The Longest Shortest Time

EPISODE #79: Terry Gross on Not Having Kids

Look at this badass lady. Terry Gross, people.

Terry has been hosting NPR’s Fresh Air for over 40 years—longer than I’ve been alive. She got her start in radio at a show out of WBFO in Buffalo called Womanpower. There she is below (3rd from left), along with the rest of the staff.

Back then, not too many women had jobs in radio. And the way Terry saw it, she had to pick either motherhood or her career. She went with career. Having watched her own mother not have much of a life outside of her family, it felt to Terry like the obvious choice.

Tune in to this episode to hear this public radio icon talk about her decision to not have children, and how she sees herself as a feminist pioneer who paved the way for women to have careers, whether or not they are mothers. Oh yeah, and her recurring baby-related nightmare. There’s that, too.

Guess what? Terry’s also a fan of this podcast. Here’s what she had to say to WNYC’s Sean Rameswaram about why she listens even though she’s not a parent.

Have YOU decided to not have kids?
Tell us why. Baby-related nightmares also welcome.

Top photo: Dan Burke

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