The Vaccination Fadeaway: Older Dads Avoid Pain! #ParentingMistakes
Welcome back to the "Gray Hair & Daycare" podcast! Older dads Frank (55) and Carlo (56) kick off a new episode from their revamped (and technically challenged!) studio after a long summer break.
In "What Just Happened," Frank confesses a hilarious parenting mistakes moment at the pediatrician's office: actively trying to fade away during Baby Josie's vaccination to ensure she has no negative association with him. This honest fatherhood advice from Gen X dads highlights the constant learning curve of being a dad.
They dive into a brand new "Check Please" segment to update Baby Josie's expenditure account, revealing the surprisingly high cost of raising kids (averaging $500-$700 a month). Frank also shares a story of a recent DIY parenting coach challenge while painting the nursery, admitting that he probably would have quit if it weren't for his daughter. The segment "I Was Wrong" features an expansion on a previous compatibility theory, detailing three markers for a good relationship (horror movies, solo travel, and living on a boat).
Tune in for their thoughts on social media, political violence, and all the recent baby advice and milestones, including Josie's first party, gifts, and the ongoing saga of her changing sleep schedule. It's a hilarious look at dad life with plenty of fatherhood tips and humor in life!
Chapter Markers:
0:00 - The Pathetic Vaccination Fadeaway (AKA: The Anti-Comforting Dad)
1:24 - Studio Woes: Ice Packs on the Camera!
2:48 - Check Please: The Avalanche of Diapers!
4:32 - The Nursery Painting Project: Frank's Breaking Point
6:49 - I Was Wrong: The Three Compatibility Questions (Horror, Travel, Boats)
11:39 - Tiny Homes and RV Retirement Plans
13:58 - What Just Happened: The Second Round of Shots
16:32 - Dad's Worst Sound: The Crying You Can't Fix
18:29 - Starting Solid Foods & Baby Josie's Length
20:30 - Work/Life Balance: Kelly's Ramp-Up & Carrie's Role
21:58 - Uncle Mike's Visit: The Fatherly Validation I Needed
26:50 - The First Family Party: Hedgehogs & Community
29:35 - New Skill Unlocked: Banging & Double-Chin Grabs
Relevant Links Mentioned:
Fisher-Price Hedgehog: Mentioned as a hit gift for Baby Josie
https://tinyurl.com/Fisher-Price-Calming-Hedgehog
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[Frank]
I'm ashamed to admit this, but I literally, when they're getting ready to do the shot, and so it's like, there's the baby, there's the nurse who's doing a great job, there's Kelly's right there next to the baby, and I'm actively fading into the distance. I don't want her, the last thing I want is for that shot and her to see me. I want no association between that stuff and me, and I'm laughing at myself thinking it's just pathetic.
I'm like, no, we're just going to back away. Because you don't want to associate. I don't want her to associate anything negative with me.
Nothing negative.
[Carlo]
Look at your mother.
[Frank]
Look at your mother and the nurse. It's your mother who's doing this to you. This is the gray hair and daycare podcast with a combined age of 111 years and a combined IQ right in that same range.
Your hosts, Frank Sirio and Karlo Russo. Welcome back. Episode 29.
Here we are. It's been a while since we have recorded. It seems like a whole summer.
Life has been, it's been getting away from us like a runaway train. It's really, we've been super busy. We've been running around, but we're here and we're ready to catch up.
In the new studio. Yeah. You may have noticed it's kind of the same stuff, but a little bit more, little bit, hopefully nicer arrangement.
We're going to continue to tweak. Yeah. Some of our camera angles.
This is clearly not my best side. Yes, it is. Because I'm looking at this side and it's not working.
That's fair. I'm kidding.
[Carlo]
All your sides are my favorite.
[Frank]
All eight of them.
[Carlo]
Look, you did a great job. I like the depth, the openness. We're in a different portion of the- It's a little more, a little warmer, a little more relaxed.
[Frank]
Um, so we, we hope you, that we, uh, we hope you feel like we're inviting you into our speakeasy. And we think we should, it might make everything easier. So here we are, as always, I am Frank Serio.
And for another couple of weeks, I am 55 years old and my little girl, baby Josie is almost six months old. I can't believe that I'm talking about her being six months old already. It's just insane.
[Carlo]
I walked in today and, uh, like we said, it's been, uh, this summer has been crazy.
