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As a precocious child growing up in the mountains of North Carolina, Molly Edmonds would often prepare miniature school lessons for her younger brothers. If her brothers didn't want to play school, Molly sat on them to prevent possible escape and continued with her lesson. Fortunately for the readers of HowStuffWorks.com and for the listeners of the "Stuff Mom Never Told You" podcast, Molly has learned over the years that physical harm is not a good way to provide information. A graduate of Emory University, where she majored in creative writing and political science, Molly spends her spare time seeking out good books, live music and people who will cook for her. You can keep up with Molly on Twitter at @MomStuffPodcast and on Facebook at the official Stuff Mom Never Told You page.
Most Recent: Molly Edmonds Postings
Stuff Mom Never Told You about Lying and Objectum Sexuality
by Molly Edmonds | January 28, 2011
I’m going to start this blog post by promising you that I won’t lie anywhere in the following text. Not that that’s unusual — I tend to tell the truth when I write these summaries of what was discussed on Stuff Mom Never Told You, but this week, in particular, it feels necessary to affirm my vow of honesty. That’s because on Monday, Cristen and I discussed lying.
Cristen and I have done several Stuff Mom Never Told You episodes about our love of reading. We discussed chick lit and children’s literature, each time asking our listeners to send in a list of the books on their reading list (you can check out this old blog post to see the top picks from this past year). It was only a matter of time before we got around to discussing librarians; in many cases, it may be a librarian who fostered or enabled your love of reading. And, in grand Mom Stuff tradition, there were plenty of gender stereotypes to consider when it came to librarians.
Before the holidays, Cristen and I pondered the age-old question of whether it’s better to give or receive. We talked about giving presents, giving of time and giving of donations. As you may have guessed, giving has all sorts of health benefits (if you don’t get mad that recipients tend to devalue any gift, even one they would have bought themselves). This week on Stuff Mom Never Told You, we took a closer look at charitable giving and the gender differences surrounding the practice.
Stuff Mom Never Told You about Nannies and TMJ
by Molly Edmonds | December 9, 2010
This week on Stuff Mom Never Told You, Cristen and I discussed nannies and disorders of the jaw. Prior to researching our episode about why nannies can make mothers feel guilty, my knowledge of nannies came mainly from “Mary Poppins” and “The Nanny Diaries” by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Krauss. In other words, I thought nannies were magical and tended to work for women who were just awful. Wrong on both counts! Fiction fails me again!
Stuff Mom Never Told You about Cellulite and Monogamy
by Molly Edmonds | December 3, 2010
Cristen and I have received many requests to cover cellulite on Stuff Mom Never Told You. So we did, but we had no idea that the episode would air on the Monday after Thanksgiving. That was cruel and unusual punishment, no? After a few days of turkey and pies and fixings, no one needs to be reminded about fat cells that are stuck underneath the skin. I apologize for that, and to make amends, Cristen and I convinced HowStuffWorks to release a very cool, very free iPhone app to make up for our blunder. You can take a peek and download it here.
Stuff Mom Never Told You about Ponies and Drinking
by Molly Edmonds | November 18, 2010
If your weekend plans include re-reading “Black Beauty” while drinking a few bottles of wine, then boy oh boy, do I have some podcast episodes for you. This week on Stuff Mom Never Told You, we took on two of the great passions of women — a good horse and a good cocktail.
Stuff Mom Never Told You about Lady Killers and Sisters
by Molly Edmonds | November 11, 2010
We took on two very different kinds of women this week on the podcast: women who kill, and women with whom you share parents (hopefully there’s not much overlap between the two in your family).
To learn more about what goes on inside the mind of a murderess, we interviewed Candice DeLong. If you’ve already listened to the show, you know that Candice DeLong is quite impressive: She spent 20 years in the FBI, where she became an expert at profiling and tracking criminals.
Stuff Mom Never Told You about Asexuality and Home Ec
by Molly Edmonds | November 4, 2010
If you’re an asexual student of home economics, then this week’s episodes of Stuff Mom Never Told You were right up your alley. On Monday, we explored asexuality, or the lack of attraction to either gender. People who identify as asexual argue that asexuality should be defined as its own sexual orientation, just like heterosexuality or homosexuality. Others, however, aren’t so sure.
It’s autumn, and the leaves are changing. What better time to hop on a motorcycle and get up close and personal with nature? This week on Stuff Mom Never Told You, Cristen and I talked about motorcycles and the women who love ‘em. The ranks of those women are growing — Harley-Davidson has launched an extensive marketing effort to get more women on bikes. Motorcycles have the reputation of being more of a boy’s toy, but in looking back through history, we found plenty of young ladies who were crossing the country via motorcycle.
Cristen and I are preparing a podcast about why so many girls like horses, and in the course of doing some research, I did some reading about Penny Chenery, the woman who managed the famous horse while raising a family. Chenery is portrayed by actress Diane Lane in the current film “Secretariat,” and many reviews of the movie usually make mention of the fact that Chenery’s success with her Triple Crown-winning horse is all the more impressive because horse racing was such a male-dominated field.
That’s why I was interested — and a little saddened, too — too see an Associated Press interview in which both Lane and Chenery go to great lengths to distance themselves from the idea of feminism.
Recent Postings by Category
BrainStuff
- Thank You and Best Wishes to Marshall Brain
- Contest – Design a $300 house and win $25,000
- How the Philtrum works – the place under your nose where your face comes together
The Coolest Stuff on the Planet
- Golden Fields of Canola
- The Park That Never Sleeps: Central Park
- Draw a Pretty Picture With Your Bike and Your Phone
Keep Asking
- Why can a 5 foot 8 inch man dunk a basketball on a 10 foot rim while some people of taller stature can’t?
- What happens to our sun once it runs out of fuel?
- How do we know the age of the universe?
Stuff Mom Never Told You
- Who invented the Christmas card?
- How the Kinsey Report Fueled Whiskey Sales
- How to Get Your Wedding Announcement into The New York Times
Stuff to Blow Your Mind
- Blow Your Mind: Nebula in a Box
- Blow Your Mind: Three Minutes Till Impact
- Touching the Void: Psychedelics and Death
Stuff You Should Know
- Stuff You Should Know at SXSW
- The Southern Death Cult, the Maya and Georgia
- Deformed Baby Spider Brains
The Stuff of Genius
CarStuff
- Listener Mail: What’s the world’s largest engine?
- Listener Mail: What makes a “classic car” classic?
- Was Chrysler’s “It’s Halftime in America” Super Bowl commercial a little too political?
How-to Stuff
- How to Enjoy the Fruits of Your Labor
- How to Travel the World in 4 Days
- How to Smell Like Someone at HowStuffWorks
PopStuff
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 68: Astrology: What’s PopStuff’s Sign?
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 67: Collecting: PopStuff’s Cabinet of Curiosities
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 66: Tracy and Holly’s Running Playlists
Stuff They Don't Want You To Know
- Good News from the Oldest Mayan Calendar
- One Year Later: Colony Collapse Disorder
- Who Killed Martin Luther King, Jr.?
Stuff to Change the World
- Who will own the Arctic?
- Obesity: The New Global Crisis
- Bill Gates Makes For A Pretty Decent Cartoon
Stuff You Missed in History Class
- Butch Cassidy: Should we read between the lines?
- Are we rooting for D.B. Cooper?
- Party Time: A Look at Unconventional Politics
