Having kids changes almost everything, including who you are, how you spend your time, and how you experience your marriage.

In this episode of @JonesFamilyPlaybook , we get honest about something parents don't always say out loud: we love being parents, but we also miss parts of the lives we had before kids.

We talk about losing our freedom, struggling to find time for each other, date nights that feel rushed, and the challenge of making time for ourselves while raising two young boys.

We also look back at who we were when we first met, how becoming parents changed our identities, and whether it's possible to miss your old life while still loving the life you've built.

And then Holly shares the story of the first time she saw Keith at NBC10 in Philadelphia, a moment she says she'll never forget. ❤️

If you're a parent who's ever wondered, “Where did the old me go?” or “How do we find our way back to each other?” this conversation is for you.

Watch the full episode, then LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and SHARE The Jones Family Playbook with another parent who needs to hear this.

OUR LINKS

https://linktr.ee/jonesfamilyplaybook

👋🏻 ABOUT US

The Jones Family Playbook is a weekly parenting and marriage podcast hosted by Keith and Holly Jones, two broadcast journalists and working parents raising two young boys.

It's where real love, laughter, and parenthood meet — with honest conversations about marriage, parenting, family life, work, and everything that comes with raising a family.

Follow Holly!

www.instagram.com/HollyHarrarTV

Follow Keith!

www.instagram.com/KeithJonesNews

#Parenting #Parenthood #MarriageAfterKids #parenthoodgoals #Fatherhood #Motherhood #DadLife #MomLife #TheJonesFamilyPlaybook

Going back to work after parental leave sounds simple… until you come home and your toddler stops running to you.

Keith is back at work after 16 weeks of paternity leave, trying to balance fatherhood, marriage, and a demanding career... all while wondering if going back to work is changing his relationship with his toddler and 4-month-old.

In this episode of The Jones Family Playbook, Keith opens up about the guilt of going back to work and what it felt like when his two-year-old stopped rushing to the door to greet him.

Then, after their toddler falls off the bed and reaches for Dad for comfort, something changes. That moment gives Keith the reassurance he desperately needed: going back to work didn’t mean his boys loved him any less.

Keith and Holly also talk honestly about sharing the mental load, staying connected as husband and wife, why dads sometimes feel pressure to “just deal with it,” and whether work can actually be a healthy escape from parenting.

And as two journalists and parents, they discuss how becoming parents has completely changed the way they experience and report the news.

In this episode:

• Returning to work after parental leave

• Returning to work after paternity leave

• Dad guilt and working-parent guilt

• Parenting two young boys

• What happens when your toddler stops running to you

• Balancing marriage, parenting, and a demanding career

• The pressure fathers feel to provide

• Work-life balance for working parents

• How becoming parents changes your identity

• How parenthood changes the way journalists see the news

• Why communication matters when both parents are overwhelmed

OUR LINKS

https://linktr.ee/jonesfamilyplaybook

👋🏻 ABOUT US

The Jones Family Playbook is a weekly parenting and marriage podcast hosted by Keith and Holly Jones, two broadcast journalists and working parents raising two young boys.

It's where real love, laughter, and parenthood meet — with honest conversations about marriage, parenting, family life, work, and everything that comes with raising a family.

Follow Holly!

www.instagram.com/HollyHarrarTV

Follow Keith!

www.instagram.com/KeithJonesNews

#Parenting #DadLife #WorkingDad #ParentalLeave #Fatherhood #ToddlerParenting #Marriage #FamilyPodcast

Having a second baby can bring a marriage closer together, but it can also leave you completely exhausted. In this episode of The Jones Family Playbook, we get honest about what life is really like with two boys under two.

And there's a special guest joining us the entire time: our infant son, Callan!

We also play Red Flag or Green Flag, debating everything from going to bed angry and opposite-sex friends to separate vacations, splitting household chores, and whether couples who never argue are actually a red flag.

Then we get into one of our biggest parenting conversations yet: Are the "terrible twos" really terrible? We talk toddler tantrums, boundaries, discipline, independence, and why parents may be too quick to label normal learning behavior as "bad behavior."

In this episode:

Life with two boys under two

How baby #2 has changed our marriage

Marriage, exhaustion and finding time for each other

Red Flag or Green Flag: relationships and parenting

Going to bed angry

Opposite-sex friendships in marriage

Separate vacations and separate bedrooms

Splitting household chores

The mental load and who does more at home

Using AI for parenting advice

Toddler tantrums and boundaries

The "terrible twos" debate

Gentle parenting vs. firm discipline

Toddler independence and stranger danger

Why normal learning behavior isn't necessarily "bad behavior"

Parenting two very different boys

And, of course, plenty of Callan 🥰

OUR LINKS

https://linktr.ee/jonesfamilyplaybook

👋🏻 ABOUT US

The Jones Family Playbook is where real love, laughter, and parenthood meet. Hosted by Holly and Keith, two broadcast journalists and working parents, this weekly podcast brings a blend of humor, honesty, and heart to every conversation, creating a trusted space that feels like a growing family.

Follow Holly!

www.instagram.com/HollyHarrarTV

Follow Keith!

www.instagram.com/KeithJonesNews

All Rights Reserved.

Copyright 2026.

#Parenting #Marriage #ParentingTwoKids #ToddlerParenting #MomAndDad #FamilyPodcast #TerribleTwos