My Friend is Going THROUGH IT. How Can I Support Them?

Care and Feeding | Slate's parenting show

Slate Podcasts

Society & Culture, Kids & Family, Parenting

4.6 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 4 December 2025

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On this episode: Lucy Lopez, Elizabeth Newcamp, and Zak Rosen take a listener question about how to be there for a fellow parent who is going through a hard time. The listener’s friend’s kid is acting out and causing lots of stress. They toss around ideas about ways friends have shown up for them, ideas for support without smothering, and more. But first, they share their latest Triumphs and Fails. Lucy survives a trip to the wilderness with her family, Elizabeth survives an international trip with the kids as the only parent (and gets praise for their behavior!), and Zak is clearly raising a cool kid. Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. 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 to hang out with us on the Plus Playground every week for a whole additional grab-bag of content — and you’ll get an ad-free experience across the network. And you’ll also be supporting 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 may contain explicit language.
0:06.2	Welcome to Karen Feeding.
0:07.7	We're here to talk about the ups, downs, and everything in between when it comes to parenting.
0:12.7	I'm Elizabeth Newkamp.
0:14.0	I write the homeschool and family travel blog, Dutch Dutch goose.
0:16.7	I'm the mom to Henry who's 13, Oliver who's 11, and Teddy who's 9.
0:20.9	We are in Atlanta, Georgia for one last week.
0:24.0	Big changes afoot for you.
0:26.6	I'm Zach Rosen.
0:27.7	I make another podcast called Weirdly Helpful, and I am dad to Noah, who's eight,
0:32.8	Ami, who's five, and Yuki, who's a couple months, and who is is a dog not a human. I appreciate the well
0:39.4	wishes I've been getting. Oh my gosh. We do have a baby, but she's four-like a beauty. It's a dog.
0:46.5	Yeah. I'm Lucy Lopez. I host another podcast, the Mamasita Rica. I'm mother to Amelia, who's 15 and Avery, who will be turning 13 this
0:57.3	month. Oh my gosh. Please send help. We live in Miami, Florida. All right. Well, every week,
1:04.6	we answer your question, share our own parenting triumphs and fails, and try to make it feel
1:09.8	like the kind of conversation you have with your
1:11.4	friends. And today we've got a listener question about supporting a friend whose kid is having a
1:16.5	real tough time. We'll strategize, we'll empathize, I'll say something completely inappropriate
1:21.6	and hopefully help the listener be there for their friend. But first, we share our triumphs and fails.
1:28.8	I don't know what I have this week.
1:30.7	You're going to tell me because it's, I've been puzzled by it.
1:33.7	I'm excited to share it.
	...

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