We Made This Political Podcast
We Made This Political Podcast
Podcast Description
Lauren Hall and Lura Forcum talk together and with guests about what political science, psychology, and parenting has taught them about making politics better for everyone. wemadethispolitical.substack.com
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on themes of political engagement, civic education, and the dynamics of parenting paired with political discourse, with episodes discussing the importance of independent thinking in politics, overcoming partisanship, and strategies for constructive political engagement.

Lauren Hall and Lura Forcum talk together and with guests about what political science, psychology, and parenting has taught them about making politics better for everyone.
In the final episode of their parenting series, hosts Laura Forcum and Lauren Hall recap conversations with Peter Gray, Darby Saxby, and Helen Roy, focusing on what it would mean to take care seriously in a culture that undervalues and genders care. They discuss how care has become siloed and often invisible through professionalization, regulation, and divided civic spaces, with COVID highlighting schools as major providers of childcare. They argue that weakened communal networks and heightened risk aversion reduce alloparenting, limit children’s practice navigating different rules, and contribute to passivity and reliance on authority. Linking self-knowledge, intuition, and agency to civic health, they emphasize cultivating agency through habits, discomfort, chores, and solitude, aiming for flourishing rather than comfort, and close by recommending prior episodes and sharing family milestones.
00:00 Final Episode Setup
01:37 Why Care Matters
04:44 Punch the Monkey Lesson
10:10 COVID Revealed Childcare
12:18 Care in Public Spaces
15:18 Small Town Responsibility
17:29 Losing Care Skills
21:03 Regulation Makes Help Hard
24:58 Alloparenting and Risk
27:09 Discipline and Flexibility
32:58 Self Trust and Authority
35:46 Judging Law as Citizens
37:57 Intuition and Power
39:37 Agency Against Authority
43:49 Systems That Train Compliance
46:21 Civic Solitude and Boredom
49:22 Parenting for Values
59:06 Flourishing Not Comfort
01:01:11 Civic Mindset at Home
01:02:46 Wrap Up and Gratitude
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