck a P and a B in any word, any word they can find. Oh, there's one in Kent. There's one in Kent. Half an hour from me. There you go. I might just take the kids Digger onland a surprise mission. Do it. I'm looking at the photos and it they are really there's a lot of diggers. Yeah. No, I don't Do you know what? I didn't I know this sounds mad 'cause it's called Digger Land. I didn't expect it to be as diggery as it was. It's so digger. There's so many digger. I thought there'd be like little diggers that you We got to you had a go on a digger as well, picking up um m like doing the thing and picking up dirt. It was great. Well do you what what must it feel like for a builder to take their kids there? I know. To pay to do that when you say I could just bring 'em to work. There was loads of really ripped blokes, Rob. Yeah, but Diggerland's quite alpha, isn't it? It's like if you're proper alpha male, you're like, I'm not going Legoland, I'll go Diggerland. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. It's a bit more geezery, isn't it? Yeah, yeah. Mob boys into diggers. Yeah. Yeah. A bit like you. Or you and your tribe. Yeah, exactly.. So it was fun Tell me about your parenting. Well, I've got another idea for a bit of correspondence. Okay. Um I've got an example of it and you can tell me I'm gonna call it Sorod Solidarity or Solid Caron. Right, okay, here we go. So basically I told someone an issue about their child and sort of by the and their parenting, but I don't know if I was a word a show of solidarity as another parent or it was solid Karen. What did you say? This is huge. Yeah, I know, but it's quite fun. So this wasn't someone from school. No, this is separate. Stranger. Stranger danger. So I'm paying for my parking in a car park, and then there's a car, it's really hot, 30 degrees, like probably eleven AM. Probably about twenty eight degrees, eleven AM to set the scene. Half eleven. I know it is actually because I dropped the kids. Anyway. Walk past a car. All the windows are open. There's an a sort of looks like a grandmother in the front passenger seat, just reading a book, sunglasses on, chilling out. Behind her is a one and a half year old asleep in the car seat with the window open. Yeah? Yeah. Fully Sparko, but laying there, the sun is directly on the baby's face. Like full pelt. Nothing shielding it like that. So I was like, that is gonna burn that kid's face off unless the kids got cream on. But even with cream, you shouldn't let a baby sleep in direct sun. Yeah. So I'm like, right, do I say something So where's the driver? Where's the mum? Don't know where the mum or the dad is or the granddad in the shop, I imagine, shopping. So it's just an empty car. No, no, no. The nan's in the front seat. Oh right, okay. So there's a grandmother, I think, or an older mum in the passenger seat just reading while still so they've got, I'll stay with the baby, you go in and do the shopping. Oh, okay, yeah. Son's right and the baby's face. So I'm like, well, maybe the sun moved a bit or whatever, or they're oblivious. So I just walked past , Oh, just so you know, the sun's right on their face while they're sleeping. Yeah, I think I think that's fair. And she went, Oh okay. Thanks. And then I walked off. But I was like, I don't know where that lies. I think that's fine. Cause I I I don't think you've gone in and you've gone. Excuse me, you're burning your child's head. You need to deal with this because this is un unacceptable what you're doing. Yeah, that's Karen, isn't it? Where I w I think what I did was raise awareness for them. Yeah. Because when I went off, they did go to the door and get like a muslin and put it you know the classic put it in the door so it hangs down with shade. So I think you're in the right there, Rob, because you handled it in the right way because you are criticising her, obviously. Yes. But that file it under solidarity. So if I came to your tour show and I said that routine about you know car boot sales simply isn't good enough. That would be bad. But if I said, have you ever thought about maybe putting a better observation at the start of that car boot sale routine? And it might help it throughout. Now do you know what I'd say to you? I'd say, shouldn't be on a train at Paddington home rather than bothering me after my show . Yeah, you'd be right. No, but then I I did think though Josh, if she said no the baby's fine Then then you're in a tricky position. I would have said something I, would have gone, well, the baby's not, and you're a terrible parent. That child needs shade. Yeah. And if you don't put shade on that child, I'm going to take down your details, your card registration, and report you to the social services. Now get the mus lin out and put the shade up. Yeah. Um anyway, send in your solidarity or solid carens, whether you've done it or had it done to you, and then we can decide if it's solidarity or solid carens. I think a lot of it's down to the phrasing, isn't it? It's not the what it's not the request, it's the phrase. Yes. Do you know what I mean? It's how you frame it. Oh I don't know if you know, but the baby's face is in the sun, just just to let you know. That's nice, wasn't it? Okay. So I'm not a solid Karen. So what do you think has happened? The f the mum's gone in or the dad and the grand's been left in the car. And probably oblivious to the the the sun on the child's face. Yeah, exactly. So just you know, multi-generational bad parenting. Hey, it happens. Multi-generational bad parent. Exactly, exactly, Rob. That's you know, it's a story as old as time. Sometimes the mother-in-law and the mother and the father and the father-in-law don't know best. But you know who knows best? Bobby B. That's right. Exactly. So what are you doing for half term? Have you got plans for half term or are you winging it? No, we're having a chilled one 'cause Lou's working and I'm working, so it's a lot of like logistics so 'cause it was hot on yesterday we had a little barbecue in the garden and I put a sprinkler up. Then today we're doing the podcast and then this afternoon we're going to Tom Allen's got a book out, Common Decency, which I've started reading and it's absolutely brilliant. I meant to Instagram by that, but I've deleted my Instagram. He's our Alan Bennett for a new generation. He is with just such vivid description of sort of mundane normal life. Yeah. This is what I sent to him about it because I actually am really enjoying it and I struggle with novels sometimes. I said, You paint such a beautiful, alluring and funny picture of what could be a boring suburban street. It's a real skill, such a USP, making the mundane exciting. I think this could be your true calling. I hate all the spy action drag dragon novels. Too hard to imagine a dragon, but I can already picture your characters. And if you can do that to someone with ADHD and dyslexia, then all the novel fans are gonna jizz ever ywhere. Oh that's nice. Yes, it is brilliant. He wouldn't put that quote on the book. No, of course. But you know, each to their own. You know, he put you on the back of the book. Don't worry about it. No problem. Um, so he's having a little book celebration, so we go into his garden in the afternoon. Oh nice. Then tomorrow we go into the neighbours, they've got a big paddling pool and they're gonna have a barbecue there. Tuesday we're having a chill day. I go to work, Lou comes back from her trip. Then Lou's taking them out somewhere Wednesday for a day trip. And then Thursday, I think they're just chilling at home. Then Friday, I'm back in the game. Lou's doing a book tour at Hay on Wire Festival. And I'm taking them to my mum and dad's for a day trip down to Margate. And then um Saturday, Sunday, we've got just a chilled weekend. We're just trying to, they're so tired, the kids. Yeah. Um, so we're just trying to relax and float about and with no plans. I think it's nicer sometimes, especially when the weather's like this. Okay, now for a special part of the show called Holiday Heaven, where we give you our top tips and tricks for making the most out of your holiday and your money whilst you're there. And it's brought to you by Monzo. You can pay with your Monzo card anywhere in any currency with no foreign transaction fees. Now, Rob, I know you're gonna like these words. Let's talk about holidays. Ah, it's what I live for. It's what you live for. You hate your mundane experience, don't you, Rob? You l I love a holiday. It's our favourite things. At the age of forty, I've worked myself in a position to have I'd say slightly uh fancier holidays than I used to have. Of course. However, still one of my favourite holidays ever. When I was I think I was twenty two , twenty-one, I went round Europe on the trains. I got that ticket. I don't think they do it anymore where you got unlimited train travel. So that was like a few hundred quid. And then the rest of the time we were in hostels, we were eating food and getting food from supermarkets and stuff like that. And that was a proper adventure. I was still I I loved it. At one point I was getting crisps and scooping out cream cheese with the crisps for my dinner. I don't I don't consider that a tip. I don't know if that's a holiday. Don't consider that a holiday. But this is the thing, right? Yeah. Holidays are not just about spending loads of money. Like when I was a kid, I remember we used to go to Wales, South Wales, Pembrokeshire, lovely. Yeah. My dad would like get the amount of cash out for the holiday because it was a cash society in those days. Oh, absolutely, yeah. And then he'd know how much cash for the holiday. It's a good way of doing it. Put the amount of money aside for the holiday. But now in Monzo, you can do that in Monzo. Exactly. And then you know where you are with the holiday. You're not working on a day to day basis. You've got the holidays budget and you can just roll with it. Well we we thoug what we did w with my mates, we all agreed what our budget was gonna be. So we all agreed we were gonna spend X amount a day and then that and that we'd had an amount and then we knew that that would cover us for that amount of time. Because what you don't want go travelling with someone that's got loads more money than you and then it feels a bit awkward where someone wants to stay here or there. Exactly. So we've sort of found that challenge of like trying to find a cheap pint part of the deal of um you know we've got X amo Also, Rob, do you want a do you want a money saving tip? Go on. If you're at a place with a breakfast buffet, steal some bloody pastries for the rest of the day, mate. Come on. I do that. I always make a little plain a little plain baguette where I'd basically fill it with all the lovely delicious stuff from breakfast and then eat it on the plane and everyone would be jealous of my plain baguette. I did that on the way back from Seville. That's totally within the rules. That's totally within the rules. Also, it's good for kids because they're not hungry, but you know they're going to be desperate for a cross-on in about an hour. Exactly. Exactly. Also, what we do is when we go to hotels, sometimes you go to like an all-inclusive or a half-balled hotel where you get the food, but sometimes kids want snacks and they want sweets and treats that aren't always at the hotel. Google the local supermarket have a little trip out. That's what we do as well with inflatables in the hotels are always really expensive. But if you find a little shop nearby, yeah. Go and buy a cheaper inflatable there. What do you think the biggest travel ripoff is though, Rob? Uh hotel mini bars still stress me out. I don't think if I was Jeff Bezos, I would still be able to justify using a hotel mini bar. It's a principal thing, isn't it? Because I know that Kit Kat is not four pounds at the shop I can see from my window. I can't spend £3.50 on a packet of crisps, whatever my financial situation. Now, Josh, I hope some of that is of some use to the listeners. I think it is. And with Monzo, you can spend on your card just as you do at home and there's no surprises. You'll get instant spend notifications showing what you're spending in local currency and pounds, and you'll see the real-time exchange rate in the app as you spend. So you know exactly how much you spent on slushies and pool floaties. Monzo, download your new favorite bank to apply for a Monzo current account, you must be 16 plus and a UK resident. T's and C's apply . Well, I'm very excited. I'm quite interested to see how this holiday plays out because they're a lot more confident as swimmers than they were last year. And so I'm wondering if I'm not going to be having to go in every single time. Do you know what I mean? Can I tell you where you're going to be? Set on the the edge of pool with your feet in. Yeah. Watching. I'd take that. Close enough to jump in, but you're not in in. Yeah. Someone walking past going, do you know what? You want to get you wanna get some shade on that dad? Because that dad is getting absolutely belted in the sun. Get a muslin over it . Get a big hat. You need a big bucket hat, that's what you need. I'm not sure if I do need a big bucket hat, yeah. But um I am looking forward to it. We know to stop you burning. No, I know, I know, but I don't know whether I'd go bucket out. Maybe I'd go with one of those. You need a nice holiday after all the touring and all the work? I know. Rose has already kind of said, you know, it's been a tough few months for her, so I think I'm gonna have to take take it quite a lot of the uh strain on the holiday, and I think that's fair. Yeah. She's done most of the parenting. You've done no parenting. Well, no, I have done some parenting. I vid I videoed them on a digger yesterday. I'd say you've done three you've done actually less than me, which is almost impossible the last few months. Well yes, but that's because my tour was slightly jutting out at the end of yours, wasn't it? So I was still touring when you weren't. Yeah. Yeah. But let''ss let not point fingers. We second half of the year is more or less clear. Stop saying that because it's definitely not. You've just got the biggest job in TV. Well uh uh director general of the BBC. Well, give it time. Cut you're a couple of cha childs away from that. In my experience of hosting strictly. If I was director general of the BBC, I'd resign within a week because I would be so bad at it. I it's too much stress. Too many meetings. Too much stress. I can't do serious in it. Imagine having to do press where you have to be serious rather than I know. You did very well on Good Morning Britain the other week, by the way, like a politician that was, you'll slight little slippery eel. Oh thank you. Oh yeah, that was fun, wasn't it? I loved what you said about the um uh a perfect couple and you was alluring to Ed Balls and Susanna Reed. Took them too long to clock. I know, it was slightly annoying. I'm like, Come on, guys, come on guys. Way too long to clock. You were really doing some legwork. Come on, guys. I mean how do you want me to spoon feed you this fucking joke, Ed? Do you meet me in the middle, Ed? How about you get your eyes open and ears open? Don't worry about what you'll say next. Yeah? You booked com aedi an last time I checked, but turns out you treat me like you've booked Neil Kinnock. Come on, Ed. Jeez . Ballsey won't letting you go, was he? What do you think this is? It's a joke. It's a joke, Ed . Come on. Come on, Ed. Let's have a laugh. And you, Susanna. Yeah, no, she was sort of a bit more on ball, but he was a dog with a bone. He w you weren't getting an exclusive out of old J Dubbers that you were about that. Come on, Ed. He's too long in the tooth. I've learned from the best, Ed. You. You. We interviewed Ed you, Ed, and we got loads from you. Oh, I burnt the air all the hairs on my arms doing a barbecue yesterday. Oh no. Oh no. Sadies are all weird little frazzles on my arms. I've got bald arms. Oh no. No, it's weird, isn't it? Yeah, that's normal. Um but it's weird that we've looped back to hairless at the end of the pod. It is, isn't it? Before we know it, Lou's gonna come home to Rob scorching all the hairs off himself over the barbecue. Suspending himself bum first over the barbecue. It'll be easier. Maybe I should just lean my back on the barbecue and burn it off. Exactly. It'll be easier. Eyverone's a winner . Oh dear. Um we watched Greece. The girls are well into Greece, the new the film Greece. They love it. Not the new film, it's been out for for forever. But we watched that. Did they enjoy it? They loved it. Love Great's great film. What's the premise of Greece? Danny Zuko and Sandy have a summer romance and they think it's all over, then they meet again at high school, even though they're all forty eight. And basically he's a cool guy and a gang and she's a bit of a sort of um you know bookish boffin and then he's sort of scared to s be nice to her because he was g he's getting peered pressure from all the other grease balls. Grease like then yeah. And then he try basically tries to be more straight edge by going, you know, being in the football and sports teams and all that. And then she becomes a bit more rock and roll, and in the end, um she starts smoking and wears sexy clothes and they all get off and then for some reason the car flies off in the end. Apologies for spoiler alerts, but if you haven't seen Grease now you never will. No exactly. Do you know what Danny and um Sandy do there, Rob? They meet in the middle, like I wanted Ed Balls to do with me with my joke. He's in it for the scoop, you're in it for the laughs. Exactly. Do you know what? We're all doing our jobs. We were all doing our jobs and then we all went home. And I'd uh I thought do you know what I'd a good did a good job today. Yeah. Um, I'm gonna give a a quick shout out to Eagle Eye Oven Cleaning. They come and did my barbecue again. Absolutely faultless service. I gave them a small business shout out before. Did they get rid of the burned hair off it? Yeah, well no, I burnt hair afterwards. So if you come around for a barbecue this year, it might be a bit hairy, but that's on you. But um I paid for it. Don't I paid them? This is not I'm not getting freebies here. Here's a normal one. Here's a normal one. Here we go. Hello, Rob, Josh, and Michael. Big fan of the podcast. I discovered it when on maternity leave with my first child back in twenty twenty one. Now tempted to go back and listen to the first episodes I missed. Don't bother, don't bother. No, please do. It's all streams. It's all money in our pocket, Josh. Of course. Does it count, Marco, if they listen to old ones again? Point one of a penny. Thank you. very much Absolutely it counts. And I would encourage everyone. Yeah. It counts. Get on I tell you what, here's a small business shout out. Karen and Hell, the early the early series. Get on them. Listen back. Get on there. Um anyway, uh d I would have a small business shout out, please. I have just set up a small business selling responsibly made backpacks. Our brilliant backpacks are made from recycled ocean bound plastic to help prevent plastic waste reach ing the oceans in areas where waste management is limited. Our backpacks are designed to be practical yet stylish with useful pockets, a laptop pouch, and super comfortable with a padded back. We're called Olive and Rufus and can be found at oliveandrufus.com or Olive and Rufus on Insta . I'm mum to a three and five year old, so it's quite the juggle. I've got a feeling they might be called rot Olive Oliver Rufus, but I'm just assuming. It's been a juggle launching a business and looking after our energetic two. A juggle I'm sure lots of your listeners can relate to. Work, children, life. Thank you so much. Emma. There you go. There you go. Oliver. Oh, they're nice. Oliver Rufus. Nice backpacks. Reasonably reasonably priced as well, sixty-five pounds for a nice, well made, responsibly made backpack. There we go. Lovely. Hi Robin Josh. I'd like to shout out my dear friend Tom's small Binusess killer Trails. Tom has created murder mystery trails in some of the UK's best cities. If you want to see all the highlights of a UK city and you're into murder mysteries and escape rooms, these are for you. Perfect whether on a weekend get away with family, friends, stags, hens, etc. Tom quit his job three years ago to focus solely on his killer trails and he's poured his heart into making these unforgettable experiences. He even gives a percentage of the profit to children in need, because he's a legend . Can find the trails on Insta at killer trails or or killertrails.co.uk. Thanks to the lows, Lucy in Hampshire. Nice. Oh, I've just looked at these backpacks, they've got a world good bit on it where you know when you have your little wheelie case, if you're travelling a lot, it's got a little strap across so you can just put the backpack on that. Oh lovely. Lovely. Lovely stuff. Anyway, good luck everyone. Josh, I'll speak to you soon. Have a brilliant holiday. Have a nice rest. I'll let you know I won't. Oh, please do. I will. I'll see you soon. Bye. Bye.