Two Doting Dads with Matty J & Ash - #55 BONUS Three Doting Dads and One Doting Mum feat. The Buckleys

Episode Date: March 24, 2024

James and Clair Buckley's parenting life began when they first met in their early twenties. At that time, James was filming a movie spinoff about the popular TV show The Inbetweeners. Imagine their surprise when they found out Clair was pregnant after only six months of knowing each other!  Matt and Ash chat to James and Clair about what it's like to raise kids in England and all the other things that come with being a Buckley.  Check out Sickness And In Health Podcasthttps://open.spotify.com/show/62lDZO6FSNG1b9nHRrGaLG Check out the YouTube channel At Home With The Buckleys https://www.youtube.com/@AtHomeWithTheBuckleys Slide into our DM's @twodotingdads with any parenting question you need answered by a couple of doting dads. If you need a shoulder to cry on:  Two Doting Dads Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/639833491568735/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTwoDotingDads  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twodotingdads/  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@twodotingdads  Email: [e-mail] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You know how you got done with the salmon today? I did get done with the salmon. Before I came here for this record, I had a salmon. A whole salmon. Thai salmon. And I opened the lid off the takeaway container and I was like, that's very fishy. And then I was just eating it.

I was like, well, I'm starving. I've got to eat this before I come for the record. And Laura, who was in the other end of the room, she was like, what, I'm starving. I've got to eat this before I come for the record. And Laura, who was in the other end of the room, she was like, what the fuck is that? Salmon will be the undoing of this show. Hey. welcome. You're listening to us. It's because it's a Monday.

That's weird. It's a bonus episode day. Yeah, we have a really, really special guest. Excited about this one. They go by the Buckleys. One is James Buckley and the other is Claire. You may know James Buckley as Jay. From The Inbetweeners. She told me that you'd watched the series about 300 times.

I still have it on DVD. So are you like a little bit, this is like meeting Michael Jackson. Well, during this whole chat, I had an erection. They're lucky. You're lucky. We're all lucky. But they also have a YouTube youtube as well as a podcast called in sickness and in health claire is is a very skilled youtuber and podcaster and they've

been together for a long time they're only young they're about our age but they've been together for about 14 years they've got two boys both of whom are quite old they're like almost teenagers now so it was great to speak to two parents who are our age, but much further down the line of their parenting journey. And their parenting style seemed very relaxed. Very chilled out. Almost too chilled out. Anyway, enjoy.

Anyway, enjoy. Welcome to Three Doting Dads and One Doting Mum. I am Matty J. I'm Ash. I'm James. And I'm Claire. This is a podcast all about parenting. It's the good, the bad.

And the relatable. And if you've come wanting any type of advice, I have to tell you right now I'm going to stop you in your tracks and say unfortunately today none will be given. Maybe the Buckleys will have some advice for us. They have got slightly older kids than what we have, Matt. So we've come here, James and Claire, wanting to get some advice from yourselves because Ash and I, we both have two kids each, similar ages, about five and three-ish, two-ish, three-ish?

Three, two. Ish, yeah, I like that. We're looking to you. You've come to the right place, yeah, absolutely. I've got all the secrets. I know exactly what I'm doing. Why are you looking at me like that? Before we go into your kids, I do want to know, I like a love story

and I'd like to see if you can cast your memories back to when you first met. Was it like 13, 14, 15 years ago maybe? 14 years ago. 14, yeah. Yeah, this year. Yeah, 14 years ago. Flown by.

Yeah. The two of you locked eyes in the room. Do you remember, was it love at first sight? Pretty much was. Yeah, I would have said. I don't like really going all mushy and stuff, but it was. It was pretty much. Well, obviously, you know, first of all, I was like, good golly,

that's an attractive lady. My Lord. Let's go and talk to her. And then we started talking and about two minutes into the conversation we'd start talking about music and the Beatles and I was like, all right, well, I'm just in love with you now. Yeah. That's it.

What about you, Claire? Was it love at first sight when you saw James? Yeah, same. Yeah. I heard there's something you really loved about his hair. I do. I love it. I mean, not today.

Yeah, I'm getting told off because, listen, no offence, guys, but I couldn't be bothered to have a shower. I've got to have one tomorrow. How dare you? I don't like to shower too much. It's too much hard. No, it's not good for the skin. That's literally what you just said.

My skin gets all flaky and stuff. So I just stuck a little woolly hat on and you're a bit angry about it, aren't you? Oh, you look ridiculous. I think he looks fantastic. I thought you were great. I thought you really judged yourself out for this. Thank you.

Cheers, guys. Yeah, yeah, yeah. When you guys had your first conversation, was it then and there that you said, hey, can we do this again? Can we see each other once more? your first conversation, was it then and there that you said, hey, can we do this again? Can we see each other once more? It was pretty instant that we were a bit like, okay, I guess this is it then. And we were like, yeah, I guess so.

We very quickly talked about. We met in a different town to where we both live. So we were both like away. We were both out away. And I was like, well, I'm going to go home now. Do you want to just come home with me? All the way home? Yeah.

And it was like miles and miles away. It was a couple of hundred miles away. Whereabouts were you? We were in Liverpool in England in James, what is it? South? Southeast, yeah. And? South East, yeah. And obviously I'm from Scotland. So, yeah, rather than going back up, I went back down with James.

Back down. And that was it. It took everything in me to not do a I went back down joke. Yeah. Honestly, it was. I know, I know. Trust me, I had to hold my tongue on that too. That's why I said back down.

Yeah. Because I nearly said I went down with James. Honestly, I'm sweating a little bit. That was probably the fucking lie. Sorry, do you swear on this? Yeah, you can swear as much as you like. I'm Australian, Claire. Don't you worry.

Okay, good. Fuck me. Very good. Very good. Thank you worry. Okay, good. Fuck me. Very good. Very good. Thank you. That's very good. The listeners will be like, don't know if that was Ash or James right there. Fuck me.

Do you remember how soon it was that you started talking about the idea of having kids? Yeah, pretty much straight away. Yeah. It's kind of embarrassing. Was it in the car ride? Well, pretty much. Listen, even though I know that sounds a bit weird.

Sounds mental. It was more that... It's quick. I'll be honest. It's very quick. It was more that we were both huge Beatles fans and that's basically the cornerstone of our whole relationship. Our children wouldn't exist if that band didn't exist.

It's very possible. It's so bizarre when you think like that. They weren't conceived during the Beatles, were they? They were born to the Beatles. They were born to the Beatles, both of them, yeah. Oh, my goodness, really? What song? What song?

Yeah, yeah. So Harrison was born to Sgt. Peppers and Jude was born to Hey Jude, which is how we got his name. Yeah. Oh, wow wow but straight away when we were chatting about the Beatles and music

and all that sort of stuff I said to James just a sort of off the cuff remark I was like my first born if it's a boy I want to call him Harrison

after George Harrison and James just sort of went yeah yeah that's fine and I was like oh okay so we're doing this together this is the man for me yeah because that was what it was because when we first started talking about the Beatles and I don't I don't want this to become a Beatles podcast we're actually going to change the name I sort of I sort of did a little test where I said oh well who's your

favorite Beatle and I was expecting her to go, well, I really like Paul or I really like John because that's what most people say. Or Ringo. And then she said, oh, I love, my favourite is George, George Harrison. And I was like, that's mine. That's my, yeah, George is my favourite Beatle. He's very easy to please, was James. In my opinion.

You like George. I like George. I like George too. It's like two kids at a playground. Yeah. Who's your favourite Power Ranger? The red one is the right answer to that. No, it's the green one, but carry on.

Pink one, pink one. And, I mean, you fell pregnant with Harrison pretty quick after you guys met. So I've heard. Yeah. Was it six months? It was, yeah. How do I muck about?

And you were quite young as well, like early 20s. Yeah, I was 20, just on 22 when I got pregnant. So, yeah. I was the same age as my parents when they had me. Yeah, but I think. Yeah, same. Were your friends, your peers, were they settling down at a similar age or were you the first lot to have kids?

Yeah, we were definitely the first. I mean, I had a couple of people that I'd went to school with that had had a kid growing up at the same time, but definitely the people that we knew, like your mates and my mates, we were very early compared to them. Some of our friends have just had a kid. Yeah, it's crazy.

You're like, fucking hurry up. Yeah, and we're like, we're done. No, I was trying to warn them. I was going, keep going. Don't ruin now. Don't stop it now. You can still do all the stuff you want to do. Yeah.

You know, if you get on a plane, it doesn't cost four times as much anymore. That's what I think about as well because we are still young. We could have another one, couldn't we, really? But I always go, it's another plane ticket. Yeah. When you go on holiday. Yeah. And they cost a fortune.

Not another mouth to feed, just a plane ticket. It's tough though because like we always talk about, well, Ash has had the snip. I'm on the fence a bit with the third. But everyone I've spoken to, every parent that is now in a position where they can't have kids, but they've got two kids and they ummed and ahed about about a third they all say the same thing which is we regret not having a third really are you trying to talk them into having it i'm just

wondering i'm just wondering if you guys have ever you know you're you're debating do we have a third do we how do you make that decision of like we're calling it quits we did talk about it for a little while so we had both our boys really quickly together um i mean it was like 20 months or something yeah i was 22 got pregnant had harrison at 23 pregnant at 24 had jude at 25 so it was just like this constant wow and in between that we got married we bought our house all that sort of stuff so after j Jude was born, obviously we were like, okay, let's take a break, just relax for a little bit. Just keep practising.

Well, yeah. And then... I keep telling you, I'm not going to get any better if you don't let me do it more often. I think for a little while, I think especially because we had two boys, we did talk, maybe when Jude was maybe four or five,

we sort of ummed and ahed a little bit about, should we try for a girl? Maybe, maybe not. But I think eventually we just decided, no, we're good. It's another 18 years on the sentence isn't it it's you know you've got to start all over again because by the time our boys are like 16 17 18 we'll still be in our early 40s and i'm looking forward to you know friday evening just go into them right me and your

mum we're fucking off for the weekend we're gonna go and do all that stuff that we couldn't do for the last sort of 18 years. Yeah, by the time I'm 18, I'm going to be 50. As long as the house looks like this when we get back, then all cool. We won't ask any questions. Don't call us. Don't get into any trouble.

We'll see you on Monday. Well, it happens so quick. And if you guys are the first out of your friends to have kids and you guys are, you got, all of a sudden you got two kids, are you thinking to yourselves like, shit, what have we done? We're now like, you know, we can't go out. We can't party as much. I'm there like, I'm breastfeeding.

Yeah, the difference between one and two is huge. Absolutely huge. Like when we, when we had Harrison um I mean not that we had him for very long before Judd turned up but he was almost two um when Judd came along so for those first two years we could still do whatever you know you want to go to a gig or go out for the day it's so much easier just packing one up and, you know, getting them in the car and going and doing things. When you've got two, it's just a bit like, we'll just stay in. Logistical nightmare, isn't it?

Yeah. Twice as many things to pack. As James puts it, it's like an extra plane ticket. Exactly. Another car seat. It wasn't really a big deal because I like, my favourite thing to do is to sit on my couch and watch television with a beer. And it wasn't, you know, when the kids turned up, it wasn't really a drastic change of situation for me personally.

I'd still just watch movies and things in my house because I've got everything that I want in my house. That's the point of a house, isn't it? You put all your stuff that you like in that house so you don't have to go outside. I'm like that if we do go on holiday, don't we? It's nice, like sitting by a pool and stuff in the sun. It's good for about 45 minutes. Then I get bored. I'm like, oh, all my video games and stuff are at home.

All my stuff's at home. Yeah, all my toys and things. With both of your kids, do they have the same sort of personality or do you find that one is more like Claire and one's more like james or yeah they're totally different i think they've got bits of each of us in them but they are totally different the funny thing because you see quite one of them's great one of them you see quite a lot people always talk about the second born like your first born's always great and then your second born comes along and they're a little savage.

But that was true for Jude when he was little, but now it's changing. So Jude, our youngest, is just so lovely and reserved and really concerned about everybody else's feelings and he's really laid back wants everybody to be happy you know that sort of stuff whereas our oldest has always been a bit it's because he's always had a bit of this going on he's always because he had like almost a couple of years of it just being him and he and like he was the first like we were saying like he was the first grandchild he was the first one about out of

all of our mates. He was like this special thing that turned up that everyone was super impressed with. He was the main character. Yes. That's how we describe him. He tells me a story and stuff, and I'm always talking about,

oh, did this happen in Harrison the movie? Because in his head, in his head, he is just the main character of his film. Whereas Jude, sometimes you don't even know if he's in the house. Like he's just... He's always here. He's just cool, just getting on with his own thing. He doesn't need any attention. He doesn't need anyone to tell him how great he is,

whereas the other one needs a little bit of, oh, that's really good, well done. Yeah, I wonder where he gets that from. Well, you know. I've always wanted to know, at this age, my eldest is five, and I'm fortunate that I can really, within reason, I can behave in any which way, and she's always going to love me at this age.

But when the kids get older, did you ever find yourself going, oh, shit, I'm really really i'm drifting apart now from my my child as i grow into like you know being previous well i feel from what we've been told we're not we're just about to maybe enter that yeah so harrison's 12 but i find it really difficult we're all really close we do hang out with each other a lot and we we're genuinely mates like all of us as a family we all just really like each other because that's the thing as well you might not like them you might not because they are they're they're even though they're your child they are a completely different

human being you don't like everyone on the planet do you you might not you know no exactly right exactly point you might just sort of have a slightly different sense of humour and things, just go, all right, well, anyway. But, no, we all get on great and we love hanging out with each other, eating together, watching films together, taking the piss out of each other. But I do see a little bit of a change just with, so Jude's 10 and Harrison's 12. He's going to be, Harrison's going to be 13 this year.

So I do see a little bit of a change just between the two boys where you know Jude will still kiss me on the lips and you know like won't mind cuddling in and all that stuff and Harrison still does a little bit but you can sort of see it changing a little bit um you know you get judd at the at the bath or you grab his towel for him whatever and he's like yeah whereas then you can see harrison sort of like can you just leave the towel like i'll i can do it i'll manage so those little things are sort of changing he's becoming a little man yeah independent yeah which breaks my heart a little bit james you mentioned that you're all mates when it comes to having to bit. James, you mentioned that you're all mates.

When it comes to having to discipline them, is it much harder that you're all mates? Yeah. No, it's weird. We were talking about this actually and I brought it up in one of our vlogs as a sort of little discussion so that people can comment and stuff because I saw a clip online of whoopi goldberg just saying you cannot you cannot be friends with your children you have they have to know that you

are an adult and you're in charge and i was like but that's why that's why parenting is difficult yeah because that's why it's really really hard because you've got to be both you've got to be their mate and you've got to be able to tell them, right, knock that on the head, and they listen to you. That's where it's really tough. Otherwise, it'd be easy. Easy to just be, you know, classic miserable old dad that's just there to turn up whenever they need the telling off. Or easy to just be a mate and just go, oh, I don't know how to deal with this.

Can I just get you some ice cream? Really difficult to do both. It's um it's a fine line isn't it yeah it is and it is you know and some days some days some days your friends all day and some days you're you know it's not so great i definitely think we again especially we're older one who's now you know at high school and stuff and you do how and he's got his own phone now which he just got when he when he started secondary school so there are these different situations that we've never dealt with before where it's sort of like you know you have to be really responsible with this and you have and if you know you do something stupid or you lose it

or whatever it might be there's going to be consequences because this is real grown-up stuff now and you have to, you know, so there's a little bit of a difference. But I think in terms of disciplining, I think we walk the line quite well. They know what they can and can't do. Obviously, they push, well, Harrison pushes boundaries. But, you know, I think he knows when mum and dad aren't happy with him and can't do. Obviously they push, well, Harrison pushes boundaries, but, you know,

I think he knows when mum and dad aren't happy with him and because we are mates, that upsets him as well because he wants to just come in and have fun and play his guitar with his dad and stuff.

So it's, it's better just to do what you're supposed to do. It's probably only been a couple of times that I've really had to tell him off. But other than that, like like what's your go-to for punishment don't even take the ipad just see what they're doing yeah what take his guitar away i lock mine in the cupboard find

something find something that they really love i don't find something they really love and just burn it in front of them. Barbecue the guitar. We were talking on the way here and I was saying that my dad used to threaten me with, if I didn't put the dishes away, he'd put them in my bed. Nice. Yeah, I like that. Let's get the shit out. I like that sort of physical really making a point.

Yeah, because it would have been easier for him to have just done the dishes and said, next time, do you want to do the dishes you asked or something like that do you want to make more noise yeah so we're just plugging in the laptop claire's there wrestling with an intruder but i like the um the commitment to really going above and beyond right i'm going to get all these dishes and i'm going to put them in his bed that's great yeah i don't have the um it honestly scared me straight that's it that is it yeah no um but luckily enough our kids are quite cool they're not they're all right they're really polite and nice young gentlemen especially when we leave the house um sometimes we tell people our mates stories about them and what they got up to and what they said and things and i can't see it do not see that is there a story that comes to mind just general cheekiness just um

like harrison's at that age where he can or he is he's quite bright, which can be quite dangerous in a kid because he can tie you up in logic a little bit. And then sometimes all I've got to go back on. I think this is more about you. No, you know what he's like, though. You'll have an argument with him and then he will say something that makes total sense. And you'll go, well, I don't care about that. I'm the dad and you're the son yeah so just that's how this works just do what i'd say that's all i want how dare

they develop a brain exactly but when we go out opinions no thank you when we're out and about people are always complimenting us telling us how um and we you know we haven't done anything we haven't really i don't know why it's just lucky isn't it speak for yourself no come on we haven't done anything. We haven't really. I don't know why. It's just lucky, isn't it? Speak for yourself. No, come on. We haven't really. I've been busy all these years while you've been wanking me harm on the telly.

It's like what you're saying. That's from the in-betweeners, by the way. I'm aware of the scene. I'm aware of the scene. I'm aware of the scene. Let's just quickly touch on that. Do you, kids are getting older. Do they know who you are, James? Yeah, no.

He's constantly telling them. Yeah, I'm always making sure. Who wants to watch another episode? Dad, no. No, when they are naughty, I do get them to polish my wards. No, that's not true. But do you have to explain to them, like, you know, I guess because if people coming up to you in public,

you have to say, you know, not only, you know, you have a TV show, but you've got the podcast, you've got the vlog, so that must draw a lot of eyeballs when you're out in the street. Yeah, yeah, but they've grown up with it. Yeah, I mean, James was doing The Inbetween us before we even met so they've since they were little they've always known you know people want pictures with their dad for some reason and then as they got older i mean when we went to australia to film the second film the kids were there judd was just a

baby but harrison was a you know a little toddler so he he knows it and it's you know it's sort of cliched but it's boring for him like he couldn't care less he's just used to it yeah the kids have not seen anything they've not seen and they've never seen the in-betweeners they know of it and they know they know the boys from the show and stuff they've never seen it i mean i'd listen i'm pretty lazy when it comes to parenting, but I do feel like we'd have social services turn up at the door if they'd be watching the in-betweeners. Claire, when it comes to keeping the spark alive,

can you give us any advice there? Please. The spark life, as soon as i hear those words i'll go on then that's it i know i know she loves me just make it quick hurry up confidence that is and that's it that's this that i cannot imagine being more excited that's that's that's that's all it takes there's a hint of sarcasm no not no sarcasm at all whatsoever that's my best day that's how that's how i want to go out that's how i want to die well we'll see if we can make that happen um keeping the spark alive i don't know we're not we're not very sparky people you know we're we're setting our ways over here we're old the kids are older we've got you know the

dishwasher constantly needs empty there's just stuff to be done no need for sparks we are we're just from the outside looking in gone the banter that you guys have together is something that I think like, I don't know, just so fluent and whenever I watch videos of you guys, it's like I think that everyone should have that banter in their relationship. Would you agree with that? Yeah. Do you guys love that? There's no spark.

There's no spark. It's more like a glowing ember that's constantly. Oh, that's beautiful. It's just a little flicker there, a little glow. It might spark up. There might be something, you know, after we've had a couple of beers on your birthday. No, I think...

I do think... I say this quite a lot because we get that question a lot, like, do you really get on as well as... You know, it looks like you're doing stuff and we do i mean obviously not 24 7 i mean he gets on my nerves a lot of the time this is news to me you should have mentioned something i just had to make him take a poncho off he was wearing a poncho to do this podcast a poncho a poncho it's a podcast. A poncho? A poncho. It's a bit... Not one of the...

A pond. A pond. Poncho. Like a rain poncho. Like a Clint Eastwood. Oh, I like it. No. It's like a little Clint Eastwood.

Claire, you're not into that? No, I was like, get that over. And I only bought it to wind her up. I'm guessing it's cold there, right? It's a little bit chilly. Not cold enough for a willolly hat and a poncho. But I think what I would say is that we're genuinely friends. Like, we get on.

If you take marriage at the equation and the whole, like, oh, we're together because we're in love and we're married and all that stuff. If you take that me and james can you know go to the pub and sit and chat for four hours and have some drinks we can watch a film we can get a take like we just we genuinely enjoy spending time together and he does i think we make each other laugh like we can we can have fun absolutely with the the marriage stuff. With it's sex, remember that. You can always have fun with it's sex.

Yeah, I know. Yeah. I know, you keep saying. I always think if only Ash would give me a blowjob, it would be a match made in heaven. There you go, yeah. I'm frigid. I'm frigid like that.

That's it. I mean, as soon as us blokes realise we can just do that to each other, you ladies are in trouble. The worst thing is if we learn how to do it to ourselves, then that's the breakdown of society. Yeah, yeah. I have been practising for 20-odd years. You've all tried.

The older I get, the less flexible I get too. There was always that rumour at school that somebody could do it to themselves, wasn't there? Yeah. I'd never reach, no matter how flexible I am. I'd never be able to get there. Even though you're never going to get there, it's definitely worth a try.

That's what I always say. All right. Claire's not into the self-blood job trade. Sorry, sorry, sorry. When you think back at the 12 years of parenting, is there anything that you think, oh, gosh, I wish I knew this 12 years ago before I embarked on this journey? I'm going to say something, but it's so cliche and annoying,

but it's so true. I genuinely wish, because people tell you all the time, but I genuinely wish if I could go back in time put a condom on no i genuinely wish i knew how fast it goes and i know people tell you that all the time like i'll enjoy it and they're only little for so long and that sort of stuff and but every day when you're doing it when you've got a two-year so long and that sort of stuff but every day when you're doing it when you've got a two year old or a three year old

every day you're like this is I've been here for years like what why is nothing why can nobody still feed themselves

or wipe their own arse and they are they're fucking useless when they first turn up as well they can't even lift their own heads up they're just standing

there flopping about you've got to roll their heads for them and stuff. You go, where are you going to survive? You're never going to – you need to shape up. But before you know it, they're going to be a teenager and, you know, it really genuinely does just go so quick. It makes me a bit sad.

Yeah, we're in the thick of it, sort of two, three-year-olds at the moment where it's like – I think that they're smarter than we give them credit for because they're not that useless. I've seen, my youngest, I've seen a Finn for herself without me, but I know what you mean. And look, it does go really fast. Like having, you know, both Matt and I have five-year-olds now, I look at photos from a couple of years ago and I go, holy shit.

Like it went, it was slow, but then you look back and it was really good. It's like a holiday really. Is there a phase that you miss the most i really miss the toddler two three two and three yeah they were just so funny because they say like i've got this video that i watch of jude which is really bad but he heard um he for some reason he heard bullshit somewhere right the word bullshit which isn't really something that we even see it's quite an american but he just would not stop saying it he was just walking around this bullshit bullshit bullshit that's bullshit and obviously like you are laughing at the time, but you're like, that's very bad. You don't say that's a bad one, you go through that.

But just looking back at those things where they were just... Because they're nutters, aren't they? Toddlers are just insane. Ah, yeah. They're maniacs. Little drunk people. Yeah, they are. And they're hilarious.

Yeah. So I do, I really miss that. That's the problem when kids swear though because your immediate reaction is to laugh because it is funny it's really oh yeah it is funny it's hilarious but then it's too late then i don't even tell them off you can't turn around and go right well don't do that i know i laughed and found it really funny that's sad if they get a laugh, they're going to keep... I'm not going to understand that. It's like you. I know. If you get a laugh, you're going to keep doing it. Exactly. But I...

The kids are... I don't know what it is about my memory, but the way the kids are now are just how I always remember them. And I've said that for years. I've just been like, well, they're just like they are now. So, like, Jude now, he's going to be 11 this year. now. So like Jude now, he's going to be 11 this year. Yeah.

He's baby Jude. He's going to be 11 this year. Yeah, wow. And like COVID was only, well, I keep saying only a couple of years ago. Four years ago this year. So he was six. Yeah. He was six years old.

Yeah. But COVID was only last week. I think the COVID thing did. But COVID was only last week. I think the COVID thing did... I think it did put, like, a little weird time warp on everybody's timelines because I did just feel like I missed a year. You missed a couple of years.

And I was kind of like, oh... Like, before you knew it, they were actually two years old and we hadn't done anything. It was odd, wasn't it? It was. I miss it. I loved it. Yeah, I was in lockdown way before it was cool to be in lockdown. Before it was a fad, you were just like,

I've been doing this for years. I got a phone call. It was like, oh, it's good to see you. I haven't seen you for ages. How are you getting on in lockdown? I was like, what are you talking about? You didn't even know what was going on? What's that?

You're not allowed to leave your house. That's fine's that? You're not allowed to leave your house You're not allowed to leave your house You're not allowed to see people You're not allowed to go anywhere Me and James were like Oh, that's perfect Brilliant Heaven

Brilliant We just want to say Thank you so much for your time Thank you for having us It sounds like you've got it fucking dialed Do you reckon? Yeah You're killing it

It doesn't feel like it Well, just so you know From the outside you reckon? Yeah. You're killing it. It doesn't feel like it. Well, just so you know, from the outside looking in, it looks like you're killing it. That's all we're doing, though. That's all we're doing. It's difficult to give child advice anyway because they're all different, these kids. They've all got their own combination and you learn.

That's what I would say to someone just about to have a child because it is daunting, isn't it? It's scary. You want to be a good parent. And you'll learn you'll learn what works you'll learn what doesn't and you'll be fine you'll be absolutely fine found words from a very confident man yeah surprisingly confident for uh have you heard have you guys heard of the jeremy carl show over in australia yeah yeah yeah so. Well, I lived in London for four years, so I watched it a bit. It was this talk show and it was all these nutters and stuff. Where are you going with this?

No, but I just used to, because I remember one day I was like, fuck, I'm going to be a dad and I'm not, I've never been good at anything. So I really imagine I'm going to make a mess of this. Right. And I was watching the Jeremy Carl show during the day and I was just like... It's kind of like Jerry Springer. Yeah, like Jerry Springer.

You get sort of... Oh, okay, okay. It's a bit trashy. Yeah. And I was just thinking, well, these have all got kids. That was the bar you said. And they're all still alive and stuff. That was the bar.

Yeah, I was like, well, if they can do it, I can do it. Fair enough. Just got to be a little bit Better than that A little bit better It'd be like A married couple coming on And the husband would be on

And he'd be like You slept with my grandma And I'd be like Well these guys These guys are all They're still You work it out It needs to be like

When you like When you leave hospital It's like you get your blanket You get get, you know, the goodie bag. And that should be like a DVD of Jeremy Collins. Like, if you're ever feeling stressed out, watch an episode. Just stay above this and you're fine. Nib just going to judge you. That's solid advice.

There you go. That is solid advice. Legend. Thanks again, guys. Thank you so much. Appreciate you guys jumping on. Well, how did you find that big guy? That was good big man

Our first English guest And our first couple that we've had on the podcast Which is quite nice I'd like to do more couples In an interviewing sense Oh okay Laura look out And we'll see where things go

But yeah Nice to speak to others Who were just doing a bloody great job at parenting. Now, it was great to talk to them. If you have any other people, individuals that you think, hey, they'd be great to have on the podcast as a guest, please send them our way, either in our DMs or our email. I believe it is. Hello. Hello, at twododingdads.com. It'll be in the show notes. In the show notesdads.com it'll be in the show notes

in the show notes yes we'll also put in the show notes a link to James and Claire's YouTube and their podcast why not

why not why not very generous of you I'm a generous guy you are a generous guy and as always asking politely for you to just

you know please review subscribe a few stars and I's so cute i'm about to shit myself with this salmon so i'm gonna get out of here i've already shit myself so i'm good okay two doting dads podcast acknowledges the traditional custodians of country throughout

australia and their connections to land sea community. We pay our respects to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today. This episode was recorded on Gadigal land.