What’s it like for an introverted parent?  How do they connect and find that support? The world of parenting is hard enough.  In this episode, The Dads talk to author Julie Vick and her new book Babies Don’t Make Small Talk (So Why Should I?) Filled with expert advice combined with razor sharp wit and humor, Julie takes The Dads through the ins and outs of being an introverted parent. Get your copy of Babies Don’t Make Small Talk (So Why Should I?) and join The Dads and Julie Vick on this fun episode. 

4:00-Before The Dads get into the conversation with Julie Vick, they talk about the first car they ever had.  Why?  Because Mike’s oldest daughter is getting her very first car.  Larry had a Pontiac Sunbird with a spoiler on the trunk and flip up headlights.  Larry is full of surprises. Mick says that he had a Chevy Berretta, but let’s be honest, he probably had a tractor first and won’t admit it. Shannon had a 1980 Sky Blue Extended Bed Ford.  Mike brings up the rear with his first car, a 1985 Buick Somerset with a digital dash.  

17:41-Mick gives a Chicken Update by opening up on which is the ugliest chicken in his coop. 

19:33-And our interview with Julie Vick begins! Julie Vick is a writer living in Colorado whose work has appeared in New Yorker Daily Shouts, The Washington Post, Real Simple, And McSweeney’s Internet Tendency.  Babies Don’t Make Small Talk (So Why Should I?) is her first book. 

“All parents want the same things: to balance work and home life, to raise happy kids, to never attend a baby drumming class, and to build a secret room in their home where they can hide (preferably not the bathroom). Yes, an introverted parent would more keenly want to be free of the slew of attention and expectations that accompany both pregnancy and parenthood, but even the most outgoing person is sure to reach their limit eventually. Here, with laugh-out-loud humor and well-earned experience, Julie Vick offers coping mechanisms for everything from sharing the news that you are becoming a parent to the moment the baby is born (one way or another, it will happen), from managing doctor’s visits to handling playdates. She offers advice on finding childcare and ignoring the nursing versus formula conversation with strangers. Witty yet valuable, her tips, checklists, and the occasional chart focus on the time from pregnancy through preschool.”

20:36-Why did Julie write the book?  Get your answer here. 

25:48-How can extroverts not freak out the introverts. 

34: 15-The evaluation criteria for visitors coming into your home right after your baby is born. What can introvert parents set boundaries? 

38:15-Mick goes into why Babies Don’t Make Small Talk (So Why Should I?) is going to resonate with so many parents and why did with us. 

42:07-How does an extroverted parent make friends? 

47:08-How do you respect introverts but not excluding them at the same time. 

49:48-What are the common misconceptions of introverts. 

57:30-And we end this episode with the Dadhouse Five—Five questions to check every guest’s dadness. 

Thanks to Julie Vick for coming on the show with us!  Be sure to go buy her book Babies Don’t Make Small Talk (So Why Should I?).  You can follow her comings and goings at JulieVick.com and sign up for her newsletter. Or find her on Twitter at VickJulie and Instagram at JulieVickWriter