When Ashley Graham appeared on Dylan Dreyer’s new podcast, “The Parent Chat,” the conversation quickly moved past pleasantries and into the unglamorous, deeply familiar realities of raising boys.
Both moms of three sons, they commiserated over perpetually messy bathrooms (yes, including pee on toilet seats), spoke candidly about the responsibility of raising kind, respectful men, and, with a dose of humor, recognized a shared survival skill they’re each quietly developing along the way: selective hearing.
Dylan shared a story that perfectly captured the vibe. She’d recently had a friend over who has daughters, and at one point her sons, Calvin, 9, Oliver, 6, and Rusty, 3, were just running in circles, full speed, chasing each other around the house. To Dylan, it barely registered.
“As long as nobody’s crying, I’m fine. I don’t mind the chaos,” Dylan told Graham. “It really doesn’t bother me when they’re running or screaming. I can actually tune it out.”
But her friend? Totally overwhelmed. Watching the scene unfold, she turned to Dylan and asked, “Is this what your house is like all the time?”
Dylan laughed. “All the time.”
Graham, 38, immediately jumped in, relating. The model, who shares sons Isaac, 6, and twins Malachi and Roman, 4, with her husband Justin Ervin, said she’s reached the same point. “I’m like you,” she told Dylan. “I don’t hear it.”
Barring any major injuries, Graham added, “I’m totally fine. I don’t hear it. It’s almost like I don’t see it.”
Graham said when she doesn’t hear noise, she’s alarmed and immediately thinks, “They’re doing something illegal, and I need to go check on them right away.”
“So I actually would rather noise,” she said.
The TODAY meteorologist and Graham also found themselves aligned on how to handle the inevitable bumps and bruises. Dylan joked that she’ll sometimes warn her boys that someone is going to get hurt — and she’s “not gonna care” when it happens.
At Graham’s house, the kids are encouraged to work through their energy (and the occasional sibling rivalry) by boxing. The brothers even have gloves.
“The only thing I say to them is no head shots,” she said. “If you do a head shot, you are gonna go into a timeout.”
Dylan’s “The Parent Chat” brings together experts and fellow moms and dads for candid, practical conversations about raising kids. Each episode will be available on the TODAY YouTube channel and wherever you get your podcasts.
