April 9, 2025 • 14 mins
👋 Welcome to BOOKKAST – Bestsellers in Minutes, your daily dose of the world’s most talked-about books!
📚 Today’s episode is for every parent who’s ever asked: “Am I doing this right?” In this episode, we dive into "There Are Moms Way Worse Than You" by Emmy-nominated comedy writer Glenn Boozan – a hilarious, heartwarming, and reassuring illustrated book that offers irrefutable proof that yes, you are doing just fine. 💪💖
✨ This witty parenting book uses comparisons with some of the worst moms (and dads!) in the animal kingdom to comfort and empower human parents. From panda moms who abandon one of their twins 🐼 to koalas who feed their kids poop 💩, Boozan delivers laugh-out-loud validation that you’re doing great – as long as you’re not eating your young! 😂
👶 Whether you're a new parent drowning in diaper decisions or a seasoned mom second-guessing everything, this book is a humorous and surprisingly educational breath of fresh air. And in just a few minutes, we’ll help you decide if it’s the right pick for you or a perfect gift for another overwhelmed parent. 🎁
🎧 Listen now for a quick, fun, and emotional ride through one of the funniest and most relatable parenting books of recent years.
👇 Don’t forget to LIKE, COMMENT, and SUBSCRIBE for more daily book reviews of bestsellers from every genre!
🛎️ Hit the bell so you never miss a book!
📚 Today’s episode is for every parent who’s ever asked: “Am I doing this right?” In this episode, we dive into "There Are Moms Way Worse Than You" by Emmy-nominated comedy writer Glenn Boozan – a hilarious, heartwarming, and reassuring illustrated book that offers irrefutable proof that yes, you are doing just fine. 💪💖
✨ This witty parenting book uses comparisons with some of the worst moms (and dads!) in the animal kingdom to comfort and empower human parents. From panda moms who abandon one of their twins 🐼 to koalas who feed their kids poop 💩, Boozan delivers laugh-out-loud validation that you’re doing great – as long as you’re not eating your young! 😂
👶 Whether you're a new parent drowning in diaper decisions or a seasoned mom second-guessing everything, this book is a humorous and surprisingly educational breath of fresh air. And in just a few minutes, we’ll help you decide if it’s the right pick for you or a perfect gift for another overwhelmed parent. 🎁
🎧 Listen now for a quick, fun, and emotional ride through one of the funniest and most relatable parenting books of recent years.
👇 Don’t forget to LIKE, COMMENT, and SUBSCRIBE for more daily book reviews of bestsellers from every genre!
🛎️ Hit the bell so you never miss a book!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey everyone, I'm Paul and I'm Sarah. Welcome to book Cast.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Here a book cast, we bring you the best sellers
in minutes, and today we're diving into a really interesting one.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Yeah, this one's a it's.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Called there are Moms Way Worse.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
Than You, irrefutable proof that you are indeed a fantastic parent.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Yeah, that's a title.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
It is and it's by Glenn Buzan.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
If you've ever felt like, maybe you know you're not
doing the best job as a parent, or maybe even
like a terrible job, this is a good deep dive
to listen to.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Absolutely you've ever had any of those like.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Parental anxieties, you know, the should I be doing this
or should I be doing that?
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Am I messing my kid up?
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Glenn Boozin kind of tackles that right out of the gate.
He just says, you know, all parents kind of have
those those anxieties.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
He lists them out, like right away, burping, you know
you've burpen your kid correctly?
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Are they getting enough green time?
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (00:50):
How much screen time? Is too much screen time? Are
you being too strict? Are you not being strict enough?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
And he goes all the way to like, you know
what if my kid gets into an accident and I,
you know, wasn't there to prevent it, or or what
if somebody keep the wrong preschool? Right?
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Did I pick the right preschool for my kid? Are
they gonna you know, thrive in this environment? Am I
setting them up for success or failure?
Speaker 2 (01:08):
And it's it's, you know, it's as all normal to
think about these things, but he's got a way to
kind of put this into perspective, and it's it's pretty funny.
I think it is.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
It's very clever.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
What he does is he says, okay, let's look at
the animal kingdom, because there are some moms out there
that really take the cake when it comes to questionable
parenting techniques.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Yeah, he calls them way worse moms.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Way worse moms.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
And I think for anybody listening, sometimes you just need
that perspective to realize, you know what, I might not
be perfect, but I'm definitely not in that category.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
So let's get into some of these examples. First up,
we've got hamster moms. Now, hamster moms seem cute and.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Cuddly, right, you think of them as these, you know,
little furry creatures that are just you know, kind of
scurrying around in their cages. We sometimes they eat their bites,
they just straight up yeah, which is I mean, talk
about a parenting fail, right, So.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
What's going on there? Is it just like a they're
hungry kind of thing, or well, there are a lot.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
Of theories about why this happens, and Buzen talks about
somebody's in the book.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
It could be anything.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
From you know, vitamin B deficiency in the moms. Okay,
sometimes it's stress if the environment is really stressful for them,
if there's not enough food available, interesting, if the litter
is too big, you know, maybe they just can't handle
that many babies at once. And sometimes it's even just
an unfamiliar.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Scent, like if a human has touched the babies or something.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Yeah, if the babies have been handled, you know, the
mom comes back, she's like, who are these these don't
smell like wine?
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Wow? So yeah, So that's hamster moms for you. So
you've ever you know, snapped at your kid for you know,
spooking or juice. You're doing okay, you're doing all right?
All right? Next up, we have draft moms. Now, they
always seem so graceful, they're.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
So tall, right, they've got those long necks and those
long legs that just kind of glide across the savannah.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
But when their babies are born, it's not quite so graceful.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
No, it's actually kind of brutal because baby is born,
you know, from a pretty.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Good height, like six feet six feet. Yeah, it's a
big drop.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
And then the mom what she do.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
She kicks the baby, kicks the baby, yeah, to get
it up and move it, which.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Again seems kind of harsh, but I guess when you.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Think about it, Yeah, when you think about the context, right,
they're out.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
There on the African savannah. There's lions, there's cheetahs, there's hyenas.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
There's all kinds of predators that would love to snack
on a baby. Draft, So that mom's going to get
that baby up and running as quickly as possible.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
It's survival.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Yeah, it's not about being gentle and cuddly.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
It's about making sure that your offspring can, you know,
get away from danger.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
So there you go. If you've ever you know, given
your kid a little nudge to brry them along, yeah,
you're not a bad parent. You're you're just doing what
you gotta do, all right. Next we've got Dracula and queens. Now,
these guys are really interesting because forget about hiding your
favorite treats. Dracula and Queens actually feed on the blood
(03:57):
of their own larvae.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
And they're not even subtle. I mean, there are visible
marks on the larva where the queen has been feeding.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
So how does this work? I mean, they're not like
actually sucking blood, are they.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Well it's not exactly like vampires, you know, sinking their
fangs in, but it's pretty close.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Okay, So the larva, they have this fluid called.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
Hemolymph, which is kind of like the insect version of blood,
and the queen will actually make little cuts in the
larva's skin and then lapped up the.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Hemoal imp and they're okay with this.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
Well, it doesn't kill them, but it does leave those marks,
Like I said, interesting.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
So is it like a nutritional thing? Is she just
hungry or is there some other reason?
Speaker 3 (04:37):
You know, scientists think it's actually a pretty efficient way
for the queen to get a lot of nutrients quickly.
The hemal limp is already predigested, so she doesn't have
to do a lot of work to break it down.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
So it's like a protein shake for ant queens pretty much.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Yeah, and it's interesting because even when there's other food
available in the colony, the queen seems to prefer this method.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
So there you go, Dracula ant queens. They're not exactly
winning any mother of the Year awards, but hey, at
least they're keeping their colony.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Alive, exactly. It's all about perspective, all right.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Next up, we've got sext and beetle moms. Now, if
you thought Dracula ants were weird, wait till you hear
about these guys. Sext and beetle moms raise their young
inside a decomposing animal carcass.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Yeah, and we're not talking like roadkill on the side
of the road. We're talking like a whole dead mouse
or a bird.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
So they're basically using a dead body as a nursery
pretty much.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
And they're very particular about it too.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
They actually bury the carcass, clean it up, and they
coat it with these antimicrobial secretions to try to slow
down the decomposition process.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
So they're not just like tossing their babies in there
and saying good luck.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
No, they're actually putting some effort into making it, you know.
Somewhat habitable.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
So what do the babies eat.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Well, that's the thing. The babies actually eat the carcass itself.
It's like they're all you can eat buffet.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Oh wow. So they're like little decomposers exactly.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
And here's where it gets even weirder. If the carcass
is too small to feed all of the larvae, the
mom will actually kill some of her offspring. Sure what, Yeah,
she'll call the litter to make sure that the remaining
ones have enough food to survive. That's brutal, it is,
but I guess in the insect world that's just how
it goes. Sometimes resources are scarce and you have to
(06:15):
make tough decisions.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
So there you go. Sex and beetle moms, they might
be raising their kids in a dead body, but at
least they're making sure that some of them survive.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
It's all about survival of the fittest.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
All right, let's move on to eagle moms. Now, eagles
are known for being these fierce, powerful birds, you know,
soaring through this guy.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Yeah, they're often seeing as a symbol of freedom and.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Strength, but when it comes to parenting, they can be
pretty ruthless.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
Yeah, there's this thing called sibilicide, which basically means that
the siblings.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
Kill each other.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
And this happens with eagles, it does.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
It's not in every nest, but it's fairly common.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
So what happens is the first chick to hatch is
usually bigger and stronger than the second chick, and this
bigger chick will often start to bully the smaller chick,
pecking at it and trying to push out of the.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Nest, and the parents they just let this happen.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Sometimes they'll intervene, but other times they seem to just
let it play out.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Wow. So it's like a survival of the fittest kind.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
Of thing exactly. Only the strongest chick gets to survive.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
It's kind of sad, but I guess that's nature.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Yeah. Nature can be pretty harsh, all right.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
What about panda moms. They seem so cuddly and adorable,
but I hear they can be pretty bad moms too.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Well.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
They're not exactly known for their stellar parenting skills.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
So what's the deal with them.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
First of all, the fathers play absolutely no role in
raising the cubs.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
It's all on the mom, okay.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
And even then, panda moms can have a tough time
providing enough nourishment for their cubs. Pandas eat mostly bamboo,
which is not exactly a high energy food, so their
milk production can be low.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Oh, I see.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
And then there's the whole accidental crushing thing.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Accidental crushing what do you mean?
Speaker 3 (07:51):
Well, panas are not exactly known for their grace, and
sometimes they accidentally roll over on their cubs and crush them.
Oh yeah, it's sad, but it happens. And then if
they have twins, it gets even worse. How so, Well,
pandom moms often just abandon one.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
Of the twins.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
I see, you just leave it to die.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Yeah, they can't handle raising two cubs at once, so
they just focus on the stronger one. That's heartbreaking, it is,
And even with human intervention and captive breeding programs, the
weaker twin often doesn't make it.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
So yeah, pandom moms, they might be cute, but they're
not exactly winning any mother of the year awards either.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
No, definitely not.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
All right, let's talk about Kuala moms. Now, Koala moms
do something pretty interesting or I guess you could say gross,
depending on your perspective. They feed their babies their own poop.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
I know it sounds weird, right, but there's actually good
reason for it.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Okay, I'm listening.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
So koalas eat eucalyptus leaves, which are actually toxic to
their babies.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
What.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
Yeah, the baby kouala's digestive systems can't handle the toxins in.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
The leaves, so how do they survive?
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Well, that's where the poop comes in.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
The mother Koala's digestive system neutralizes the toxins in the leaves,
and then she produces the special kind of soop called pap.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Yeah, it's kind of like.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
A predigested version of the eucalyptus leaves, and it also
contains all sorts of beneficial bacteria and nutrients that the
baby kuala needs, So.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
They're basically getting a prebiotic smoothie from their mom's.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Poop pretty much.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
Yeah, it's not the most appetizing image, but it's essential
for the baby kuala's survival.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
So there you go. If you've ever felt grossed out
by something your kid has eaten, just remember the Kuala
moms in their poop.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
It could always be worse, all right, let's.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Talk about Lnyu skink moms now. These guys are pretty extreme.
They actually eat their own eggs.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Yeah, it's definitely not something you see every day.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
So why do they do that?
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Well, it seems like it's a self preservation thing.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
Okay, So lanyu skinks they lay their eggs and then
they guard them for a while. But if they sense
that a predator is nearby, like a snake, they might
actually eat their own eggs.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
Really.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Yeah, it's like they're saying, well, if I can't save
my eggs, it might as well get some nutrition out.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Of them and deny the predator a meal.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Exactly.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
It's a pretty drastic measure, but it makes sense from
an evolutionary standpoint.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Yeah. Wow, so land use skink mombs. They're not messing around.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
No, they're definitely not right.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
What about quoca moms? Now, Quocas are those adorable little
marsupials that are always smiling.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
Yeah, they're known for being very friendly and photogenic, but
when it comes.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
To protecting their young, they have a pretty unusual method.
They actually eject their babies from their pouches.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
Yeah, it's not exactly what you expect from a cuddly
little animal like that.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
So how does this work?
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Well, when a quoka mom is being chased by a predator,
she can actually relax the muscles around her pouch and
the baby will just kind of fall out and.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
The predator goes for the baby.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
Yeah, it's like a distraction technique. The baby becomes the
bait and the mom can hopefully escape.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Wow. So it's like sacrificing one baby to save the mom.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
It's a pretty harsh reality, but it's a survival strategy
that has worked for quocas for a long time.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
So there you go. Quoka moms. They might be cute,
but they're not afraid to use their babies as a.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Shield, all in the name of survival.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
All right, let's talk about cuckoo moms. Now. Cuckoo moms
are the ultimate cheats of the bird world.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
They're known for their brood parasitism, which is a fancy
way of saying that they lay their eggs in other
birds' nests.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
So they just trick other birds into raising their.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Babies exactly, and they're very good at it too. They'll
often choose nests of birds that are smaller than them,
and they'll lay eggs that look very similar to the
host birds.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Eggs, so the host birds have no idea.
Speaker 3 (11:27):
Nope, they just think they've laid a slightly larger egg.
And then what happens, Well, the cuckoo chick usually hatches first,
and then it proceeds to push the other eggs or
chicks out of the nest.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
No way.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
Yeah, it's pretty brutal, and the host birds are none
the wiser. They just keep feeding and caring for the
cuckoo chick as if it were their own.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
So the cuckoo mom gets to have babies without doing
any of the work.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
Yep, it's the ultimate parenting hack.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
That's pretty amazing. I got given credit for that.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
It's definitely a clever strategy.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
All right. What about harp seal mongs. Now, harp steal
moms seem very devoted to their pups at first, but
it turns out it's all in act.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
While they do provide a lot of care for their
pups for the first few weeks of their lives, they
feed them this really rich milk and they keep them
warm and protected, but then after about twelve days they
just abandon them.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
What.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
Yeah, they just leave their puffs on the ice floes
and head off to mate again, and.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
The pups are just left there to fend.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
For themselves pretty much.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
They have to rely on their fat reserves to survive
until they can learn to hunt on their own. Well,
that's harsh, it is, and a lot of the pups
don't make it. It's a very high mortality rate.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
So harp seal moms, they're all about tough love.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
That's one way to put it all right.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
And finally, let's talk about Alaskan plover parents. Now, these
guys take the cake when it comes to abandoning their
young Coke. They actually leave their newly hatched chicks to
migrate to Hawaii.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
Yeah, it's one of the longest migrations of any bird species.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
So they just fly off and leave their babies behind.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
Pretty much. The chicks have to figure out how to
survive on their own.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
That's I mean, how do the chicks even know where
to go?
Speaker 3 (13:02):
Well, it's instinct. They're born with this innate drive to
migrate south.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Wow, So plover parents, they're not zatly winning any parent
of the Year awards either.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
No, they're definitely not. But hey, at least they get
to spend the winter in Hawaii.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
So there you have it. A whole bunch of examples
of moms in the animal kingdom that are way worse.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Than you, and dads too.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Actually, oh yeah, that's right. The book also talks about
some pretty.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
Bad dads, like male pipefish who can actually control the
nutrients that go to their developing embryos and they'll sometimes
starve the weaker embryos to death.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
And then there are horse stallions who will sometimes kill
the folds of other stallions.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
That's brutal, it is, but it's all about ensuring that
their own genes are passed on.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
So yeah, dads can be pretty bad too.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
It's not just a mom thing.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
So the next time you're feeling guilty about your parenting,
just remember all of these examples.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
And take comfort in the fact that you're doing a
much better job than a hamster mom who eats her
babies or a giraffe mom who kicks her calf or
a plover parent who abandons their chicks to fly to Hawaii.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
You're doing great, you are. So that was There are
moms Way Worse than You by Glenn Bouzam Best.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
Sellers in minutes right here on bookcasts for bookcast, I'm Pollyant.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
And I'm Sarah. Until next time.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
It really makes you think, doesn't it. What other crazy
parenting strategies are out there in the animal kingdom? And
how do we even define what good parenting is?
Speaker 1 (14:24):
Yeah, it's all relative, I guess.
Hey everyone, I'm Paul and I'm Sarah. Welcome to book Cast.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Here a book cast, we bring you the best sellers
in minutes, and today we're diving into a really interesting one.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Yeah, this one's a it's.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Called there are Moms Way Worse.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
Than You, irrefutable proof that you are indeed a fantastic parent.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Yeah, that's a title.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
It is and it's by Glenn Buzan.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
If you've ever felt like, maybe you know you're not
doing the best job as a parent, or maybe even
like a terrible job, this is a good deep dive
to listen to.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Absolutely you've ever had any of those like.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Parental anxieties, you know, the should I be doing this
or should I be doing that?
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Am I messing my kid up?
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Glenn Boozin kind of tackles that right out of the gate.
He just says, you know, all parents kind of have
those those anxieties.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
He lists them out, like right away, burping, you know
you've burpen your kid correctly?
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Are they getting enough green time?
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (00:50):
How much screen time? Is too much screen time? Are
you being too strict? Are you not being strict enough?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
And he goes all the way to like, you know
what if my kid gets into an accident and I,
you know, wasn't there to prevent it, or or what
if somebody keep the wrong preschool? Right?
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Did I pick the right preschool for my kid? Are
they gonna you know, thrive in this environment? Am I
setting them up for success or failure?
Speaker 2 (01:08):
And it's it's, you know, it's as all normal to
think about these things, but he's got a way to
kind of put this into perspective, and it's it's pretty funny.
I think it is.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
It's very clever.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
What he does is he says, okay, let's look at
the animal kingdom, because there are some moms out there
that really take the cake when it comes to questionable
parenting techniques.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Yeah, he calls them way worse moms.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Way worse moms.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
And I think for anybody listening, sometimes you just need
that perspective to realize, you know what, I might not
be perfect, but I'm definitely not in that category.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
So let's get into some of these examples. First up,
we've got hamster moms. Now, hamster moms seem cute and.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Cuddly, right, you think of them as these, you know,
little furry creatures that are just you know, kind of
scurrying around in their cages. We sometimes they eat their bites,
they just straight up yeah, which is I mean, talk
about a parenting fail, right, So.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
What's going on there? Is it just like a they're
hungry kind of thing, or well, there are a lot.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
Of theories about why this happens, and Buzen talks about
somebody's in the book.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
It could be anything.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
From you know, vitamin B deficiency in the moms. Okay,
sometimes it's stress if the environment is really stressful for them,
if there's not enough food available, interesting, if the litter
is too big, you know, maybe they just can't handle
that many babies at once. And sometimes it's even just
an unfamiliar.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Scent, like if a human has touched the babies or something.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Yeah, if the babies have been handled, you know, the
mom comes back, she's like, who are these these don't
smell like wine?
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Wow? So yeah, So that's hamster moms for you. So
you've ever you know, snapped at your kid for you know,
spooking or juice. You're doing okay, you're doing all right?
All right? Next up, we have draft moms. Now, they
always seem so graceful, they're.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
So tall, right, they've got those long necks and those
long legs that just kind of glide across the savannah.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
But when their babies are born, it's not quite so graceful.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
No, it's actually kind of brutal because baby is born,
you know, from a pretty.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Good height, like six feet six feet. Yeah, it's a
big drop.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
And then the mom what she do.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
She kicks the baby, kicks the baby, yeah, to get
it up and move it, which.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Again seems kind of harsh, but I guess when you.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Think about it, Yeah, when you think about the context, right,
they're out.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
There on the African savannah. There's lions, there's cheetahs, there's hyenas.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
There's all kinds of predators that would love to snack
on a baby. Draft, So that mom's going to get
that baby up and running as quickly as possible.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
It's survival.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Yeah, it's not about being gentle and cuddly.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
It's about making sure that your offspring can, you know,
get away from danger.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
So there you go. If you've ever you know, given
your kid a little nudge to brry them along, yeah,
you're not a bad parent. You're you're just doing what
you gotta do, all right. Next we've got Dracula and queens. Now,
these guys are really interesting because forget about hiding your
favorite treats. Dracula and Queens actually feed on the blood
(03:57):
of their own larvae.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
And they're not even subtle. I mean, there are visible
marks on the larva where the queen has been feeding.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
So how does this work? I mean, they're not like
actually sucking blood, are they.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Well it's not exactly like vampires, you know, sinking their
fangs in, but it's pretty close.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Okay, So the larva, they have this fluid called.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
Hemolymph, which is kind of like the insect version of blood,
and the queen will actually make little cuts in the
larva's skin and then lapped up the.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Hemoal imp and they're okay with this.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
Well, it doesn't kill them, but it does leave those marks,
Like I said, interesting.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
So is it like a nutritional thing? Is she just
hungry or is there some other reason?
Speaker 3 (04:37):
You know, scientists think it's actually a pretty efficient way
for the queen to get a lot of nutrients quickly.
The hemal limp is already predigested, so she doesn't have
to do a lot of work to break it down.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
So it's like a protein shake for ant queens pretty much.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Yeah, and it's interesting because even when there's other food
available in the colony, the queen seems to prefer this method.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
So there you go, Dracula ant queens. They're not exactly
winning any mother of the Year awards, but hey, at
least they're keeping their colony.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Alive, exactly. It's all about perspective, all right.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Next up, we've got sext and beetle moms. Now, if
you thought Dracula ants were weird, wait till you hear
about these guys. Sext and beetle moms raise their young
inside a decomposing animal carcass.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Yeah, and we're not talking like roadkill on the side
of the road. We're talking like a whole dead mouse
or a bird.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
So they're basically using a dead body as a nursery
pretty much.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
And they're very particular about it too.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
They actually bury the carcass, clean it up, and they
coat it with these antimicrobial secretions to try to slow
down the decomposition process.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
So they're not just like tossing their babies in there
and saying good luck.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
No, they're actually putting some effort into making it, you know.
Somewhat habitable.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
So what do the babies eat.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Well, that's the thing. The babies actually eat the carcass itself.
It's like they're all you can eat buffet.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Oh wow. So they're like little decomposers exactly.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
And here's where it gets even weirder. If the carcass
is too small to feed all of the larvae, the
mom will actually kill some of her offspring. Sure what, Yeah,
she'll call the litter to make sure that the remaining
ones have enough food to survive. That's brutal, it is,
but I guess in the insect world that's just how
it goes. Sometimes resources are scarce and you have to
(06:15):
make tough decisions.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
So there you go. Sex and beetle moms, they might
be raising their kids in a dead body, but at
least they're making sure that some of them survive.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
It's all about survival of the fittest.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
All right, let's move on to eagle moms. Now, eagles
are known for being these fierce, powerful birds, you know,
soaring through this guy.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Yeah, they're often seeing as a symbol of freedom and.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Strength, but when it comes to parenting, they can be
pretty ruthless.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
Yeah, there's this thing called sibilicide, which basically means that
the siblings.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
Kill each other.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
And this happens with eagles, it does.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
It's not in every nest, but it's fairly common.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
So what happens is the first chick to hatch is
usually bigger and stronger than the second chick, and this
bigger chick will often start to bully the smaller chick,
pecking at it and trying to push out of the.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Nest, and the parents they just let this happen.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Sometimes they'll intervene, but other times they seem to just
let it play out.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Wow. So it's like a survival of the fittest kind.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
Of thing exactly. Only the strongest chick gets to survive.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
It's kind of sad, but I guess that's nature.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Yeah. Nature can be pretty harsh, all right.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
What about panda moms. They seem so cuddly and adorable,
but I hear they can be pretty bad moms too.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Well.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
They're not exactly known for their stellar parenting skills.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
So what's the deal with them.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
First of all, the fathers play absolutely no role in
raising the cubs.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
It's all on the mom, okay.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
And even then, panda moms can have a tough time
providing enough nourishment for their cubs. Pandas eat mostly bamboo,
which is not exactly a high energy food, so their
milk production can be low.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Oh, I see.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
And then there's the whole accidental crushing thing.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Accidental crushing what do you mean?
Speaker 3 (07:51):
Well, panas are not exactly known for their grace, and
sometimes they accidentally roll over on their cubs and crush them.
Oh yeah, it's sad, but it happens. And then if
they have twins, it gets even worse. How so, Well,
pandom moms often just abandon one.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
Of the twins.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
I see, you just leave it to die.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Yeah, they can't handle raising two cubs at once, so
they just focus on the stronger one. That's heartbreaking, it is,
And even with human intervention and captive breeding programs, the
weaker twin often doesn't make it.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
So yeah, pandom moms, they might be cute, but they're
not exactly winning any mother of the year awards either.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
No, definitely not.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
All right, let's talk about Kuala moms. Now, Koala moms
do something pretty interesting or I guess you could say gross,
depending on your perspective. They feed their babies their own poop.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
I know it sounds weird, right, but there's actually good
reason for it.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Okay, I'm listening.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
So koalas eat eucalyptus leaves, which are actually toxic to
their babies.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
What.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
Yeah, the baby kouala's digestive systems can't handle the toxins in.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
The leaves, so how do they survive?
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Well, that's where the poop comes in.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
The mother Koala's digestive system neutralizes the toxins in the leaves,
and then she produces the special kind of soop called pap.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Yeah, it's kind of like.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
A predigested version of the eucalyptus leaves, and it also
contains all sorts of beneficial bacteria and nutrients that the
baby kuala needs, So.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
They're basically getting a prebiotic smoothie from their mom's.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Poop pretty much.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
Yeah, it's not the most appetizing image, but it's essential
for the baby kuala's survival.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
So there you go. If you've ever felt grossed out
by something your kid has eaten, just remember the Kuala
moms in their poop.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
It could always be worse, all right, let's.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Talk about Lnyu skink moms now. These guys are pretty extreme.
They actually eat their own eggs.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Yeah, it's definitely not something you see every day.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
So why do they do that?
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Well, it seems like it's a self preservation thing.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
Okay, So lanyu skinks they lay their eggs and then
they guard them for a while. But if they sense
that a predator is nearby, like a snake, they might
actually eat their own eggs.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
Really.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Yeah, it's like they're saying, well, if I can't save
my eggs, it might as well get some nutrition out.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Of them and deny the predator a meal.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Exactly.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
It's a pretty drastic measure, but it makes sense from
an evolutionary standpoint.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Yeah. Wow, so land use skink mombs. They're not messing around.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
No, they're definitely not right.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
What about quoca moms? Now, Quocas are those adorable little
marsupials that are always smiling.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
Yeah, they're known for being very friendly and photogenic, but
when it comes.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
To protecting their young, they have a pretty unusual method.
They actually eject their babies from their pouches.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
Yeah, it's not exactly what you expect from a cuddly
little animal like that.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
So how does this work?
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Well, when a quoka mom is being chased by a predator,
she can actually relax the muscles around her pouch and
the baby will just kind of fall out and.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
The predator goes for the baby.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
Yeah, it's like a distraction technique. The baby becomes the
bait and the mom can hopefully escape.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Wow. So it's like sacrificing one baby to save the mom.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
It's a pretty harsh reality, but it's a survival strategy
that has worked for quocas for a long time.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
So there you go. Quoka moms. They might be cute,
but they're not afraid to use their babies as a.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Shield, all in the name of survival.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
All right, let's talk about cuckoo moms. Now. Cuckoo moms
are the ultimate cheats of the bird world.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
They're known for their brood parasitism, which is a fancy
way of saying that they lay their eggs in other
birds' nests.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
So they just trick other birds into raising their.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Babies exactly, and they're very good at it too. They'll
often choose nests of birds that are smaller than them,
and they'll lay eggs that look very similar to the
host birds.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Eggs, so the host birds have no idea.
Speaker 3 (11:27):
Nope, they just think they've laid a slightly larger egg.
And then what happens, Well, the cuckoo chick usually hatches first,
and then it proceeds to push the other eggs or
chicks out of the nest.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
No way.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
Yeah, it's pretty brutal, and the host birds are none
the wiser. They just keep feeding and caring for the
cuckoo chick as if it were their own.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
So the cuckoo mom gets to have babies without doing
any of the work.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
Yep, it's the ultimate parenting hack.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
That's pretty amazing. I got given credit for that.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
It's definitely a clever strategy.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
All right. What about harp seal mongs. Now, harp steal
moms seem very devoted to their pups at first, but
it turns out it's all in act.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
While they do provide a lot of care for their
pups for the first few weeks of their lives, they
feed them this really rich milk and they keep them
warm and protected, but then after about twelve days they
just abandon them.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
What.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
Yeah, they just leave their puffs on the ice floes
and head off to mate again, and.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
The pups are just left there to fend.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
For themselves pretty much.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
They have to rely on their fat reserves to survive
until they can learn to hunt on their own. Well,
that's harsh, it is, and a lot of the pups
don't make it. It's a very high mortality rate.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
So harp seal moms, they're all about tough love.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
That's one way to put it all right.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
And finally, let's talk about Alaskan plover parents. Now, these
guys take the cake when it comes to abandoning their
young Coke. They actually leave their newly hatched chicks to
migrate to Hawaii.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
Yeah, it's one of the longest migrations of any bird species.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
So they just fly off and leave their babies behind.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
Pretty much. The chicks have to figure out how to
survive on their own.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
That's I mean, how do the chicks even know where
to go?
Speaker 3 (13:02):
Well, it's instinct. They're born with this innate drive to
migrate south.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Wow, So plover parents, they're not zatly winning any parent
of the Year awards either.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
No, they're definitely not. But hey, at least they get
to spend the winter in Hawaii.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
So there you have it. A whole bunch of examples
of moms in the animal kingdom that are way worse.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Than you, and dads too.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Actually, oh yeah, that's right. The book also talks about
some pretty.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
Bad dads, like male pipefish who can actually control the
nutrients that go to their developing embryos and they'll sometimes
starve the weaker embryos to death.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
And then there are horse stallions who will sometimes kill
the folds of other stallions.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
That's brutal, it is, but it's all about ensuring that
their own genes are passed on.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
So yeah, dads can be pretty bad too.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
It's not just a mom thing.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
So the next time you're feeling guilty about your parenting,
just remember all of these examples.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
And take comfort in the fact that you're doing a
much better job than a hamster mom who eats her
babies or a giraffe mom who kicks her calf or
a plover parent who abandons their chicks to fly to Hawaii.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
You're doing great, you are. So that was There are
moms Way Worse than You by Glenn Bouzam Best.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
Sellers in minutes right here on bookcasts for bookcast, I'm Pollyant.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
And I'm Sarah. Until next time.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
It really makes you think, doesn't it. What other crazy
parenting strategies are out there in the animal kingdom? And
how do we even define what good parenting is?
Speaker 1 (14:24):
Yeah, it's all relative, I guess.
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