Care and Feeding | Amazon (DNU)

On this bonus episode from our friends at Slate's How To! podcast: As Kate’s teenage son, Sam, approached college she noticed him withdrawing. He wasn’t excited about his future and started to show symptoms of major depression. It came to a crisis point one summer night before Sam was set to leave for school. In the weeks and months that followed, Sam struggled to navigate the mental health system...

On this episode: Elizabeth, Jamilah, and Zak are joined by author and editor, Travis Nichols . He wrote a wonderful piece for Slate all about his son’s strategic, unique approach to youth baseball. He figured out that if he doesn’t swing at pitches, he’s more likely to get on base. It was incredibly effective… but not in the spirit of the game. What’s a parent to do in that situation?  Recommendat...

On this episode: Elizabeth, Jamilah, and Zak help a mom who feels like her house is in chaos. She wants to know what rules and expectations she can have of her kids now they’re approaching preschool. Can they help out with chores? Should they be expected to not fight at the dinner table? What, if any, punishments are acceptable?  They talk about Julie Beck’s article, Why Did We All Have the Same C...

On this episode: Zak is joined by Andy J. Pizza , storyteller, illustrator, and host of the show, Creative Pep Talk. They talk about childhood creativity and the big emotions that come from being a part of a creative family. Then they answer a question from a dad with ADHD who is feeling guilty he doesn’t find his kid’s activities enjoyable.  Recommendations:  Zak recommends the sketches Ford Focu...

On this episode: We’re bringing you part two of ‘Friendship Week!’ We’ve received a lot of questions in the last year or so about finding parenting friends so we brought in the fabulous Meagan Francis and Sarah Powers from The Mom Hour podcast to help us tackle them. Meagan and Sarah share their tips for striking up conversations with potential friends, converting acquaintances to friends, and eve...

On this episode: Part one of ‘Friendship Week!’ Zak talks with Dr. Marisa Franco on her book Platonic: How the Science Of Attachment Can Help You Make—and Keep—Friends . She explains why we’re in a friendship crisis and what we can do about it. They also talk about sharing shame and the importance of durable friendships.  Recommendations:  Elizabeth recommends going to a great bookstore.  Zak reco...

On this episode: Elizabeth, Zak, and Jamilah share their parenting triumphs and fails. Then Zak talks with journalist and former coach, Linda Flanagan about her book Take Back the Game . They discuss the transformation of kids sports into the ultra competitive, time consuming juggernaut it is today. They also talk about the culture of cruel coaching and what signals parents are sending to their ki...

On this episode: Zak and Jamilah are joined by Fiona Kong, creator of Home Sweet Homes: A Journal & Planner for Co-parents & Child . They answer a question from a parent who doesn’t know what to do. Their child’s entire friend group was invited to a party… save one kid. Apparently everyone finds the left-out kid annoying. But both the letter writer and the letter writer’s child are feeling...

On this episode: Zak and Jamilah are joined by Fiona Kong, creator of Home Sweet Homes: A Journal & Planner for Co-parents & Child . They answer a question from a mom who is beginning the process of separating from her husband. She wants to know how she can make the transition to living between houses as easy as possible for her son.  Then on Slate Plus, they discuss the adorable Halloween...

On this episode: Zak and Jamilah are joined by stand-up comedian Ophira Eisenberg to talk about her new show, Parenting Is a Joke . They also discuss the evolution of comedy about parenting, if it’s appropriate to use your kids as source material, and which comedians are at the mountain top of this type of comedy.  Recommendations:  Jamilah recommends Reboot on Hulu.  Ophira recommends Paddington...

On this episode: Zak and Jamilah are joined by Ophira Eisenberg , stand-up comedian and host of the podcast Parenting Is a Joke . They share some funny triumphs and fails spanning from spoiled birthday presents to a dance recital mix up. Then they continue the birthday train and advise a parent who is looking for party alternatives for their son’s first birthday bash with friends. The problem? The...

On this episode: Elizabeth, Zak, and Dan debate what to do about a dad who threw a half-eaten bite of burger at his preteen. The fight started because his daughter protested that he took too big of a bite from her burger. But when he was questioned as to why he threw the bite of burger, he said he was justified because he had purchased it for her. Our letter writer is concerned that this spat is j...

On this episode: Elizabeth, Zak, and Dan answer a question from a dad who is so frustrated with trying to get his squirming, shrieking kids in their car seats that sometimes… the kids win and he drives them unbuckled. Now he’s wondering if he should continue the car seat battle or if there’s a happy medium where the kids are safe and he’s calm enough to pilot the car.  Then on Slate Plus, they dis...

On this bonus episode from our friends at Slate's How To! podcast: College application season is approaching fast—too fast—for 16-yr old Maya and her mother, Melissa. The problem? Maya has no idea where to go or what to study. It doesn’t help that there are thousands of schools to choose from, and little transparency about their true cost. On this episode of How To!, we bring on Ron Lieber , New Y...

On this episode: Zak, Elizabeth, and Jamilah answer a question about a five year old who is begging her parents to buy her a makeup kit. The letter writer is reluctant as it feels like it’s too early to start caring about beauty standards but… she also doesn’t want to curb her child’s creativity.  Then on Slate Plus, Zak, Elizabeth, and Jamilah discuss the high-five debate started by an op-ed in t...

On this episode: Carrie James and Emily Weinstein , principal investigators at Harvard’s Project Zero , join to discuss their book, Behind Their Screens: What Teens Are Facing (and Adults Are Missing) . They’ve been researching teens and screens for over a decade and not only did they collect insights from 3,500 teens, they worked “side-by-side with teens every step of the way.” They learned that...

On this episode: Jamilah and Zak answer a question from a Marine whose son is a freshman at a school for Junior ROTC. The teen loves a lot of aspects of JROTC but loathes uniform day. It causes him anxiety and he’s mentioned quitting the school over the uniform. But most concerningly, the son has mentioned to his parent that he thinks about “unaliving” himself.  As a content warning, we do talk ab...

On this episode: Elizabeth and Jamilah are joined by KC Davis . KC is author of the book How To Keep House While Drowning , host of the podcast Struggle Care , and is well known for her TikTok content . KC shares how to divorce yourself from any shame and pressure you feel about the state of your house. She breaks down the differences between tidy, organized, and clean. Finally, she explains how t...

On this episode: Elizabeth and Jamilah are joined by KC Davis . KC is author of the book How To Keep House While Drowning , host of the podcast Struggle Care , and is well known for her TikTok content .  They advise a listener who thinks her niece may be neurodivergent and is specifically showing signs of autism spectrum disorder. The letter writer doesn’t think her brother and sister-in-law have...

On this episode: Lisa Lewis , journalist, and author of The Sleep Deprived Teen joins the show to unpack the myths surrounding teen sleep. Lisa explains why teens actually need more sleep (even if they’re staying up super late), how to get schools to start later, and why you and your teen should still have a wind-down bedtime routine.  Recommendations:  Jamilah recommends Rap Sh!t , a comedy serie...

On this episode: Zak, Jamilah, and Elizabeth advise a parent who wants to intervene but doesn’t want to break her daughter’s trust. Her middle schooler told her that her friend, who is a frequent visitor to their house, was trying to pressure her into smoking weed with him. Our letter writer isn’t super familiar with the kid’s family. Should she let them know about the smoking? Should she tell her...

On this episode: Jamilah, Zak, and Elizabeth answer a question about a little boy who was super excited to start team sports. However, he has been really hard on himself and has slipped into some negative self-talk, including saying that he’s “the worst” and “will never get better.” They have some advice for making sure the kid enjoys his season, if he wants to continue.  Recommendations:  Zak rec...

On this episode: Jamilah, Zak, and Elizabeth answer a question from a parent who would love to be more involved with other families in the community but is having a hard time finding playdates for her large, rambunctious family. They also share their triumphs and fails about spilt milk, birthday redemption, and answering a ton of questions about the Donner Party. Then on Slate Plus, they’re discus...

On this episode: Jamilah, Zak, and Elizabeth lend advice to a parent who will be taking her family on vacation with her sister’s family. Both families will be sharing a vacation home for a week, but the sister has a much stricter screen time policy for her children. They share some tips on how to navigate house rules when on vacation with another family.  Recommendations:  Jamilah recommends this...

On this episode: Jamilah, Zak, and Elizabeth share their triumphs and fails, including a hair styling defeat. They then answer a question from a mom whose son is struggling with a 50/50 custody agreement. He never wants to go to his dad’s house and complains that his step siblings are making fun of him. Is it time to intervene? Then on Slate Plus, Jamilah, Zak, and Elizabeth discuss their thoughts...