The Built-in Babysitter Edition

On this week’s episode: Jamilah is joined by former Mom and Dad are Fighting co-host, Rebecca Lavoie. They weigh in on whether or not an older stepchild should be forced to babysit their stepsiblings. They also counsel a mom who is concerned about her husband’s theatrical and rather upsetting behavior.  As mentioned in the show, our second question does contain discussion of suicide and suicidal ideation. So if you’d prefer to skip the question, jump ahead 17 minutes.  If you, or anyone you know, are in crisis, you can contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Since we talk about thoughts of suicide, if you, or anyone you know, need help, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).  In Slate Plus: The unsurprising sharp decline of new babies being named ‘Karen.’ 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. Recommendations: Rebecca recommends giving and buying Chico’s perfect work pants.  Jamilah counters Rebecca’s pick by recommending Jazzybelle Swim.  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 Rosemary Belson.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices