Stories about the surprises and absurdities of raising other humans—and being raised by them. But you don’t need to be a parent to listen. Created and hosted by Hillary Frank.
The Longest Shortest Time is back after a 5-year hiatus! New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Join LST+ for community, ad-free listening, and access to You Know What, our premium show featuring college students speaking candidly about sex, dating, and relationships.
If you’re new to the show or want to get reacquainted, check out some of our classic episodes:
• #27 Rewriting Your Birth Story
• #88 W. Kamau Bell Asks His Mom About Sex
• The Accidental Gay Parents Series (#60, #62, #80, #81, #125, #211)
• #79 Terry Gross on Not Having Kids
• It's a Real Mother: A Series About Workplace Discrimination (#141, #142, #143, #145)
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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.
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Recommendations from the archive
• More on the grueling reality of IVF: One Woman, 3 Kids, 15 Rounds of IVF
• Another revealing C-Section story: A Childless Man Gets a C-Section
• Our series about discrimination against working moms: It’s a Real Mother
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Episode resources
• Sona’s books: The World’s Worst Mom and The World’s Worst Assistant
• Sona’s (and Conan O’Brien’s!) podcast: Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend
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• Join LST+ for community and access to You Know What, another show in the Longest Shortest universe!
• Follow us on Instagram
• Sign up for our newsletter, where we recommend other parenting + reproductive health media
• Buy books by LST guests (your purchase supports the show!)
• Website: longestshortesttime.com
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LST FAVES: Terry Gross on Not Having Kids
Episode 79
Wednesday, August 26, 2026 • Duration 38:00
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.
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• Join LST+ for community and access to You Know What, another show in the Longest Shortest universe!
• Follow us on Instagram
• Sign up for our newsletter, where we recommend other parenting + reproductive health media
• Buy books by LST guests (your purchase supports the show!)
• Website: longestshortesttime.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Sex Lives of College Kids
Episode 259
Wednesday, August 19, 2026 • Duration 44:09
According to surveys, Gen Z is having less sex than previous generations. But why? Carter Sherman is here to explain.
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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
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More on Carter Sherman
• Read Carter’s book: The Second Coming
• Listen to her podcast from The Guardian: Stateside with Kai and Carter
• Carter mentions Peggy Orenstein’s book in this episode: Girls & Sex
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Carter’s recommended resources
• For anyone who suspects that their Title IX rights may have been violated: National Women’s Law Center.
• For combatting workplace sexual misconduct: Time’s Up Legal Defense Center
• For organizing and supporting survivors of sexual assault: Advocates for Youth, and their initiative Know Your IX. Also, End Rape on Campus and RAINN.
• For LGBTQ+ youth who may need mental health support and community, The Trevor Project offers a 24/7 hotline
• For keeping up with the state of reproductive rights in the US: Autonomy News
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• Join LST+ for community and access to You Know What, another show in the Longest Shortest universe!
• Follow us on Instagram
• Sign up for our newsletter, where we recommend other parenting + reproductive health media
• Buy books by LST guests (your purchase supports the show!)
• Website: longestshortesttime.com
…
Cover image credit: Mustafa Mirza
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
LST FAVES: My Best Friend's Baby
Episode 84
Wednesday, August 12, 2026 • Duration 40:01
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 us on Instagram
• Sign up for our newsletter, where we recommend other parenting + reproductive health media
• Buy books by LST guests (your purchase supports the show!)
• Website: longestshortesttime.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Pressure to Be the Perfect Black Father
Episode 258
Wednesday, August 5, 2026 • Duration 44:02
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.
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Recommendations from the archive
• A scholar’s take on why “colorblindness” is dangerous: How to Not (Accidentally) Raise a Racist
• More on the stigma around therapy in the Black community: When Are You Gonna Be Normal Again?
• A Black mom on raising a passing son: How Will They Know I’m Black?
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Episode resources
• Mark Anthony Neal’s book: Save a Seat for Me: Notes on American Fatherhood
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• Join LST+ for community and access to You Know What, another show in the Longest Shortest universe!
• Follow us on Instagram
• Sign up for our newsletter, where we recommend other parenting + reproductive health media
• Buy books by LST guests (your purchase supports the show!)
• Website: longestshortesttime.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
LST FAVES: How To Not (Accidentally) Raise A Racist
Episode 116
Wednesday, July 29, 2026 • Duration 50:45
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.
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Take advantage of your LST+ membership at longestshortesttime.com/club
• Join the conversation for this episode!
• Bond with other listeners!
• Suggest a story idea!
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• Follow us on Instagram
• Buy books by LST guests (your purchase supports the show!)
• Website: longestshortesttime.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jamilah Lemieux on Black Single Motherhood
Episode 257
Wednesday, July 22, 2026 • Duration 44:34
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.
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Recommendations from the archive
We have lots of stories about single parenthood!
• For something funny: W. Kamau Bell Asks His Mom About Sex
• For something political: The Political Power of Black Motherhood
• For a story with a twist: Becoming a Single Dad While Trans
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Episode resources
• Jamila’s book: Black. Single. Mother.
• Jamilah’s website: https://www.jamilahlemieux.com/
• Co-parenting book that Jamilah recommends: The 50/50 Solution
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• Join LST+ for community and access to You Know What, another show in the Longest Shortest universe!
• Follow us on Instagram
• Sign up for our newsletter, where we recommend other parenting + reproductive health media
• Buy books by LST guests (your purchase supports the show!)
• Website: longestshortesttime.com
…
Cover photo credit: Aria Askari Jocelynn Pedro
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
LST FAVES: The Secret Life of a Deaf Superhero
Episode 88
Wednesday, July 15, 2026 • Duration 43:52
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.
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Read the book
Pick up a copy of Cece’s incredible graphic memoir El Deafo!
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• Join LST+ for community and access to You Know What, another show in the Longest Shortest universe!
• Follow us on Instagram
• Sign up for our newsletter, where we recommend other parenting + reproductive health media
• Buy books by LST guests (your purchase supports the show!)
• Website: longestshortesttime.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Even Sexperts Struggle with Intimacy in Motherhood
Episode 256
Wednesday, July 8, 2026 • Duration 40:35
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.
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Recommendations from the archive
Check out our sex + parenthood series, which includes:
• The Parents’ Guide to Doing It with Jane Marie and Dan Savage
• The Parents’ Guide to Doing It with Dr. Hilda Hutchinson and Twanna Hines
• The Parents’ Guide to Doing It with Esther Perel
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More about Sarah Forbes
• Sarah’s website: curatorforbes.com
• Sarah’s book: Mama Sex
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• Join LST+ for community and access to You Know What, another show in the Longest Shortest universe!
• Follow us on Instagram
• Sign up for our newsletter, where we recommend other parenting + reproductive health media
• Buy books by LST guests (your purchase supports the show!)
• Website: longestshortesttime.com
...
Cover photo credit: Rebecca Smeyne for Cosmopolitan Magazine
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Getting Kids to Bed with Naturepedic's Arin Schultz
Wednesday, July 1, 2026 • Duration 34:37
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.
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Recommendations from the archive
We have more episodes about kids and sleep!
• Start with our very first episode: Your Singing Really Interferes With My Going-To-Sleep Process
• If you like that one, check out the follow-up four years later: Music Together-ish
• In 2018, we hosted a call-in show at 2 a.m. for all the sleepless parents out there: You Up?
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Episode resources
• Thanks to Naturepedic for sponsoring this episode! You can find their products, and a store near you, at naturepedic.com. Plus, get 20% off with code LONGSHORT
…
• Join LST+ for community and access to You Know What, another show in the Longest Shortest universe!
• Follow us on Instagram
• Sign up for our newsletter, where we recommend other parenting + reproductive health media
• Buy books by LST guests (your purchase supports the show!)
• Website: longestshortesttime.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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