‘Today’s Dylan Dreyer Opens Up About Experiencing Parenting Burnout

Dylan Dreyer doesn’t shy away from sharing her parenting truth on The Parent Chat podcast.

The Today meteorologist opened up about parenting burnout on the podcast’s Thursday, October 22, episode, and how to handle difficult moments that can trigger an emotional outburst.

“What are we doing as parents that our job is to take care of these little kids? And when we feel like we can’t do that job properly, what are we supposed to do? Or is that just part of parenting? Does that just come with the territory? And if it does come with the territory, there’s got to be a way to manage it,” she stated. “There’s got to be a way to get through the evening where everybody’s happy, and everybody’s smiling, and everybody just puts their head on the pillow at night and says, ‘Good night, I love you. I’ll see you in the morning.’ But I don’t think that’s really realistic, is it? Parents just explode sometimes, but it’s how we react after the explosion.”

Dreyer went on to recall a recent moment she shared with her three sons: Calvin, Oliver, and Rusty. “I heard the shower running, and I was doing something with the other two, and one of them was in the, I assumed, the shower,” she said. “And then I come out, and it’s like 20 minutes later, and the shower’s still running, and the hot water is steaming up the bathroom. That kid was sitting on the toilet, and I was like, ‘You haven’t taken a shower yet?’ And he’s like, ‘Well, no.'”

 

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In the moment, Dreyer yelled at her son. “I said, ‘You’re letting the hot water run. Get a clue. Come on, man. Water’s expensive.’ I just lost it for such a silly thing,” she told listeners. “OK, the water was running, and the poor kid had to go to the bathroom. That was just kind of nasty to him, right? And I remember walking away, and I’m like, ‘What is wrong with me? Who cares? OK, it’s a little bit of water. Yes, it’s wasteful, and that’s a whole different story, but like, really?'”

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Dreyer said she immediately regretted her reaction. “I just said, ‘I was really tired. It was the end of the long day. I thought that you were in the shower and just about to be done. And I walk into the bathroom and I find out that you haven’t even gotten into the shower yet. And I’m sorry. That was not the right reaction. And I feel terrible about it. And I just hope you can forgive me, and I’m going to do better,'” she stated. “And the way he accepted that apology with a hug and [said], ‘It’s OK. You’re doing the best you can,’ it ended up being a heartfelt moment that we shared together.”

She noted, “That type of situation, I never would have forgiven myself if I didn’t apologize to him because the way I reacted was not fair.”

Dreyer shares her three sons with her ex-husband, Brian Fichera. She announced in July 2025 that the pair had quietly separated a few months prior, and officially filed for divorce in March. Earlier this month on The Parent Chat podcast, Dreyer seemed to confirm the split was finalized by referring to herself as “recently divorced.”

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