On this week’s episode: Jamilah, Elizabeth, and Dan debate when it’s appropriate to celebrate a sibling’s pregnancy, especially if the road to conception has been tough. How can you delineate between excitement and celebration so the mom-to-be feels supported without feeling pressure to share the news with others, if that’s not something she’s comfortable with at this stage? They also advise a family who has realized—they don’t actually know how to have fun as a unit. It turns out, the key to family fun is that someone is probably always not thrilled. But, sometimes, you just gotta suck it up. 

In Slate Plus: The hosts compete over who has allowed their kid to see the worst TV show. Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on MADAF each week, and no ads. Sign up now to listen and support our work.

Recommendations:

Dan recommends Flamer by Mike Curato.

Elizabeth recommends Flipbelt’s running pants. 

Jamilah recommends shopping for the holidays at Kido.

Bonus Links:The Rise and Fall of Baby Einstein by Ruth Graham.

Mike Birbiglia’s tweet that had a number of great replies recommending small or local businesses that people can support when shopping this upcoming holiday season. 

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. 

Tune in to The Kids Are Asleep, the hilarious Slate Live show hosted by Jamilah. Catch it via Slate’s Facebook or YouTube on Thursdays at 10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT. Podcast produced by Rosemary Belson. 

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