On this episode: Jamilah Lemieux, Zak Rosen, and Elizabeth Newcamp are joined by Slate writer, Aymann Ismail, to talk about his piece, Closed Book. He tracked down one of the most challenged books—a health and sexual education book called It’s Perfectly Normal—to see why it’s being banned. It’s “particularly blunt and graphic” yet Aymann was surprised at the feelings of embarrassment and shame surfacing as he read the book. They talk about parent’s squeamish feelings when it comes to sexual education, why age-appropriate education is so important, and what these involuntary reactions have to do with book bans.  Recommendations:  Zak: Slow-Cooker Cauliflower, Potato and White Bean Soup Elizabeth: Make your own ‘choose your own adventure’ game. Jamilah: Connections Join us on Facebook and email us at [email protected] 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 call our phone line: (646) 357-9318.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Mom and Dad are Fighting. Sign up now at slate.com/momanddadplus to help support our work. Podcast produced by Rosemary Belson and Maura Currie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode: Zak Rosen, Jamilah Lemieux, and Elizabeth Newcamp talk about toxic achievement culture. The three of them talk with Jennifer Breheny Wallace, journalist and author of Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic – And What We Can Do About It — about how we push our kids, and ourselves, even when we don’t need to. We also go over our week in parenting. And then, for Slate Plus, we’ll debrief on our conversation with Jennifer, and the hosts will discuss how they, and their kids, fall victim to toxic achievement culture. Join us on Facebook and email us at [email protected] 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 call our phone line: (646) 357-9318.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Mom and Dad are Fighting. Sign up now at slate.com/momanddadplus to help support our work. Podcast produced by Rosemary Belson and Maura Currie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode: Zak Rosen, Jamilah Lemieux, and Elizabeth Newcamp talk about climate change and kids with Anya Kamenetz. Anya is a journalist who covers the intersection of the climate crisis and parenting in her newsletter, The Golden Hour. She is a former NPR education reporter and author of many books including, The Stolen Year. She has lots of wonderful information and advice for any caregiver who will be helping a kid navigate this crisis.  Recommendations  Jamilah: DenTek floss picks  Zak: Cleaning the dishwasher Anya: YouTube karaoke Elizabeth: Spyrogliphics  Join us on Facebook and email us at [email protected] 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 call our phone line: (646) 357-9318.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Mom and Dad are Fighting. Sign up now at slate.com/momanddadplus to help support our work. Podcast produced by Rosemary Belson and Maura Currie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode: Zak Rosen, Jamilah Lemieux, and Elizabeth Newcamp talk about parenting digital citizens.  Elizabeth sits down with author and speaker Dr. Devorah Heitner about her latest book, Growing Up in Public. The book helps guide parents through navigating social media and phone usage for their kids — and the privacy, freedom, and surveillance issues that come along with phones.  We also go over our week in parenting. And then, for Slate Plus, we’ll debrief on our conversation with Devorah — and how the hosts handle screentime and internet access in their own households. Join us on Facebook and email us at [email protected] 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 call our phone line: (646) 357-9318.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Mom and Dad are Fighting. Sign up now at slate.com/momanddadplus to help support our work. Podcast produced by Rosemary Belson and Maura Currie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode: Zak Rosen, Jamilah Lemieux, and Elizabeth Newcamp tackle two listener questions. First: How young is too young for an allowance? The question-asker’s 4-year-old really likes asking for things when they go to the store and she’s wondering if an allowance will help him learn the value of money. Second: How to make time for playdates, especially when both parents work and the weekend is pretty packed. Recommendations:  Jamilah recommends Curb Your Enthusiasm Elizabeth recommends this fridge calendar Zak recommends The Eyes & the Impossible by Dave Eggers Join us on Facebook and email us at [email protected] 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 call our phone line: (646) 357-9318.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Mom and Dad are Fighting. Sign up now at slate.com/momanddadplus to help support our work. Podcast produced by Rosemary Belson and Maura Currie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices