Bored at School Edition

On this week’s episode: Jamilah, Elizabeth and Aymann discuss their triumphs and fails for the week. Then they answer a question from a listener whose first grader is bored at school. Should her mother have a talk with her daughter’s teacher or wait and see if things change in a few weeks?   Later, they have some advice for a parent whose 11-almost-12-year-old son is campaigning hard for a cell phone. Would a phone serve as a helpful tool or a terrible distraction?  In Slate Plus: We’re getting into the “why’s” of it all! Why? Because it’s the favorite and sometimes very annoying question of many young children. What can parents do to answer their kids' endless “why’s” without losing their cool?  Recommendations: Elizabeth recommends Wise Owl Hammock & Straps for easy comfort when you’re camping with the family.  Aymann recommends the Self Cleaning LARQ Water Bottle for purifying water for you and your baby on the go.  Jamilah recommends making your own bootleg sangria! Using grand marnier and/or rum, wine (red or white), kids fruit cups, fresh fruit, sugar and orange juice. Cheers! Join us on Facebook and email us at momanddad@slate.com 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.  Podcast produced by Morgan Flannery.  Hosts  Elizabeth Newcamp is a co-host of Mom and Dad Are Fighting. She's a traveling mother of three boys who chronicles her misadventures at Dutch, Dutch, Goose. Jamilah Lemieux is a writer, cultural critic, and communications strategist based in Brooklyn, New York. Aymann Ismail is an award winning staff writer at Slate whose work focuses on identity and religion.  Social @JamilahLemieux on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamilahLemieux @dutchdutchgoose on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/dutchdutchgoose/ @aymanndotcom on Twitter https://twitter.com/aymanndotcom Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on MADAF each week, and no ads. Sign up now at slate.com/momanddadplus to listen and support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices