On this episode: Lucy and Zak are joined by special guest host Chris Duffy to talk about the power of a painting. Our listener has a piece of art hanging on her wall that features some nudity — and it recently startled a crew of kids over for a playdate. Should the painting be moved, or taken down? Or is our listener just becoming the fabled Cool Art House? We’ll also debrief with a round of parenting Triumphs & Fails, and share an update about the parent who sparked the great shorts under skirts debate. Join us on Facebook and email us at careandfeedingpod@slate.com to ask us new question ..read more

On this episode: Zak, Lucy and Jamilah help a member of the Slate Parenting Facebook Group who’s torn about her kid’s new bestie. This girl is mostly unsupervised and tends toward naughtiness — ding-dong ditching, messy play, and watching adult YouTube — and that tendency is trickling down to our group member’s son. How can this parent make sure her home is a safe space, but still keep order?  We also dole out a round of recommendations. Then, for Slate Plus listeners – we’re weighing when it’s okay to leave your kid home alone. Zak recommends: See what happens if your kid’s in charge o ..read more

On this episode: Zak, Lucy and Jamilah help a member of the Slate Parenting Facebook Group who’s torn about her kid’s new bestie. This girl is mostly unsupervised and tends toward naughtiness — ding-dong ditching, messy play, and watching adult YouTube — and that tendency is trickling down to our group member’s son. How can this parent make sure her home is a safe space, but still keep order?  We also dole out a round of recommendations. Then, for Slate Plus listeners – we’re weighing when it’s okay to leave your kid home alone. Zak recommends: See what happens if your kid’s in charge o ..read more

On this episode: Lucy, Zak, and Jamilah help a listener who wrote in wondering how to soften her landing after taking a break from the kids. She’s grateful for them, and for time away… but why doesn’t she feel refreshed? We’ll also debrief with a round of parenting Triumphs & Fails, and share some of your responses to our recent episode about shorts under skirts and dresses. Join us on Facebook and email us at careandfeedingpod@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes. You can also ca ..read more

We’re taking it easy after the holiday last week but didn’t want to leave you empty-eared… so we’re very excited to share an extended cut of Jamila’s recent interview with Ruby Russell, author of Doing It All: The Social Power of Single Motherhood.  We’ll be back with a regular episode Thursday — see you then!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices ..read more

Hi listeners! We're off from the holiday but wanted to share an episode of another Slate show that we think you'll love: Leo is a high-achieving high school senior on the cusp of graduation. Growing up in a rigorous school environment he faced endless pressure to follow the expected track of attending an elite university and eventually securing a good job. Yet, Leo feels slightly unfulfilled and is curious what an alternative path might look like. On this episode of How To!, Carvell Wallace is joined by Abby Falik, founder of The Flight School, and organization dedicate to helping students and ..read more

On this episode: Zak, Lucy and Elizabeth help a listener whose daycare has requested that her toddler daughter wear shorts underneath skirts and dresses. The listener’s knee-jerk reaction is that it’s unnecessary… but we’ll offer some suggestions about what she could be missing, and why how we dress our kids is important. We also dole out a round of recommendations, and share some stuff you listeners have been loving — and, for our Slate Plus listeners, we’ll talk about the way we choose baby names, and how hard it is to escape the popular name hivemind. Zak recommends: Lake drawing app Eliz ..read more

On this episode: Lucy, Zak, and Elizabeth help a member of the Slate Parenting Facebook group whose daughter forgot how to ride a bike… and is now pretty insistent that she doesn’t want to re-learn. We’ll talk through how to incentivize some bravery and get siblings involved in the process. We’ll also debrief with a round of parenting Triumphs & Fails — including a triumph that wasn’t a triumph until we talked through it. Join us on Facebook and email us at careandfeedingpod@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we shoul ..read more

On this episode: Zak, Lucy and Elizabeth talk about the bold thesis statement of this piece from Romper Magazine… arguing that actually, traveling with a big group is the best way to relax on vacation. We’ll talk strategy for booking reservations, handing off kid duties, and casting the perfect vacation collective. We also dole out a round of recommendations for beating the heat — and, for our Slate Plus listeners, we’re taking a trip down memory lane and sharing some travel-themed triumphs and fails. Zak recommends: a hat box so the kids can choose their own Lucy recommends: Twister Splash ..read more

On this episode: Lucy, Zak, and Elizabeth help a member of the Slate Parenting Facebook group come up with ways to prevent a summer backslide – and keep school skills fresh over the break. We got some great tips from our audience of parents and educators, too. We’ll also debrief with a round of parenting Triumphs & Fails — including a tale of middle-school heroism involving a very large cockroach. Join us on Facebook and email us at careandfeedingpod@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future ep ..read more