On this week’s episode: Dan and Jamilah are joined by Elizabeth Newcamp to answer a question from a mom with sons who is bothered when people ask her if she wants a daughter. While she loves having boys, the questions are annoying because, deep down, she thinks having a mother-daughter bond would be nice. They also answer a question from a mom looking for an appropriate way to ask parents if they keep guns in their house before letting her kids go over to play. For Slate Plus, Dan, Jamilah and Elizabeth play Would You Rather—parenting edition! Sign up for Slate Plus here.

Recommendations:

Dan recommends two games good for gaggles of tweens and teens: Exploding Kittens and You’ve Got Crabs.

Jamilah recommends facilitating time between your kids and your child-free friends. 

Elizabeth recommends starting a book of centuries, a living document where you and your kids can fill in important dates. It helps your kids understand where they fit within a larger timeline. You can also download a free version to fill out.

Join us on Facebook and email us at momanddad@slate.com to tell us what you thought of today’s show and give us ideas for what we should talk about in future episodes. Got questions that you’d like us to answer? Call and leave us a message at 424-255-7833.

Podcast produced by Rosemary Belson.

Hosts

Jamilah Lemieux is a writer, cultural critic, and communications strategist based in California.

Dan Kois is an editor and writer at Slate. He’s the author of How to Be a Family and the co-author of The World Only Spins Forward.

Elizabeth Newcamp is a traveling mother of three boys who chronicles her misadventures at Dutch, Dutch, Goose.

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