How Busy Is Too Busy?

Care and Feeding | Slate's parenting show

Slate Podcasts

Society & Culture, Kids & Family, Parenting

4.6 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 4 August 2025

⏱️ 22 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On this episode: Elizabeth, Zak, and Jamilah respond to a listener's question about how families handle the growing demands on kids’ time—and how working parents try to protect space for rest, school, and family connection. Then, they’ll circle up for a round of check-ins, sharing wins, struggles, and the everyday chaos of balancing life. 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 [email protected] 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode contains explicit language.
0:03.7	Welcome to Karen Feeding, the show where we raise the next generation together.
0:08.2	I'm Jamila Lemieux, a writer, contributor to Slate's Karen Feeding parenting column, and mom to Naima, who's 11.
0:15.3	Excuse me, she's 12, and we live in Los Angeles.
0:18.6	I'm Elizabeth Newkamp. I write the homeschool and family travel blog, Dutch, Dutch, goose.
0:42.9	I'm the mom to Henry who's 13, Oliver who's 11, and Teddy who's 8. We live in Tokyo, Japan. I'm Zach Rosen. I make another podcast. It's called The Best Advice Show. And I'm Dad to Noah, who's 7, and Ami, who's 4. We live in Amsterdam. today on the, how to strike the right balance with after-school activities and decide how much is too much.
0:48.3	And just what makes an extracurricular activity too extra for your family.
0:52.2	But first, we'll check in with each other and share what's on our minds this week.
0:53.2	So let's get going. But first, we're going to take a quick break and meet you back here to catch up.
1:05.8	Hello podcast fans.
1:07.3	I'm Bradley Simpson.
1:08.5	When I think about the stories that stayed with me,
1:10.6	one that immediately comes to mind is Ratatoo. A talented route who just wants to cook, and honestly, I was glued to my screen straight away. And now I'm hooked on FX's The Bear on Disney Plus. I love everything about it. I love the styling, the tension, the drama. It's the best thing I've watched in ages. Only the greatest stories stay with you for a
1:27.9	lifetime. And honestly, it's true. So, what will be your next great story on Disney Plus?
1:33.0	Copyright 2025 Disney and its related entities. 18 plus. Subscription required.
1:37.7	Hey, it's Mary Harris. Host of Slate's Daily News Podcast, What Next? This week on the show,
1:43.2	we are talking with Osito-Wanavu about
1:45.5	democracy. Does the idea of a government run by the people still resonate in the United States?
1:52.7	We're in a place where, I think most Democrats, most people consider themselves progressive,
1:57.3	take it for granted that democracy is a good thing, that it's worth preserving, it's worth keeping, it's worth improving.
2:02.5	We're no longer in a place where you can assume that of the American public, broadly speaking, and certainly not of the right.
2:09.7	Check out what next. Wherever you listen.
	...

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