Care and Feeding | Amazon (DNU)

On this episode: Zak, Jamilah, and Elizabeth are joined by Phillip Maciak , TV editor at the Los Angeles Review of Books and teacher at Washington University in St. Louis. Phillip explains why Bluey , a kids show centered around a family of dogs in Australia, is the best depiction of parenthood on TV . Recommendations:  Phillip recommends reading newspaper comics with kids. Elizabeth recommends th...

On this episode: Zak, Jamilah, and Elizabeth help a letter writer who is hurt by the cliquey moms in her parenting group. All the kids get along great. But the moms constantly make her feel like an outsider, despite her initiating conversation and planning hang outs. Zak, Jamilah, and Elizabeth share some tips for making friends with other parents, knowing your value, and ditching people who aren’...

On this episode: Jamilah, Zak, and Elizabeth jump back into the potty-training trenches to help a parent who is at her wit’s end. Her kid is potty trained—or so she thought—but will not stop peeing in his pants before taking himself to the toilet. They share some tips for making the toilet actually appealing to her son.  They also respond to a listener who wrote in following the How to Address Dea...

On this episode: Jamilah, Zak, and Elizabeth dish about a baking disaster, being the non-fun mom while setting up camp, and why cool big kids make summer camp so magical. They then answer a question from an aunt who would love to be more of a presence in her nieces and nephews’ lives and support their kids at games and concerts. The catch? They don’t know how to get invited. Then on Slate Plus, th...

On this episode: Elizabeth and Zak are joined by Slate staff writer, Aymann Ismail. Today they lend advice to a parent who is struggling with the death of a close friend. When it comes to overdoses and suicides is it better to go over the topic with your kids or deal with it more delicately? Join us on Facebook and email us at momanddad@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought o...

On this episode: Elizabeth, Zak, and Aymann, advise a grandparent who really wants her granddaughter and her granddaughter's cousin to get along. Our letter writer’s first attempts haven’t gone too well and she’s even resorted to bribing—to no avail. Should she keep pushing and, if so, how? Or is it time to step back?  Then on Slate Plus, they discuss A Toddler Father’s Playbook for Answering Toug...

On this episode: Jamilah and Elizabeth are joined by Courtney Martin, author of the book Learning in Public . Today they are helping a parent who has been offered a great job opportunity that can take the family to the next level financially. The position would require them to live overseas. The catch? The family can’t go with him. Is there a way to still be present in your child’s life if you are...

On this episode: Jamilah and Elizabeth are joined by Courtney Martin , author of the book Learning in Public . If you want to hear more about Courtney’s book check out this MADAF episode . Today they’re helping a step-mom who has found herself in the middle of a complicated housing change. Her stepson wants to live with his mom full time, which is a change that has deeply hurt his dad. Now our let...

On this episode: Zak and Jamilah are joined by Autumn Brown . Autumn is a mother, organizer, theologian, artist, facilitator, and co-host of the podcast, How to Survive the End of the World . They advise a listener wanting to help her kid better understand gender, stereotypes, and their own identity.  Recommendations:  Jamilah recommends Ace of Hates , a card game created by Dan Kois .   Autumn re...

On this episode: Zak and Jamilah are joined by Autumn Brown . Autumn is a mother, organizer, theologian, artist, facilitator, and co-host of the podcast, How to Survive the End of the World .  They weigh in on a custody conundrum. Our letter writer is furious that her ex-wife is slacking on bathing their children when they’re in her care. It’s come to a head because they’ve been showing up to summ...

On this episode: Elizabeth and Zak are joined by Stephanie Ryan, author , education consultant , and creator of Let’s Learn about Science . Stephanie shows them some kid-friendly science experiments that are fun for the entire family. Elizabeth’s husband, Jeff, also joins to answer a listener question addressed to him! The listener is wondering if they should keep their small four-door car or trad...

On this episode: Elizabeth and Zak are joined by Stephanie Ryan, author , education consultant , and creator of Let’s Learn about Science . They help a mom whose kid is pretty introverted and has some anxiety when in new, busy places. The letter writer doesn’t want her daughter to think there’s anything wrong with being a homebody. But she does need to be able to leave the house sometimes. What ca...

On this episode: Jamilah, Zak, and Elizabeth answer a question from a listener who lost his libido after his partner gave birth. He feels guilty and doesn’t know what to do. Should she talk to her about it and, if so, how?  Recommendations:  Zak recommends My Name is Yoon Elizabeth recommends the Webb telescope activities and photos from NASA + Comet K2 Virtual Telescope .  Jamiliah recommends Pat...

On this episode: Jamilah, Zak, and Elizabeth share their triumphs and fails, including how Talking Heads came to the rescue—at least temporarily. Then they tackle a question from a listener who is feeling guilt about bringing a second child into their family. They obviously love the child but they feel bad that their eldest child is struggling with the change. On Slate Plus, they discuss ' Nacho p...

On this episode: Zak talks to filmmaker, author, and actor Sarah Polley about her book Run Towards the Danger . They talk about how losing a parent early influences how she parents now. How to handle guilt and why finding your parenting community is so valuable. They also discuss her boundaryless childhood and why she won’t let her kids be child actors. Finally, Sarah talks about navigating parent...

On this episode: Jamilah, Zak, and Elizabeth share ‘Triumphs and Fails’ and answer a question from a listener whose husband and three year old compete for her attention and she’s incredibly frustrated.  Then, a number of you sent in additional questions about the ripple effects of abortion bans and how to talk to children about abortion, so we’re continuing the conversation. Jamilah brings your qu...

On this bonus episode from our friends at Slate's The Waves podcast: On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate staff writer  Heather Schwedel  and Slate senior editor  Rebecca Onion  sit down to talk about New York magazine cover story “ Canceled at 17 ,” which features a boy who was ostracized by his peers after he showed a nude of his girlfriend. The talk about whether the article is a display...

On this episode: Jamilah, Zak, and Elizabeth share some parenting triumphs and fails. Then Elizabeth and Dr. Joseph Currin continue to answer teen questions. ( Part one of ‘teen talk’ aired on Monday. ) Today the questions are all about sex education and navigating potentially uncomfortable conversations.   On Slate Plus, they take turns telling each other their best dad jokes. Slate Plus members...

On this episode: Elizabeth is joined by Slate’s Rebecca Onion to process the Supreme Court’s decision to overrule Roe v. Wade . Then, Elizabeth is joined by Dr. Joseph Currin . He is a licensed psychologist and assistant professor who specializes in identity development and sex education. They tackle questions listeners had specifically geared towards teens. This is part one of the teen questions....

On this episode: Jamilah, Zak, and Elizabeth tackle a question from a listener who is caught in a carpool conundrum. Splitting the 30 minute drive to school has been a significant help. However, the kid they carpool with is downright rude to our listener’s daughter. What should she do? On Slate Plus, the best way to entertain your kids during road trips. Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on M...

On this episode: Zak, Elizabeth, and Jamilah reminisce on some of their parents’ triumphs and fails. Then they tackle a question from a listener who just wants her daughter to stop grabbing her breasts. The daughter is looking for comfort but the constant touching is making the listener uncomfortable. On Slate Plus, Zak and Jamilah talk with Elizabeth’s dad about all things fatherhood and grandfat...

On this episode: Jamilah, Elizabeth, and Zak answer a question from a dad who is fed up with his four-year-old not listening. For the first time, he lost his temper and swatted her butt. He feels terrible and wants to know how to apologize. But he also wants to know how to get her to listen if a situation arises where something serious is going on and she needs to follow directions. Recommendation...

On this episode: Elizabeth, Zak, and Jamilah have some relatable parenting triumphs and fails. Then Elizabeth is joined by Dr. Rebecca Spencer , principal investigator at the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Somneurolab . Dr. Spencer shares some wonderful insight for creating a good sleep environment, navigating napping, and what your kids should (or shouldn’t) be doing right before bed.  On...

On this episode: Zak and Jamilah are joined by Cheyna Roth, Slate senior producer and occasional host of The Waves . They speak with Dr. Erin Flynn-Evans about all things sleep for parents and kids. She worked in the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital for over 10 years and she’s the co-founder of Baby Sleep Science . Dr. Flynn-Evans is here to ans...

On this bonus episode from our friends at Slate's How To! podcast: Elizabeth’s son Lucas is a talented athlete who wants to compete in track and field at an NCAA Division One school. But so far he’s been running away from doing any research or planning. His mother, Elizabeth, wants to help him be recruited and maybe even get a scholarship. On this episode of How To!, we bring on Steve Magness , pe...