Care and Feeding | Slate's parenting show - My Kid is Not a Helper
Slate Culture Feed
Slate Podcasts
4.2 • 2K Ratings
🗓️ 7 August 2025
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this episode: Lucy, Zak, and Elizabeth respond to a letter from a parent who wants their six-year-old to be more helpful, but every small request turns into a debate. How can caregivers encourage a spirit of contribution without forcing it?
But first, we’ll circle up for a round of check-ins—bras, birthdays, and babysitter drama. And on Slate Plus, we’re talking about what to do when a child’s nature rubs up against a parent’s values.
If you’re not part of the Slate Plus community, we hope you’ll consider joining! Keep reading to learn how.
Join us on Facebook and email us at careandfeedingpod@slate.com to ask questions, share feedback, and suggest future topics. 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 extra weekly grab-bag of content on the Plus Playground, an ad-free experience across the network, and support the work we do here on Care and Feeding. Sign up now at slate.com/careplus — or try it out on Apple Podcasts.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This episode may contain explicit language. |
| 0:03.3 | Welcome to Karen Feeding, the show where we raise the next generation together. |
| 0:06.9 | I'm Zach Rosen. I make another podcast that's called The Best Advice Show, and I have two kids. |
| 0:11.8 | Noah is seven, really close to eight, and Ami is four pretty darn close to five. |
| 0:17.0 | We're living in Amsterdam for the next couple weeks, then heading back to the States. |
| 0:39.7 | I'm Elizabeth New Camp. I write the homeschool and family travel blog, Dutch Dutch goose. I'm the mom to Henry who's 13, Oliver who's 11, and Teddy, who's 8. And we live in Tokyo, Japan. Hey, what's up? I'm Lucy Lopez. I host another podcast, the Mamessita Rica. I'm Mom to Amelia who's 15, Avery, who's 13, and we live where you love to vacation, Miami. |
| 0:45.6 | Today on the show, we're going to answer a question from a listener whose kid refuses to pitch in around the house. |
| 0:52.5 | She wants to know how to raise a helper, not a negotiator. But first, we'll get started with a round of triumphs and fails. Stick around. |
| 1:04.6 | On Billboard's Hot 100, America's flagship pop chart, there are number ones and then there are number one debuts. Join me, Chris Melanfi, for a look at the chart calculus, superfan interventions |
| 1:16.6 | and fluky conditions that turn a brand new single into an instant success without any guarantee of longevity. |
| 1:26.6 | When it comes to hits, it's not where you start. |
| 1:29.9 | It's where you finish. |
| 1:31.9 | Find Hit Parade wherever you get your podcasts. |
| 1:37.4 | Hey, it's Anna Sale, host of Death, Sex, and Money, |
| 1:41.1 | the podcast from Slate about the things we think about a lot and need to talk about more. |
| 1:46.5 | And recently, we asked you to tell us stories about your beauty interventions, what you've decided to invest time and money in to improve your appearance. |
| 1:56.5 | So I looked at my dad and I looked at him carefully and said I said, no, no, no, no, no, no. |
| 2:03.0 | We are going to sail in a different direction than this. |
| 2:08.2 | We heard from people who spent thousands on plastic surgery, fillers, and skin care routines, |
| 2:14.1 | and from others who decided to reject pressure, like covering grays. It's kind of like |
| 2:19.6 | why do I need to do that? I mean, for you? Is it for you? Or because you're embarrassed to have a |
| 2:31.8 | friend or a spouse with gray hair? I mean, what is the |
... |
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