Slate Advice

To celebrate their third wedding anniversary, Anjali and Rahul are each selecting a surprise activity to do together. This happy couple loves spontaneity, so they’re concerned about someday growing bored in their relationship. They’re also feeling pressure to mark the traditional milestones of marriage, including having kids. On this episode of How To!, authors Caryl and Jay Casbon join us to share the wisdom they gained from interviewing other married couples for their book Side by Side. The Casbons draw upon their own 22-year marriage to urge Anjali and Rahul to face conflict with openness and focus on individual “inner work”—in order to grow together. 

Learn more about Caryl and Jay Casbon here. If you liked this episode, check out an episode that Anjali loved: How To Decide Whether to Have a Baby with Wild author Cheryl Strayed. 

Do you have a problem that needs solving? Send us a note at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Subscribe for free on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.

How To’s executive producer is Derek John. Joel Meyer is our senior editor/producer. The show is produced by Rosemary Belson, with Kevin Bendis and Jabari Butler. 

Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now at slate.com/howtoplus.

In this episode, the co-hosts of Slate’s ICYMI, Rachelle Hampton and Candice Lim, join Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about whether the following categories of people are unreasonable: moms who bring their kids to wineries, boyfriends who refuse to hard launch their girlfriends on social media, and husbands who are suspicious of their wives’ friendships with single men.

If you want more Dear Prudence, join Slate Plus, Slate’s membership program. Jenée answers an extra question every week, just for members. 

Go to Slate.com/prudieplus to sign up. It’s just $15 for your first three months. 

Podcast production by Se’era Spragley Ricks and Daisy Rosario, with help from Maura Currie.

Note: This episode contains discussions of murder and grief. Listener discretion is advised between 6:30 and 12:00 of this episode. You can read more about Sam Woll, a close friend of Zak’s family, here.

On this episode: Jamilah Lemieux, Elizabeth Newcamp, and Zak Rosen help a listener who’s worried that her son’s play is skewing a little too much toward good guys, bad guys, and violence. What’s the difference between normal play and a red flag – and how can we make sure boys want to include girls?

Zak found two great resources for this listener that we want to share: an article about violent play from Parents.com, and a book called Under Deadman's Skin: Discovering the Meaning of Children's Violent Play.

We also go over our week in triumphs and fails — and then, if you’re sticking around for Slate Plus, we discuss an episode of RadioLab that got us thinking about how kids change our perception of time.

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 Maura Currie.

For this week’s episode of Working Overtime, a listener grapples with the complicated problem of having too much success as a freelancer. Balancing their time between a day job and an onslaught of freelance projects leaves them feeling wiped out, yet tepid about rocking their financial boat. Hosts June Thomas and Isaac Butler share their own experiences of juggling freelance and full-time work. While freelancing can be feast or famine, it's important to set realistic deadlines, negotiate for better rates, and know when quitting one job might be your best bet.

Do you have a question about creative work? Leave a message at (304) 933-9675 or email us at [email protected]. 

Podcast production by Kevin Bendis and Cameron Drews.

Our listener Abdullah has reached a plateau. A mid-career manager at a large electronics engineering corporation, he feels intellectually unstimulated. Even though Abdullah has a stable job with seniority, he dreams of going back to school, and pursuing his true passion: economics. But with a family to support, should Abdullah make a risky leap? On this episode of How To!, host Carvell Wallace is joined by Freakonomics co-author and University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt. Well-known for out-of-the-box thinking, Levitt shares surprising tips (including a simple coin flip strategy) that can help anyone on the edge of a huge decision.

If you liked this episode, check out: How To Know When to Quit Your Job

Do you have a question we can help you solve? Send us a note at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001. We might invite you on the show! Subscribe for free on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Kevin Bendis, Derek John, Joel Meyer, and Rosemary Belson.

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 How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/howtoplus to help support our work.

On this episode: Zak Rosen interviews Erin Johnson of the Detroit Urban Forest School about how her work brings kids from different backgrounds together – all in the name of appreciating the great outdoors.

Then, Jamilah Lemieux and Elizabeth Newcamp share some tips for wrangling some of the trickier treats that come with parenting during Halloween. And, as always, we end with a round of recommendations.

Elizabeth recommends: LectroFan Portable Sound Machine 

Jamilah recommends: The Golden Bachelor

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.

In this episode, Maeve Higgins (author of Maeve in America: Essays by a Girl From Somewhere Else) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to respond when everyone thinks your toxic ex is brave and amazing, where to turn when your absentee dad has done psychedelics and forgiven himself a little too enthusiastically, and what to do when you can’t stop making nasty comments to your dog.

If you want more Dear Prudence, join Slate Plus, Slate’s membership program. Jenée answers an extra question every week, just for members. 

Go to Slate.com/prudieplus to sign up. It’s just $15 for your first three months. 

Podcast production by Se’era Spragley Ricks and Daisy Rosario, with help from Maura Currie.

Kids generate so…much…stuff. A lot of it is memorable. Videos of their first words? So cute. Colorful drawings that progressively get better? Masterpieces. Trophies, stuffies, books? All valuable. The problem: There’s no way to keep everything. So how do you figure out what to cherish and what to toss? On this episode of How To!, co-hosts Carvell Wallace and Courtney Martin bring in Nonnahs Driskill, professional organizer and founder of Get Organized Already. She has lots of insight into why we value certain items, what it means to have an organizing mindset, and how to archive your child’s life in a way that works for you. 

If you liked this episode, check out: How To Be a Lazy Genius and How To Style Your Home Like a Pro. 

Do you have a question we can help you solve? Send us a note at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001. We might invite you on the show! Subscribe for free on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Derek John, Joel Meyer, and Rosemary Belson.

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 How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/howtoplus to help support our work.

On this episode: Zak Rosen, Jamilah Lemieux, and guest host Duarte Geraldino share all their tips for flying with young kids. They talk about navigating security, in flight entertainment, and energy management throughout the trip. They also tackle a question about making sure your kid’s things come back from the lost and found. (Shout out: The Best Labels for Kids School Gear and Clothing by Lauren Sullivan.) 

Recommendations: 

Duarte: Alphabet Learning Locks

Jamilah: Patti Labelle’s Macaroni and Cheese recipe

Zak: Mario Lopez dancing with his daughter on IG

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.

In this episode, Roxane Gay (best-selling author of Bad Feminist and Opinions) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to decline a colleague’s invitation to dinner, when it’s okay to ghost a friend for good reasons, and whether it’s possible to say positive about love when you’re burned out on dating apps.

If you want more Dear Prudence, join Slate Plus, Slate’s membership program. Jenée answers an extra question every week, just for members.

Go to Slate.com/prudieplus to sign up. It’s just $15 for your first three months.

Podcast production by Se’era Spragley Ricks and Daisy Rosario, with help from Maura Currie.