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 the show.)

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More Shenanigans!

• Check out Hillary’s book Weird Parenting Wins, which is chock full of shenanigans from you, our listeners!

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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. 

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Recommendations from the archive

• My very first episode is about struggling to get a newborn to sleep! Your Singing Really Interferes With My Going-To-Sleep Process

• Another early one: My Newborn, the A**hole 😂

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Episode resources

• Chabeli’s article: You’ll do anything for your baby. The algorithm knows how to exploit that.

• Subscribe to Chabeli’s newsletter about mom guilt and consumerism

• There’s tons of other great reporting on gender, politics, and power from The 19th

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Get Wedlocked!

I promise, if you love this show, you’re gonna love my original audiobook, Wedlocked. It’s basically a thriller about all of the things we cover on the podcast. Preorder now!

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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

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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.

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• Join LST+ for community and access to You Know What, another show in the Longest Shortest universe!

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• Website: longestshortesttime.com

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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.

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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 Questions

• Casey Wilson on Mothering Without a Mother

• Lauren Lapkus Answers Kids’ Unanswerable Questions

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Get Wedlocked!

If you like stories about women unleashing bottled up rage, you’re gonna love my new audiobook! Wedlocked is a feminist thriller with lots of blood, gaslighting, marriage trouble, and gynecology. Preorder now!

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More from Ophira

• Watch Ophira’s new special—I Used to be Nicer—on her website

• Check out Ophira’s special about deciding to have a kid: Inside Joke

• Ophira’s podcast: Parenting Is a Joke

• Ophira’s book: Screw Everyone: Sleeping My Way to Monogamy

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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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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.

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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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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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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

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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

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• Website: longestshortesttime.com

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Cover image credit: Mustafa Mirza

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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.

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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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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

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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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