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The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast
1KHO 432: Did Grandma Have Kids? The Hilarious Truth About Parenting Teens | Chip Leighton, What Time is Noon?
00:51:43
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- [00:02]
A
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- [00:29]
B
Welcome to the 1000 Hours Outside podcast. My name is Jenny Urich. I am the founder of 1000 Hours Outside, and I have a fantastic guest I'm so excited about. Chip Leighton, welcome.
- [00:39]
A
Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here.
- [00:41]
B
So, Chip, often. And I know you've got your own show and you have so much going on, but, you know, it's like, people send you books and they want to come on your show or, you know, different types of things. And in this case, I saw your book. I followed you on social media. I saw your book. It's called what Time is Noon? It's so funny. I laughed through the whole thing. Hilarious texts, ridiculous feedback, and not so subtle advice from teenagers. And I bought it based off of your social media and what you have going on.
- [01:08]
A
Yeah.
- [01:09]
B
Right around the holidays. You were advertising it. I was like, I'm gonna buy this book for myself. And it was so funny. I was like, I wonder if he'll come on. I didn't know. So I reached out and asked, and here you are. So thank you for saying yes.
- [01:21]
A
Oh, thanks. No, I'm excited to talk about it. Yeah. I've been getting great, great feedback on the book and. Which has been awesome because I have been doing the. We'll talk more about it. I guess I'm doing the social media thing for a few years, but the. The author role is new for me, so it's. It's been fun.
- [01:35]
B
It's a really, really cool book. What time is noon? Chip Layton, the creator and host of the Layton Show, a social media platform whose viral videos have been seen more than 200 million times. Probably way more than that at this point. Work featured in the New York Post, New York Times, Daily Mail, NBC, abc, cbs, Fox News. This is a really interesting topic, Chip, because this didn't used to exist. It's a really brilliant thing to highlight, like, this new form of communication.
- [02:00]
A
Yeah, no, it's funny. Yes. So the book is like hundreds of these crazy, funny teenager text messages. Like, you know, did grandma have kids? You know, that kind of thing. And, yeah, the Whole. The whole thing started with me sharing some of my own family's funny texts. It sort of turned into this community where now people from all over the world, like, send me their funny ones that I include in my social media and in the book. But yeah, some people, like, will ask, like, hey, are kids getting stupider or something? Or is it just that they're documented now? And. And a. I don't call kids stupid or these dumb questions are just, you know, if you don't know, you don't know. But I think it is, you know, the fact that we now have text messaging and stuff, you know, documented potentially forever, as opposed to, like, when I asked a dumb question when I was a kid, it was just, you know, in person or on the phone or whatever.
- [02:43]
B
So it's really different. Yeah, it definitely highlighted the fact that things are really different because, well, there's a couple of things. Right. It's documented, but the fact that you can even send it. If you were in the grocery store in the 90s and wanted to know where you could buy pasta water.
- [02:59]
A
Right.
- [03:00]
B
Yeah. You couldn't just text your parents and say, where do I get the pasta water? You would have to probably ask, you know, someone worked. That worked at the grocery store. You'd be embarrassed. You probably would never tell anybody that you asked where the pasta water was.
- [03:13]
A
Right? Right. Yeah. I mean, I talk about, like, I have a chapter on college when kids go to college. And like, I mean, when I went to college, it was like there was like a phone in the dorm room hallway, and once a week I'd go and, like, try to call my parents, you know, if they were home. But. But now you, you know, you're connected with your kids even after they're out of the teenage years. And I think it's good if. If kids feel comfortable enough to ask you kind of the weird questions, and that's a great way to stay in contact with them more. And so it's a good thing. And. And teenagers are just funny, so it creates great content for me to do. So I'm thankful in that way.
- [03:43]
B
At what point were you like. And you do marriage content too? You do live events. What were you doing before that?
- [03:48]
A
Yeah, so I. I mean, I'm just a regular dad and. And husband. I've been. I was in the corporate world for 25 years. I was in marketing and corporate strategy, and I started this just kind of on the side on the nights and weekends. Like early 2021, I think this was kind of like early TikTok. Days. So it was a little. It was a little weird. I honestly never thought anybody would see, like, anybody I knew in real life would see what I posted. But. But then, like, at one point I went viral and, you know, people at work are like, ah, you showed up on my for you page. Or like, oh, I heard you're on TikTok. Is everything okay with. But sometimes you gotta just follow your own path. And then I went viral a few more times. I just kind of organically built my audience over time, several years. But I didn't really have this as a plan at the beginning of this whole thing. I was just trying to have some fun.
- [04:32]
B
It's only been a couple years and now you've got this book, you've got the Layton show, you do live performances. That's cool.
- [04:39]
A
It is, yeah. No, I mean, I'm very lucky. This is a great kind of second chapter in my career and life. I took the step of like, leaving the corporate world about a year and a half ago to kind of devote more time to this and write the book and do some other things. It's great that people have responded to it and I'm able to kind of try something new and different and, you know, be a social media personality, you know, older than like 23 or whatever.
- [05:00]
B
You know, and you're bringing so much levity to these years that can be like, kind of harrowing and also to marriage too, which can, I guess, also be kind of harrowing. All right, so then tell us about your kids. Like, what did they think of it? You talk about it a little bit in the book, like you're just this totally normal dad. You talk about, like you're doing all the dad things, like trying to figure out where which smoke alarm is beeping, which is just so relatable. I mean, in the home, that is the dad's job. Then people are just like, the smoke alarm is being figured out. And you wrote, I wasn't born with bat echo occasion ability, but, you know, you go from being this dad and all of a sudden you're famous on social media. How do your kids respond?
- [05:37]
A
Well, I mean, the family does a good job of keeping me humble, as most families do. Right. So they. They're not quite as impressed with me as the average stranger. My, My d. Different things. She calls me the. The current one is the unemployed middle aged tick tocker, which, you know, I can't dispute any of those facts, but I don't typically put that language in my bio or whatever. So, yeah, I mean, their biggest Feedback now is. Is because I started with. With, like, my family's text messages and marriage stuff, but now it's almost all, like, what other people share with me. They're like, you. You got to make it much clearer. These are not all our text messages. Like, my friends think I'm a total idiot. They think I said every one of these. And I'm like, I think I make it clear enough record. It's. It's. It's not all my kids stuff.
- [06:21]
B
And she was like, it was just a joke, but, like, are we gonna have to fly Spirit Airlines now? Like, this is a big change for kids. Like, you know, you. You're this corporate guy. You got your nine to five. You've done it for 20 something years. And it's like, I was really brave to jump ship.
- [06:36]
A
Yeah, yeah, yeah. When I. When I left the job, there were a lot of quotes from, especially for my daughter, like, you know, oh, look, a grown man with no source of income. And, yeah, do we have to fly Spirit Airlines now? And all this. All this kind of stuff. But, yeah, yeah, I mean, I'm lucky because this kind of happened sort of at the point, you know, relatively late in my career. Like, I wasn't. I wasn't at, like, retirement age, but I was at the point where I, you know, saved. Saved up, you know, toward retirement. And I don't need to make, like, millions of dollars doing this, but, you know, I'm able to make a modest income with it and. And have fun with it, and it gives me, you know, more free time and time with the family and time to put into this. So it's good. But, yeah, I'm sure for the. For the family, it's a little bit weird. So.
- [07:17]
B
But also, I think it's a really cool modeling, you know, that they're gonna be your age at some point, and maybe they're gonna think, well, my dad did it. My dad found something he really liked, and it seemed like it was taking off, and I'm gonna try to. I actually think that that's a fantastic thing to show for your kids. You don't have to stick around in this thing. If something else pops up, you can try it. Okay, so before we hop into more of the book, which is called what Time Is Noon? It's a fantastic book. I mean, I like Spit Laughed the whole way through, and you even. You already know what it's about, but it's. Which is so. It's like, the. Shocking is probably the wrong word, but, like, it's unexpected. You're like, unexpected. It is this funny. That's funny. But before we hop into that, tell us about the Leighton Show.
- [07:54]
A
Yeah, so it's. First of all, it's L, E, I, G, H, T, O, N. Sometimes it's kind of an unusual spelling of. But it's the Layton Show. I'm on Instagram and TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, you know, all the Bain socials. You can also go to thelaton show.com and it's. Yeah, it's. I have series around funny teenager text messages. I have some stuff around marriage. I have this big series around things I've apologized to my wife for, you know, really basic mistakes, like, you know, breathing or, you know, chewing or sneezing. That kind of stuff.
- [08:24]
B
The sneezing, though. I mean, my husband's name is Josh. He sneezes so loud.
- [08:29]
A
Yeah.
- [08:30]
B
I don't really understand.
- [08:31]
A
No, there's a whole. There's a whole thing here. But, you know, generally wives think the husband's, like, you know, being too dramatic or putting on a performance or whatever. But it's. It's an involuntary reflex. But.
- [08:43]
B
But anyway, it's, like, very jarring.
- [08:45]
A
Right, right. Yeah, I know. Exactly. Exactly. I get it. But that's like, the marriage stuff that I do is, like, the things I've apologized to my wife for, they're all. I try to make them all sound kind of absurd. Like, you know, I was. I was standing in front of the kitchen drawer that my wife wanted to open, and it's like. But it's so. It's kind of, like, not clear who the joke is on, right? Because, like, wives will jump in and be like, oh, that's so annoying. Why. Why is he always in my way? You know, guys are like, I'm literally standing in the kitchen. It's like, my house. I'm gonna do anything wrong. And so it's. I just try to, like, make light of those kind of everyday situations because I feel like it's best to just laugh about that stuff because it's little stuff. It's not important. And you don't want to let little stuff turn into big stuff, you know, and become a real issue. So I think laughter is really important part of life to me.
- [09:29]
B
You talk about that. You say the real advice about the teen years is simple. Laugh a lot. Remember, we were all teenagers once, so this whole list of questions that probably none of us knew, except that you just didn't have to text. And it does show that there is, like, this level of safety with parents. I can ask My mom, you know, I can ask my dad. I can shoot off a text and, like, clarify. And I think that's a really sweet message. But some of the things are just kind of out of control, and I don't want to read a bunch of them because people pick up the book. I mean, it's just one after the next after the next, after the next. Like, are my eggs gonna taste weird if I take them from different cartons?
- [10:04]
A
Yeah. Yeah. There's a lot of food.
- [10:06]
B
Yeah, a lot of food ones these different common sense things. And I'll be one more from this. When people pick the book up, what are the white cubes in fruit cocktail? Potatoes.
- [10:17]
A
Yeah. Probably not potatoes.
- [10:20]
B
Probably not potatoes. But there was one that I was like, I actually don't know the answer to this. It says, where do wild dogs get their nails clipped? And it did make me wonder.
- [10:31]
A
Well, okay, that's right up your alley there. You know, we're dealing with the outdoors.
- [10:35]
B
Yeah. I don't really get it, but because dogs need their Nairs clipped all the time, what's going on with the wild dogs?
- [10:41]
A
Yeah, I don't think they're, like, going to get them clipped. I, I, I don't know. I, I shouldn't say. You know, I think they probably scratch them on something in the, in the outdoors.
- [10:50]
B
That's what works. Oh, my goodness. So all of these different things. And it just reminds you also that, you know, your teenagers seem super old and they seem like they're driving, you know, but, but there are these things in life that they just may not know. And it's a reminder, I think, to be, like, you know, sort of gentle with it, but it is really funny. Okay. So then it goes on from teenagers into the college years. And this is a different thing, too. Like you said, it was like you called home once a week, Maybe you got them, maybe you didn't. And then it even goes into post college where people are saying, like, my kid runs this hedge fund. He's like, you know, he's like a phenomenal at his work, but he doesn't know what a cantaloupe is.
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A
Yeah.
- [11:31]
B
Do you think that at any level, though, we're failing our kids a little bit, or do you just think this is kind of normal? We know about it more now because of that. They can text us. Yeah.
- [11:40]
A
I mean, my, my advice is like, I wouldn't, I wouldn't worry if your kid doesn't know how to mail a letter. Or, you know, the other examples, you know, that you find in the book, because those are, again, those are like, not super important things in life. And they'll figure that out very easily. Like, they'll go on YouTube or Google and figure out how to mail a letter, or they'll ask you if they're comfortable, which is even better. But, you know, mailing letters, you know, doing laundry, other kind of basic stuff, like, they'll figure that out. I sort of feel like you should focus when your kids are in the house on the more important stuff, which is, you know, just how to be a good person and, you know, how to treat others and that sort of stuff and things that they can't get, you know, from YouTube. And so I wouldn't beat yourself up because my whole thing here is I'm trying to celebrate teen humor. I'm not trying to criticize kids or criticize parents because I do kind of get some comments around that like, oh, this is the parents fault for not teaching this or that. But it's like, you can't think of it. Plus you can't think of everything you'd want to teach. So, like, the example, the reason I chose what Time Is Noon? For the title is, first of all, I've heard it from like, at least 10 sets of parents that their kid has some version of that, which is kind of wild. But it's a perfect example of, like, it's something that's so simple. Like, you would never think, oh, I. I got to make sure I've talked to my kid about what noon means. Right? You wouldn't think that. And if you're a kid, if no one's told you what noon means and you're not used to, like, analog clocks or whatever, you wouldn't know. So there's no fault or anything, but it's just a funny kind of moment happens. And that's the. Those are the kind of moments I'm trying to celebrate and not. And I don't think people should worry about the fact that they happen, you know?
- [13:09]
B
Yeah, I agree. I think what it highlights is the fact that there's all sorts of little nuances in life. It reminds me of the Amelia Bedelia books where she, like, doesn't totally understand because you're talking about one where, like, you know, someone's. They're making a cake mix and it says, or a brownie mix or something like that, and they've got their hand in the bowl and they're mixing it around with their hand and it says, well, on the box it says mix by hand.
- [13:33]
A
Yeah, mixed by hand. Yeah. Yeah.
- [13:35]
B
And it does say mix by hand, right?
- [13:38]
A
Right, yeah, the whole, there's a whole bunch of brownie cake mix ones. There's like, you know, the kid who was like, he was like greasing and flouring the bottom of the pan. Like the bottom of the pan, not like inside it. You know, it says, you know, the bottom of the pan and it said, hey, what? It says three whole eggs. Does that include the shell? You know, it's stuff like that. Until you like, if you're just learning how to cook and you have it, you know, it's. You might be literally reading the literal words. So it's a fair question.
- [14:04]
B
It is like a real life Amelia Bedelia. It's really funny. I actually have a memory. I remember where I was. I remember I was walking to school in elementary school when I learned that a quarter to whatever didn't mean 25 minutes because a quarter is 25 cents. So I remember that I thought, you know, if it was a quarter to four, I would have thought it was 3:35 forever for a very long time until I don't even remember someone was like, what? So these kids are saying, just say real time.
- [14:31]
A
Right, Right. Speak English. What do you. What is this old fashioned thing? Because it does reference like the analog clock with the hands and stuff, which kids, I don't think even know how to read at this point. But yeah, they don't. They quarter of quarter after all that stuff. That's, yeah, noon, obviously, you know, you gotta be careful with.
- [14:49]
B
So you gotta be careful with times and then with the college, I mean. And it's a little bit of a reminder, like you have the little nudge that you say. These are some things, you know, you just might want to cover know. Because someone texts their mom and says, how do I get the clothes out of the washing machine? Do I just reach in there with my hands?
- [15:08]
A
Yeah. You know, maybe put them through at least like one cycle of laundry before you send them off, I guess would be fair. But yeah, there's so many laundry ones they have, they have weird terminology with laundry too. They're like. So I, yeah, just open this up. Where do I put the two sauces in or you know, like that kind of thing. So it's. Yeah, it's, it's, it's funny.
- [15:29]
B
Oh, I love it. It kind of reminds me of like when your kids are toddlers and they're learning all sorts of stuff and you think it's so cute. You know, they say things wrong and then it's. It's similar. It's cute and it's funny. It really is a gift to get this different glimpse. Okay parents, let's be honest. Raising a family today feels like navigating a maze of unhealthy options. Between all the hidden sugars, artificial ingredients and misleading labels, it's hard to know what's actually good for our kids and not just a marketing gimmick. That is why I love love love Thrive Market. It's like having a personal guide to healthier living for my entire family. Thrive Market makes it simple to find trusted, family friendly brands without spending hours in the grocery store. From snacks and school lunches to pantry stables, everything they offer is 100 non GMO and with their on site filters you can shop based on what matters most to your family. Low sugar, gluten free, organic or high protein options are all just a click away for us. I love using the low sugar and organic filters to find better snack options for when we are on a hike or for packing lunches to take on a picnic. The Healthy Swap Scanner in the Thrive Market app is also amazing. Here's how it works. Scan a product that you're used to buying and it instantly recommends cleaner, healthier alternatives. We've made some great swaps. Instead of snacks filled with junk, we're stocking up on brands like Siete Chips, Annie's Organic Crispy Snack Bars and Chomps Beef Sticks. Are you ready for a junk free start to 2025? Head over to thrivemarket.com 1000hours and you'll get 30% off your first order plus a free $60 gift. That's T H R-I-V E market.com 1000hours thrivemarket.com 1000hours who doesn't love the good things in life? Even though I enjoy a little luxury, it doesn't mean I can always afford it. Until I discovered Quince. Quince is my go to for when I'm trying to step up my luxury essentials game, but doing so at affordable prices, Quince offers a range of high quality items at prices within reach like 100% Mongolian cashmere sweaters from $50, which I got and absolutely love washable silk tops and dresses, organic cotton sweaters and 14 karat gold jewelry. The best part? All Quince Items are priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. By partnering directly with top factories, Quince cuts out the cost of the middleman and passes the savings on to us. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical and responsible manufacturing practices and premium fabrics and finishes. I Love that. One of my favorite things is the all black puffer jacket I got. It's super cute and most important, nice and warm for these cold winter days here in Michigan. Give yourself the luxury you deserve with quints. Go to quince.com outside for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's Q U I N C E dot com outside to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com outside I can say to my.
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- [19:00]
B
Check responses for accuracy. And actually it's making me pay a little bit more attention. Like I had one of my sons just texted me the other day. I was like running late trying to get to a basketball game. Like their basketball games. I'm supposed to do the scorebook. I've got all this stuff. And I'm like walking out of the house and he was like, I need black sweatpants that are tight around the ankle. You know, I mean it's like a whole thing. And I was like, well, why? And then he's like, well. And I'm like, well, where are they? And he's like, they're folded. We have like a family closet. We live in an old farmhouse. So it's like the closet situation is weird. So I open up the thing. He's like, it's just in there. It's just like I don't look in there that much because our kids are older. And it was just like piles of pants. I was like, I can't find the ones that are tight around the ankles. So one of the things that you talk about is that often there's no context. You know, I'm like, well, why do you need these pants? I go, don't you have pants on already? But they just send stuff. There's no context.
- [19:58]
A
Yeah, there's tons of those. I'm trying to think of a good example, but there's a lot of like, you know, hey, send me the AAA number, I need the car towed. I don't, I don't feel like explaining, you know, I'm fine, whatever. Or you know, or I'm in jail. You know, it's, it's. I didn't do anything wrong or, you know, that kind of stuff. So. Yeah, there's also like a nonchalance to those types of texts. Like, there's, there's one kid was like, hey, when dad wakes up, can you tell him a tree fell on our house? It's like, okay, maybe I'll wake him up now. I don't know.
- [20:27]
B
I like this one. Send pictures of pets we used to have. Urgent.
- [20:32]
A
Oh, yeah, it's always urgent. Right? How do I spell my middle name now?
- [20:39]
B
Yeah, so this is just a whole new way. I mean, we've talked about this a little bit on the show, but there's just a whole new set of rules to it. And I, and I empathize for someone who's growing up now who has to learn, you know, there's already all sorts of rules, these social rules, and you're trying to fit in. And now there's all these extra rules that in regards with basically like electronic communication, dating, all the social media apps. It's a tricky thing. But you talk about the rules of engagement in particular between the parent and the child.
- [21:11]
A
Oh, yeah.
- [21:12]
B
What are the kids wanting? The teens wanting?
- [21:16]
A
Yeah, I mean, there's, there's a lot of rules. There's. I mean, there's the whole texting thing, so I gotta listen. The book of like 15 things you shouldn't do while texting, you know, whether it's full sentences, punctuation, you know, emojis, expressions of emotion, whatever you do, do not use a hashtag and a text. That would be something I would stress to folks. There's, I have a whole set of rules around social media as well, things you should do, you know, and sometimes it's not always consistent with every kid. But, you know, the basic deal is like, you're supposed to like your kids posts but not comment on them is generally the rule. But, but I've even seen, like, you're not supposed to like them too soon. Like, some kids will be like, take that, like down off my post until it's got 20 likes, because you're standing out now. And then you can go back in and like it again. So it's, it's, it's tricky. Obviously you can't like, post pictures of your kids, you know, because they're not going to approve any, any photo. You know, whatever you do, try to do it on Facebook because they'll never see it there, I guess. But it's, it is a minefield. I will Say that.
- [22:13]
B
Then there's all sorts of rules about, like, how you engage with your kids, friends.
- [22:18]
A
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. No, definitely. You can't follow them if they request to follow you. It gets really awkward. Yeah, you're not supposed to comment on their posts. My wife, my wife was. We used that app Be Real for a while where you take like a daily picture at a random time. And my wife was like connected with some of my son's friends on there. I was like, what are you doing? Like, you know, you don't want to. That. That didn't last very long. You don't want to see what random 20 year old kids are up to at any random hour of the day, you know, so.
- [22:49]
B
So that's over. You like tried it done?
- [22:52]
A
Yeah, it's tricky.
- [22:53]
B
There's all sorts of new things popping up. I mean, I'm in my 40s and I even. We went through this time and it would have been a while ago because it was like more when Facebook was more of a thing and sometimes I felt like that with extended family. And now they're all friends with my friends and I'm kind of like, what's going on? And I have this friend, her name is Lisa Kim. Two first names. It's kind of tricky, but her name is Lisa. And so like, you know, it says Lisa. And so then, you know, I would have these family members that would comment and they'll be like, Kim. And I'm like, no, no, no, it's Lisa. Like if you just look, it says Lisa Kim. Yeah, I know it's confusing. And so then we talk about it. We were like four more times. I was like, it would be like, Kim. And I'm like, no, like, you did a great job on your marathon, Kim. I'm like, that's not Kim. Can you just stop?
- [23:42]
A
Yeah, yeah, there's. Yeah, there's a future book that's going to include like texts from like, you know, grandparents and like older people and some of the crazy stuff that happens there. And Facebook itself is, there's like a treasure trove of stuff. The biggest design flaw with Facebook is they have the search bar, like right next to the, you know, where you post stuff bar. So there's like a million stories of like dads who like, or anyone really who's going into like search for someone's name, but they're just doing, they're posting, you know, a bunch of status updates, like different spellings of the person's name or whatever. Lisa, Kib, Kib, Lisa, whatever.
- [24:19]
B
So it's no idea what they're doing.
- [24:21]
A
Yeah.
- [24:23]
B
Okay, so how are you getting content? Are people sending it all sorts of different ways?
- [24:27]
A
Yeah, I mean, it's crazy. I'm really lucky. So people, people share a lot of it in the comment section of my posts, but I also get tons of like direct messages from people, you know, just saying, hey, I got this text from my kid, I thought of you. And, and so it's, it's great. I mean, I, you know, because there's only, there was only so much of my own family stuff that, that could sort of sustain this, you know, for the long term. So, so now it's, it's mostly what other people share and I've kind of become this collection point and, you know, curator or whatever you want to call it of this. And so it's great. And people kind of get a kick out of like when I use their quote or whatever. And yeah, like, I reached out when I wrote the book, I reached out to, I tried to reach out to everybody who I was going to use one of their kids texts in the book to say, hey, I'm going to do this. If for some reason you don't want me to, just let me know. And like, I heard back from like hundreds of people. They were all like thrilled, you know, one they said, like, oh, I'm weirdly proud about this. Like what one mob said, I'm definitely buying this book because it might be the only time my kid gets published. So, you know, so it's. So it's. Yeah, this whole thing has led to some fun, weird interactions. So it's good and it's good.
- [25:34]
B
I think, you know, they're not necessarily things that you maybe share with other people or like the grandparents might think it's weird or why doesn't your kid know the difference between a 13 by 9 pan and a 9 by 13 pan? Like, there could be judgment, but in this context it's just fun and funny and celebrating that teens are super fun. Okay. We have a lot of parents that listen in and let's say we've got parents, they've got younger kids, they're like nine and under. Can you give them a little foreshadowing of what it's going to be like when they become teens and how you handle food?
- [26:04]
A
Oh, yeah. So, yeah, I mean it's, it's all, it's all good, it's all fun. But you've got some interesting times coming. Sometimes it starts before the teen years, but so food specifically. Yeah, I mean, you, you Kids have very strong opinions about food. You know, I'm trying to think. I've got a. I got a page in the book that's like different reviews my kids did of the different things I've served. You know, like, I made homemade vegetable soup and bread one night, and I think it was described as medieval peasant food. So it's. It is. It is tricky. Kids would basically almost always rather order doordash, you know, So I. Somebody, one mom told me once, like, the whole family was sitting down to dinner and eating and the doorbell rang and. And the kids like, oh, that's my gelato. It's like, okay, all right, nice. So, yeah, so there's a lot of food stuff. I. I mean, I would say that the text you're going to most likely get when the kids get in the teen years are in two categories. So the first is kind of like the quote unquote dumb questions. I don't like to call them dumb, but, you know, like the, the crazy stuff around. Like, hey, you know, if I. If I'm mailing a letter and I have to use multiple stamps, do I layer them or put them side by side? You know, so those, those kind of questions or there's the whole group of, like, instructions on how not to embarrass them. So like, hey, my friends are almost here. Make sure dad stays in the basement. You know, that. That kind of a thing. So those will be the two big groups, you know, you can get. Get used to. You know, kids are very easily embarrassed by you, but that's okay.
- [27:31]
B
Part your hair down the middle before my friends come over. Oh, yeah, and passwords. That was one of the things, you know, you're going to get a text like, I need the password.
- [27:39]
A
Oh, yeah, yeah, send me the code. What's the Netflix password? All that kind of stuff.
- [27:43]
B
Yeah, yeah, that comes up a lot too. Okay. But the food. The food is a thing. They're cooking all the time. It's food all the time. They're constantly needing food. But I discovered Doordash in the fall for the first time. We live a little bit out in the country, so we don't have. And we never have had any of the, like, grocery drop off any of that stuff that's like, newer. So I don't, you know, I'm not super in with that, but we were at this hotel in the Nashville area for a conference and they just didn't have. It was like you would have to drive far to go get food. Anyway, so I discovered Doordash. It Is like a miracle.
- [28:20]
A
Yeah, it is. It's. Yeah, yeah, it's great. The kids love it. I've actually done some brand partnership stuff with them, but. Yeah, no, kids are, kids are into it. They have a lot of like, like you. They, they think of it. On some occasions you might not think of it. You know, it's like, hey, can you doordash me the, you know, something at the park where I'm gonna be at my field trip or whatever, you know, so. But yeah, yeah, I.
- [28:43]
B
Wouldn't that be amazing? Can you imagine?
- [28:45]
A
Right, yeah.
- [28:45]
B
You know, you're at the zoo and they're like, I'm right up to the front. I've got Dairy Queen, right?
- [28:52]
A
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you. I've also gotten to know kind of like which restaurants like, like Chipotle is still probably the king of the teenager restaurants that all chick fil a is up there pretty high. But I have a little chart in the book about the percent likelihood that your kid's going to respond to a text message or other outreach. And it's like most of them are pretty low percentages. Unless you text like, hey, do you want Chipotle? Or something like that. That it's like 100% every time they're.
- [29:18]
B
Going to respond with the doordash. So it was like, I really could not believe how cool it was. So, like, if we got, let's say we've got six, seven people at this hotel, we've got five kids. You can literally like order particular ones and it will be like for $1.99 more, it will come 10 minutes faster.
- [29:38]
A
Oh, yeah, yeah.
- [29:39]
B
I mean, I, I mean, I fell into all of it. I was like, this is the most fantastic thing. And then it will be like, you can add on this if you order it within the next six minutes.
- [29:48]
A
Oh, yeah. Another restaurant, right?
- [29:50]
B
Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's pretty fantastic. I thought, oh, my gosh. I mean, what a life changing thing.
- [29:56]
A
Yeah, it's huge.
- [29:58]
B
It's huge. I don't know, people probably think that's kind of indulgent, but I found it to be incredible. And then you can follow the car.
- [30:04]
A
Oh, right.
- [30:05]
B
You can watch where it is. Like, how far away is it?
- [30:08]
A
Yeah, I could tell you got, you got into this. This is, this was a big moment for you.
- [30:12]
B
I was so into it. Well, because I would have had to pack everybody up and leave the hotel and go and try and find something and not everybody likes the same thing. I was like, this is a miracle. I can't hardly ever use it. Because it doesn't come where we are. Which is probably, which is probably a good thing. One of the things then you also talk about. Well, there was a couple of things like the kids, they can just be a little bit shorter and a little bit more demanding and just say things that they wouldn't normally say in person because of text. And so I do think it's kind of funny. Reheat my lasagna and make sure there's no cold spots.
- [30:46]
A
Yeah, yeah.
- [30:46]
B
No, it's not how you would say it.
- [30:48]
A
No. Right. And. And it's funny because that was the first, the first ever, like teenage text message post I did was, that went viral was. It was texts from my teenage daughter. They were, they were almost all like that. They were like food related ones where she was like kind of fake bossing me around. Like, make me pancakes, do it, you know, or like when I wake up, I better see French toast. You know, and you know, some people could take that the wrong way, like, oh, the kid's rude or whatever. But, you know, I think it's good that kids can, you know, have a little bit of a different personality with you or around the house and say stuff to you and joke around in ways they wouldn't with other adults. I think that's like a, an important part of how you develop. And so I like that. But I could also see how people would misinterpret that if that's all they know of this kid. You know, this random text that they.
- [31:35]
B
Sent, you know, but they're just joking around. And you say your kids have got great, great personalities. They're funny. Yeah, but those ones were funny too. My dad works in B2B marketing. He came by my school for career day and said he was a big roas man. Then he told everyone how much he loved calculating his return on ad spend. My friends still laugh at me to this day. Not everyone gets B2B, but with LinkedIn.
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- [33:11]
B
One of the things that might happen when your kids hit teen years is that when they make their food, they might be very loud or they're doing it in the middle of the night. Yeah, they're waking you up. What's happening?
- [33:23]
A
Yeah, I think there's the next trillionaire is going to be somebody who invents a white noise machine. For the parents of teenagers, that's just the sound of nachos being microwaved because that's, that's what you got to get used to is like one or two in the morning, you're gonna hear that ding, ding, ding. The, you know, plus, like, you know, I don't know, most kids are pretty loud at that hour. Like, they're slamming doors and, you know, drawers open and shut. So it's. Yeah, I mean, there's a different biological clock at that age versus when you're an adult. So it leads to some. Yeah, especially like over the summer or whatever. It leads to. Yeah, Some disturbed nights of sleep.
- [33:58]
B
Yeah, they really do. They really do have a different biological clock. Their bodies, I think, have them be up later and they're, you know, they want, they're supposed to sleep in. I don't know any more than that. I have read that.
- [34:08]
A
No, it's true. It's real and it's. I was the exact same way. I remember, like, one summer when I was a teenager, like, I kept staying up later and later every night until it got to like, oh, it's actually dawn now. And I stayed up the whole night. I'm. I've totally broken this cycle or whatever. So it's, it's. Yeah, it's normal. And they grow out of it.
- [34:25]
B
Yeah, it's something that happens. You have written this. I thought it was so funny. You will. When I'm up early, I tiptoe around as quietly as I can. So, you know, you get to this point in life where you're like, I will be considerate of everyone else. My son takes a slightly different approach. And then you talk about, you know, Slamming cupboards, flinging doors open. And you wrote and makes other noises that sound as if all the dishware is shattering.
- [34:47]
A
Yeah, I've had. Yeah, Yeah. I mean, boys in particular, like, they tend to be a little bit bigger and, like, harder on stuff. Like when my. My son comes home, like, late at night or whatever. Like, even just, like, closing the door to the house, it's like the whole house shakes. You know, it's like. It feels like there's some sort of, like, intruder coming in. So it's. Yeah, the. The noise levels are a bit of a challenge, for sure.
- [35:08]
B
Yeah. During those teen years. Okay. So. But you also just talk about some real advice and things like that. One of the things you wrote was thanks to my mom and dad for setting a great example of how to raise kids in a healthy and loving way. Give us a couple thoughts on that.
- [35:22]
A
Yeah, I mean, you know, I. I mean, this is all, like, fun stuff we joke around, but I, you know, I know not every, you know, teenager lives in a, you know, a safe and comfortable and supportive home. So first, I do like to acknowledge that. And yeah, I. I grew up in a healthy household with, you know, great parents. And so that's, you know, that's a great benefit in life. And I think, yeah, kind of like I was saying before, I think to the extent your kid feels comfortable, you know, that they can, you know, ask you crazy questions or joke around with you. That's a really good. I have actually had some comments on some of my posts. Like, oh, man, I wish. I wish I had this kind of relationship with my dad where I could joke around like that. Cause I couldn't really do it. So I do think, in all seriousness, it's. It's. Yeah, it's a good thing if you can have that level of informality and just that kids feel comfortable and safe, like, that's. That's all they really need to, you know, to grow up in a. In a healthy way, you know.
- [36:13]
B
And you also talk about speaking about how not every child is fortunate to grow up in a loving and supportive home. You are connected with an organization and you promote them in the book.
- [36:24]
A
Yep.
- [36:24]
B
It's called Preble Street.
- [36:26]
A
Yeah, Preble Street. So they're in Portland, Maine, which is near where I live. And, yeah, they operate a bunch of. I've volunteered with them for years, and they operate a number of teen services programs, including a shelter for homeless youth. Like I said, this is all kind of fun and games, but I know not everybody's life and not every teenager's life is, you know, fun and games. So that's a great, that's a great place to support if people are looking at, to help make a difference in teenagers lives.
- [36:48]
B
What's your sort of dream and vision here?
- [36:51]
A
For myself, Yeah. I mean, I don't know. You know, I've tried to be, I've tried to not have this whole thing mapped out perfectly with an exact end game. I've kind of tried to take it one step at a time in terms of what feels right. And it all started on social media. And then I, you know, and then I obviously worked on the book which is, which has gone really well. I've done some, I've started to do some live performance kind of stuff which is actually really fun. I.
- [37:14]
B
Tell us more about that. I want to hear more about that. And how can you find out more? More?
- [37:18]
A
Yeah, I mean I, it started almost two years ago. So Caroline Ray, who's a great standup comedian actress, reached out to me and she's like, hey, I love your stuff. Like I live in Maine in the summer. Do you want to do some shows together? Do you do stand up? And I was like, I'd love to do that. I've never done stand up in my life.
- [37:34]
B
Like I, I do marketing.
- [37:36]
A
Right, right. And she's like, oh, I'll teach you. I'm a great coach. I can coach you over zoom and then we'll do some shows. And I was like, all right, let's do it. And because I did, I did actually think that a lot of my stuff would translate pretty well to, to like an in person performance. But I probably never, without that nudge, I probably would have never figured out how to do it. And so we did that and it, it went well. Well, I got a really good reception and so I've been sort of refining what I do these days. I use a presentation behind me and I show different like pieces from social media, different, you know, funny teenager quotes and, and marriage stuff. And I do some like audience participation stuff where people can bring their own funny kind of messages and usually do some have a moderator do some Q and A and other kind of stuff. And it's, it's been really fun. I think, you know, people have responded to it well. So I'm trying to sort of figure out, you know, exactly where I want to take it. Done some, I've done some stuff at like colleges for like parents weekend, you know, because the parents of college students are like the perfect audience for me. And that's been fun. So yeah, I'm not looking to be like a road warrior, but, but there's a place for this and it's. And I've gotten really good reactions and it is fun for me because even though I have a lot of followers and people who interact with me online, there's a way in which it doesn't quite feel real when someone like just shares a comment with me or a direct message. But when I actually meet someone in person who's like, oh my gosh, I love what you do. Thank you. Keep doing it forever. It's like, oh, man, that means a lot to me actually. And it's really cool to kind of have those in person interactions.
- [39:03]
B
What a thing you went from in the corporate world to stand up comedy. What's a thing or two you learned from?
- [39:08]
A
Yeah, I mean, she's amazing. She's. And I'm still learning, but you know, just, I mean, even like basic things like, you know, how to hold the microphone and just like body language on stage and you know, like never turn during your punchline or, you know, things like, you know, some, some stuff around that. And she, you know, I kind of shared with her my initial sort of like, set, and she gave me some great feedback on it. But she's, I mean, she and I are very different. Like, she's, she's, we're actually probably polar opposites. Like, she's an extreme extrovert, I'm an extreme introvert. She's like all about, like, she's a master at working the crowd. She does a lot of crowd interaction stuff. I, I scared to death. Like, I need to have everything buttoned up and know every word I'm gonna say when I'm up there. So it's. We're different, but. And, and I have to say what I do. I don't really call it stand up. It's. It's got elements of stand up, but it's, it's different. It's. It's my own kind of thing because it involves some crowdsource stuff and some, Some, you know, slides behind me and imagery and stuff like that. So it's, I'm just, I'm not really. There's no one who's like an exact model for what I'm doing, but I'm just trying to, you know, do something that's, that feels authentic and true to me and that people like. And the more I get to do it, the more dialed in it gets and I realize which parts work and which parts don't. And so that that's Fun. I enjoy. I enjoy figuring that out.
- [40:20]
B
It's pretty interesting because, you know, I think you hit this stage of life. Like, the podcasting is a new thing for me. Within the last couple years, I was a math teacher.
- [40:28]
A
Yeah.
- [40:29]
B
So is there any part of you that's kind of like, wait a minute. I mean, this is a. This is a big veer off of the sort of typical adult trajectory.
- [40:38]
A
Yeah, I mean, it clearly is, but it actually worked well. I mean, I could see if you were like a teacher in some sort of like, state pension plan or whatever, where you had a magic, you know, number of. Yeah. Number of years you have to get to. But, yeah, I worked in the private corporate world where you're, you know, you're putting your money into a 401k and, you know, you can always. I mean, there's always good. If money is the primary objective, it's always going to make sense to stay another year, another two years, another whatever years, because you're always going to be walking away from something. So for me, it's always been like, okay, not how much can I make, but how much do I need? Right. And I got to the point where I had enough to be able to do this. And honestly, I wasn't really able to monetize this very effectively while I was working, partially because of time, but partially I worked for a supermarket company, so any brands you'd find at a supermarket I couldn't do partnerships with because it would have been, in my mind, a conflict of interest. So opening it up, you know, once I left it let me kind of explore different partnerships and obviously put time into, like, writing the book and doing other stuff. So it's sometimes, yeah, sometimes you got to take a leap, but, you know, no decisions forever. I mean, I. I try to tell people, like, just if. Just take a shot if there's something you think you want to do. These platforms, like, you know, TikTok or Instagram Reels or whatever, like, they're amazing. Like, somebody with no following can, you know, produce something on their phone, and if it's engaging enough, it can go to thousands or even millions of people. Like, there's never been anything like that in the history of the world. Right. So you think about how many creative people or people with an idea who can now reach others with it. Like, it's. It's pretty cool. And there's just so many ways to do your own thing, like starting a podcast or, you know, putting stuff up on YouTube or. Or whatever. So. And I. I tend to Think most people have like, something inside that's like an unexercised muscle. They've always wanted to try something a little different. But, you know, there's, you know, there's bills to pay and other pressures. And so I was lucky because I could just kind of start something on the side and it turned into something, you know.
- [42:34]
B
But this is like a massive expansion of skill sets, I would imagine. And like, for the most part, human beings hate change. I hate when things change. Like when things change on social media. Even just that where it's like it switched what just happened? It was like, you know, it was squares. Instagram was squares for the whole time. Now it's like four by five. And I was like, so annoyed. You gotta reformat everything. You gotta figure out what's gonna look good in that size. But you, you probably had a, you know, a situation where, I mean, most sort of adult careers, it's like you're gradually growing and you're always learning new things, but it's very incremental. It's related to what you already know. Give us advice there. I mean, you just, you completely swapped for a whole new set of skill sets. Becoming an author, promoting a book, going to these live events, going to colleges. What advice do you have for someone who's like, I would love a change, but I hate change.
- [43:27]
A
Yeah. Well, I guess this is trick if you hate change. I don't hate change. I don't like, love, love it, I guess. But I mean, it's probably not as dramatic as it's very different activities. But like the skill sets, I mean, like. So I was in marketing, right? So promoting a book and, you know, thinking about what my brand is online and that, and that stuff. Actually, I do leverage what I learned in the corporate environment. Like in the book I have all these like silly charts and graphs, right, which are. That's kind of an example of like where I'm taking this, like, funny content. I'm tying it into some of my experience, like creating, you know, these, you know, charts about, you know, the weekly sales or whatever. But here it's about, you know, you know, funny things that happen around the house. And like, I was, I mean, I was like on the leadership team of my company, so I was kind of used to spending some time on stage, you know, like giving presentations or, or whatever. So. So now, now being on a stage with like a PowerPoint presentation behind me, it's like, it's not totally unfamiliar. It's a very different delivery, right. I'm trying to make people laugh, which is, which is obviously scarier and more, more difficult in some senses. But I kind of think your skills and experiences, whatever they are, they, they help you and they go into things, into whatever you're going to do. I mean I, I partner with different agencies and, and you know, brands and stuff like that. And because I've been in marketing, I've been on the other side of the table so I kind of know where they're coming from. And you know, they're. A lot of them are used to having a deal with like a 22 year old, you know, influencer who might not just know a lot about the world of business or contracts and that sort of stuff. And so there's probably more from my experience that actually helps me at this stage than you would suspect. But you. It is pretty different. I will say, I will say that.
- [45:02]
B
That is really cool though. That was a path to get you here that all of those things help. And you're not a 22 year old. You actually know what a cantaloupe is. So. Thank you. You know, whether or not, do you know whether or not you're a member of clergy?
- [45:16]
A
Yeah, yeah, right. Am I a notary? That's another one that gets a lot of attention. Yeah, yeah.
- [45:23]
B
But yeah, because you got to fill out all these forms.
- [45:25]
A
Oh yeah, yeah. Filling out forms. There's a whole thing I, I do, I do a little piece of my act around filling out forms because it's like my all time. My favorite is the, the girl who was filling out. She's at the doctor's office filling out her name and address and where it asked for her street name. She put her nickname down which is like that's, that's not the type of street name they're talking about, you know. But the, yeah, the doctor's office too. It's like the other thing they ask on those forms is like sex. It'll just say sex blank and you can guess some of the answers kids write. My. The reigning champion is the kid who wrote One Time in Florida. These kids are funny. What can you do?
- [46:04]
B
It is really funny. What does your wife think?
- [46:07]
A
She's, she's got a great sense of humor. She's very supportive of it. Yeah, she's. It's been fun to kind of have her with me on this journey and you know, I kind of lean into her for advice and stuff like that and, and a lot of the stuff I did or less so now, but early on was kind of marriage related so she was. But she's always been, like, pretty into it. She actually, like, maybe six months ago one time she was like, oh, you haven't done much marriage stuff lately. You should do another one of those posts. And of course I did one, like, two weeks later. And she's like, why did you post this? Like.
- [46:40]
B
Oh, it just reminds you that life is really, really funny. But Chip, I just love the book. I love it. I got it based off of your. Your amazing marketing on social media. So, I mean, it, it works. And I was really drawn in and like I said, I got it for myself, like, right around Christmas time. And I loved it so much and I was so, so thankful that you said yes. So people can find out more@thelaytonshow.com One of my favorites that I read my husband was what Kind of Animal is a Soy?
- [47:09]
A
Yeah. Yeah.
- [47:10]
B
I mean, the whole book is like that. It is really, really funny.
- [47:16]
A
Yeah. No, I'm so glad you enjoyed it and glad you reached out and it's. Yeah, it's been an awesome conversation with you. And yeah, if, if. Yeah, you told people where they could find the book and find me on socials. I'm always doing new stuff. So. Yeah, this was fun.
- [47:30]
B
Was it pretty hard to wade through it all and, and weed through, weed out? I mean, I would imagine.
- [47:35]
A
Yeah. I mean, I spend like, a. A surprising amount of time kind of like, organizing and wading through kind of different things that either my kids have said or people have sent me and thinking about, okay, how do these work online? How could they work in a book or in a performance? And so I have different systems for that. But it, it is actually. I mean, I'm lucky that, that people share that much stuff with me. But. And I'm. And I'm. I am pretty selective about what I use because most trends on social media, they. They have a pretty limited lifespan and then they go away. But I've been doing this for this teenager tech stuff for years. And I think it's partially because, like, I'm trying to make sure every one of those posts is just like the best of the best, you know, and there's. I do, you know, maybe one of those a week and, and I could do them every day if I wanted to, but they'd be sort of okay and people would get tired of it and it would be done. So. So I do. I mean, that's just my judgment on what I think is the funniest, but I'm sure I'm. I'm right sometimes.
- [48:30]
B
I think you're I think you're nailing it for sure. And that is a thing. I mean, I think that would be something that people wouldn't think of. It's like, it takes a lot of time to wade through the things. We put out a book of, like, activities of getting outside. It's called 1000 Hours Outside. Very. I have three books that are all called 1000 Hours Outside. I like lagging in the creativity department. But anyways, it came out with D books, and they were like, well, I had pictures for a lot of stuff, but they. I didn't have pictures for everything. So they're like, well, why don't you email your audience and just see if, you know, anybody has pictures they want to submit? And I was thinking, well, you know, hardly anybody's probably going to submit, or I don't know who's going to submit. And 17,000. Oh, my came in 17,000. It crashed their website. So, you know, I mean, the thought of, like, weeding through all of the different things that come in is actually, like, a pretty substantial job. So I just think you did a wonderful job. And it's all organized in these different chapters. The book is called what Time is Noon? I absolutely love it, Chip. We always end our show with the same question. What's a favorite memory from your childhood that was outside?
- [49:31]
A
Oh, I love. So I love being outside. I live in Maine. I spend lots of time outside here. But, yeah, we would go to the Adirondacks in upstate New York, like during part of the summer. And just being out, they have these. The lake we go to has these Adirondack guide boats that you. That you row and, you know, fish for, for rainbow trout and brook trout, and so had a lot of. Lot of fun times out on the water there and hiking the mountains, the 46ers out there in the Adirondack. So, yeah, big, big supporter of the outdoors. So I love what you're doing and how you're trying to bring more of that to people.
- [50:04]
B
Thank you. And thank you so much for being here, Chip.
- [50:07]
A
Thanks. This was fun.