The Longest Shortest Time

EPISODE #58: The Bestest Worstest Time with Roman Mars

When 99% Invisible host Roman Mars first heard two heartbeats on the sonogram, his heart sank. His wife, though, was elated. When the twins arrived, the never ending feedings and diapers and sleeplessness drove both Roman and his wife crazy. So crazy that Roman quit his job and moved the family halfway across the country to the Bay Area.

Roman likes to say that first year of his kids’ life was the worst year of his.

Last month, The Longest Shortest Time hit the road, and I had the pleasure of interviewing Roman live onstage at Awaken Café in Oakland.

Roman and I have been friends for a decade, but mostly we talk about work, so I’ve never really heard much about his twins. And Roman gets interviewed a lot, but never about his family life.

Armed with a microphone, I felt like I could ask him all the questions I’ve wondered but never asked. Plus, I brought along a few from my 5-year-old.

Tune in to hear how Roman once used his babies as a weapon against his boss; how he’s afraid he might’ve offended his single mom; and how the boys are completely different from him in one key way.

How are YOUR kids not like you at all? How are you nothing like your parents?
Good ways, bad ways. Give up the goods. Down in the comments.

Got multiples?
We asked our listeners for their favorite books and websites about parenting multiples, and they overwhelmingly said the best resource is talking to other parents of multiples in local meet-ups or online. There’s a listener-generated subgroup of Longest Shortest Time Mamas that many of our listeners use to get those connections. Join here!

A lot of parents say they like the book When You’re Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads: Proven Guidelines for a Healthy Multiple Pregnancy by writer and researcher Dr. Barbara Luke. Also the blog Girl’s Gone Child by mother of twins Rebecca Woolf.

And the multiples blog How Do You Do It? has a cool visual primer for all of us on the often confusing biology of identical vs. fraternal twins.

Add YOUR faves in the comments!