The Longest Shortest Time

Today we bring you a special episode of Weirdly Helpful from one of our favorite podcasters, Zak Rosen. In this conversation, Zak talks to Rebecca Garza-Bortman about her love of “shenanigans,” or humor-driven chaos. Rebecca talks about how she works that chaos into parenting and listeners share their own family shenanigans. (Plus: Hillary shares one of her own shenanigans with Zak at the top of t...

New parents know the feeling. You’re sleep-deprived, scrolling, and desperate to solve the problem with a baby product. One $2000 bassinet later, you feel bamboozled! Chabeli Carrazana, reporter for The 19th, uncovers the manipulative marketing strategies around baby-rearing.  … Recommendations from the archive • My very first episode is about struggling to get a newborn to sleep! Your Singin...

A marriage; a miscarriage. A divorce; a guy who looks (and smells) like a caveman. All in this epic love story. ⭐️ This episode originally ran on February 10, 2016 and is a favorite from the archives. We hope you enjoy, and we’ll be back next week with a brand new episode. … • Join LST+ for community and access to You Know What, another show in the Longest Shortest universe! • Follow us on Instag...

Becoming a parent can make you more nurturing... but it can also make you meaner. Stand-up comic Ophira Eisenberg confesses her not-so-nice tendencies, and shares tips on how to heckle your haters. … Recommendations from the archive We have a bunch of stories from comedian-moms! Check them out. • Sona Movsesian Feels Like the World’s Worst Mom • Negin Farsad Tackles Her Daughter’s Unanswerable Que...

What's it like to nurse piglets in one hand and your own baby in the other? Life on a farm, with baby. ⭐️ This episode originally ran on February 22, 2016 and is a favorite from the archives. We hope you enjoy, and we’ll be back next week with a brand new episode. … • Join LST+ for community and access to You Know What, another show in the Longest Shortest universe! • Follow us on Instagram • Sig...

Like many first-time parents, Sona Movsesian felt as if she was doing everything wrong. In this episode, she opens up about the challenges of conception and her C-section turning unexpectedly vivid — plus, how being Conan O’Brien’s personal assistant prepared her for raising toddlers. … Recommendations from the archive • More on the grueling reality of IVF: One Woman, 3 Kids, 15 Rounds of IVF • An...

Public radio icon Terry Gross talks about why she chose to never have children. And her recurring nightmare about a baby. ⭐️ This episode originally ran on April 19, 2016 and is a favorite from the archives. We hope you enjoy, and we’ll be back next week with a brand new episode. … • Join LST+ for community and access to You Know What, another show in the Longest Shortest universe! • Follow us on...

According to surveys, Gen Z is having less sex than previous generations. But why? Carter Sherman is here to explain. … Recommendations from the archive • More on Title IX’s rollback: Preventing Teens from Joining the Manosphere • Teaching consent to teens: How to Not (Accidentally) Raise a Rapist • When sex ed is left in the hands of gym teachers: The Staircase … More on Carter Sherman • Read Car...

Two friends try to figure out how to stay friends after one of them has a baby. The one without the baby hatches a secret plan. ⭐️ This episode originally ran on May 24, 2016 and is a favorite from the archives. We hope you enjoy, and we’ll be back next week with a brand new episode. … • Join LST+ for community and access to You Know What, another show in the Longest Shortest universe! • Follow u...

After a panic attack nearly made him lose control on the highway, Mark Anthony Neal continued to bottle up his anxiety and pretend everything was fine. Years later, when he secretly started therapy, he unpacked how the pressures of Black masculinity led him to a mental health crisis. … Recommendations from the archive • A scholar’s take on why “colorblindness” is dangerous: How to Not (Accidentall...

What's the best way for white parents to talk to their kids about race? We called in Dr. Brigitte Vittrup, who studies children's racial attitudes, to help us out—and to answer questions about cringeworthy moments with your own kids. ⭐️ This episode originally ran on March 8, 2017 and is a favorite from the archives. We hope you enjoy, and we’ll be back next week with a brand new episode. … Take...

Jamilah Lemieux’s greatest fear was becoming a single mom. When she found herself pregnant without a partner, she panicked and tried to convince her daughter’s father to get back together with her. But over time, she’s come to embrace single motherhood — and the unexpected joys of co-parenting.  … Recommendations from the archive We have lots of stories about single parenthood! • For somethin...

Cece Bell lost her hearing at age four. In this interview, the Newbery-award-winning author and illustrator talks about how she's used her hearing aid for good ... and evil. ⭐️ This episode originally ran on June 7, 2016 and is a favorite from the archives. We hope you enjoy, and we’ll be back next week with a brand new episode. … Read the book Pick up a copy of Cece’s incredible graphic memoir E...

As curator of the Museum of Sex, Sarah Forbes was an expert on kinks and turn-ons. But motherhood taught her that sex is more complicated than attraction — and that something as unsexy as her partner changing a blowout diaper could get her in the mood. … Recommendations from the archive Check out our sex + parenthood series, which includes: • The Parents’ Guide to Doing It with Jane Marie and Dan...

As the father of four boys, Arin Schultz treasures his sleep… and because he works at a mattress company, he spends most of his waking hours thinking about sleep. In this episode, sponsored by Naturepedic, Arin shares the company’s dramatic origin story, and some sleep hygiene tips he’s picked up along the way. … Recommendations from the archive We have more episodes about kids and sleep! • Start...

Most consent education focuses on survivors, and rightly so. But that leaves perpetrators without resources to repair harm. Drew Davis, a die-hard feminist, aims to fix that with a new online tool. … Recommendations from the archive • Our first episode with SafeBAE: How to Not (Accidentally) Raise a Rapist • Hillary’s personal episode about sex ed and consent that relaunched LST: The Staircase … E...

Consent education in school is mostly insufficient or non-existent — even when it’s required by state law. An organization called SafeBAE is trying to change that by training teens to teach each other about consent. SafeBAE’s executive director Shael Norris talks about what works and what doesn’t when discussing this topic with young people. We’ll also hear a cautionary tale about a time when Shae...

In 2017, comedian Negin Farsad came on the show to tackle kids’ unanswerable questions. Now she’s a mom, wrestling with how to explain death, slavery, and war to her own child. Plus, a delightful episode crossover moment with another former guest. (Hint: hot firefighters!) … Recommendations from the archive Want to hear more comedians answer kids’ questions? Check out the whole series! • Kids Ask...

Comedian Negin Farsad on esoteric allergies, the power of fire hydrants, and growing up Muslim... all in this edition of Kids' Unanswerable Questions. ⭐️ This episode originally ran on February 1, 2017 and is a favorite from the archives. Since then, Negin has become a mom — and next week we’ll be back with a new episode where she talks about how she navigates her own daughter’s unanswerable ques...

Kate Casey grew up in a chaotic home, and as a child she struggled to understand the strange — and sometimes unsettling —choices her parents made. When it came time to start her own family, Kate decided to trade the bad kind of chaos for the good kind. … Recommendations from the archive • Want more family drama? Listen to Dani Shapiro’s Family Secret. • Does Family Size Matter? An only child expla...

We pick up where we left off with Kiely, Jenna, and their sperm donor Dominick. This time it's Jenna's turn to get pregnant. And, unlike last time, things do not go according to plan. ⭐️ This episode originally ran on November 30, 2016 and is a favorite from the archives. We hope you enjoy, and we’ll be back next week with a brand new episode. … • Join LST+ for community and access to You Know Wh...

Renee Bracey Sherman and Regina Mahone proudly share their abortion stories, which led one of them to realize she wanted to be a mom and confirmed for the other that she didn’t. Plus: the problematic ways we talk about "readiness" for parenthood… and sex after abortion. … Recommendations from the archive • Listen to The Scarlet A, about one of the rare OBGYNs who provides abortions (and needed one...

How do you make a baby when you’ve got a uterus and your partner does, too? We hear how one family did it, in this two-parter. And how some of their plans… don’t go according to plan. ⭐️ This episode originally ran on November 23, 2016 and is a favorite from the archives. We hope you enjoy, and we’ll be back next week with a brand new episode. (And tune in the following week for the second part o...

Feeling enraged lately? Dr. Kameelah Phillips gives us the facts about perimenopausal mood swings — and gets personal about her own. (Red lipstick while listening is not mandatory, but highly encouraged!) … Disclaimer: Information presented by Dr. Phillips does not constitute medical advice or medical care. All medical concerns should be discussed with your healthcare professional. … Recommendatio...

Have you been obsessing over Heated Rivalry? Us too. It feels like EVERYONE's been crazy about this show — yes, even the lesbians. So what makes this series SO HOT even for people who aren't gay men? Today, we bring you a special episode of one of our fave pods, Sex Ed with DB. Join DB for a fun and illuminating conversation about Heated Rivalry, BL, and yaoi, with guest Lina Dune! … Recommendatio...