Care and Feeding | Slate's parenting show The World Is On Fire. How Do We Tell the Kids?
Dec 18, 2025
Mary Harris, host of Slate's daily news podcast and a parent herself, joins the conversation about balancing parenting and staying informed. She tackles how to share news with kids without inducing anxiety and emphasizes teaching values instead of helplessness. The group discusses practical tips like role-playing responses and encouraging small acts of kindness. They also delve into the impact of media algorithms on teenagers and the importance of contextualizing information for children, all while sharing light-hearted parenting wins and challenges.
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College-Feed Surprise Shows Empathy
- Mary describes following college admissions Instagram posts and nervously telling her son about a peer's acceptance.
- Her son responded with genuine happiness, which she celebrates as a parenting win.
Midnight Tufting Panic And A U-Turn
- Lucy recounts nearly driving into Miami to pick up her daughter from a tufting birthday when the other mom stepped out.
- She turned around after getting confirmation the mom returned and later reflected on managing anxiety-driven impulses.
Roller Derby Date Ignites Curiosity
- Zach took his daughter to a Detroit roller derby where they watched junior bouts and met a friend performing as Ruthless Bader Ginsburg.
- The outing sparked his daughter's interest and felt like a meaningful daddy-daughter night.