Fresh Take: Elizabeth Preston on What Animals Have to Teach Us About Parenting

Why does modern parenting feel so difficult? If a chimpanzee knows what to do without reading a hundred parenting books, why doesn't it just come naturally? Science journalist and author Elizabeth Preston is the author of The Creatures' Guide to Caring: How Animal Parents Teach Us That Humans Were Born to Care. Drawing from animal behavior, evolutionary biology, and neuroscience, this book explains why studying the parenting of every species from poison frogs to bonobos, from rats to birds, can remind us how human parenting is supposed to work—and how parental anxiety may result from the belief we were ever supposed to do things differently. In this episode, we discuss: Why humans are “cooperative breeders” Why maternal anxiety and hypervigilance is an evolutionary advantage, not a personal failure The truth about “mom brain” and what actually happens to the brain during pregnancy Why fathers and non-biological caregivers are equally capable of deep caregiving The role of alloparenting and why kids benefit from many trusted adults Why caregiving is central to what makes us human Here's where you can find Elizabeth: @by.elizabeth.preston on IG Buy THE CREATURES' GUIDE TO CARING: What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: ⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Fresh Take: Elizabeth Preston on What Animals Have to Teach Us About Parenting is an episode from What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood by What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood.

This episode is 35:39 long.

This episode was published on May 1, 2026.

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