Podcast Summary: This American Life – Episode 883: "Call Your Parents" (March 22, 2026)

Overview of the Episode

In this deeply personal episode, Ira Glass revisits conversations he had on-air with his own parents during the early years of "This American Life." The episode explores how bringing his parents onto the show altered and ultimately improved their relationship, moving from mutual disapproval and distance to warmth, affirmation, and understanding. Through archival interviews, fresh commentary, and deeply honest reflections, Ira uses his family history to meditate on what it means to connect with parents as adults, how generational tensions play out, and the accidental healing that sometimes comes from just including loved ones in your life’s projects.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. How the Radio Show Changed Ira’s Relationship with His Parents

• Distant Beginnings: In his 30s, Ira describes a distant and occasionally fraught relationship with his parents, fueled by their disapproval of his (then-unstable) public radio career and his own judgment of their choices ([00:35], [01:45]).
  • “They did not hide the fact that they disapproved of pretty much all my life choices. And I didn't feel a lot of patience for that disapproval.” – Ira Glass ([01:54])
• Transformation Through Inclusion: The act of including his parents in the show’s earliest episodes unexpectedly became a healing force, sparking fun, pride, and a sense of collaboration ([02:10-03:05]).
  • “The single most surprising thing that happened in my life because of the radio show is that it fundamentally changed things between me and my parents.” – Ira Glass ([02:08])

2. The Universal Struggle: Parents and Their Adult Children

[First Segment: "Adult Children" – Interview with Ira's Mother, Shirley Glass]

• The Hadassah Group: Shirley, a therapist, is invited to talk to a group about the tension between mothers and their grown children.

  • Criteria for parental satisfaction: marriedness, proximity, appreciation, grandchildren, child’s success, and liking their spouse ([09:23-09:53]).
  • Disappointment is common (“a sense of disappointment… dreams haven't been realized, expectations haven't been met.” – Shirley Glass, [08:49])
  • Parents find the adult child relationship harder because of those unfulfilled dreams ([11:53]).

• Notable Moment: Shirley wryly notes that sometimes parents love their children’s partners more than their actual children ([10:37]).

  Memorable Exchange:

  • “Whether their children appreciated them… whether they had grandchildren. Somebody announced that one of their children was pregnant with the first grandchildren. Everybody went, ‘Oh.’ And they clapped. You know, that’s the epitome.” – Shirley Glass ([09:53])

[Second Segment: The Show’s First Episode, 1995 – Family on Air]

• First On-Air Appearance: Calls with his mom about launching the show, her skepticism, and classic parental concerns about artistic pursuits and financial practicality ([14:16-17:48]).
  • “Are you and dad still worried about me making a living in public radio?... now I’ve got my own show.” – Ira ([16:54])
  • Shirley jokes about Ira’s looks: “Now that Hugh Grant is such a big star... everybody... thinks how much you look like Hugh Grant, that sort of fires up that TV thing again in me.” ([17:12])
• Discussion of Beginnings and Middles: Shirley, as a therapist, shares insights about relationships thriving beyond initial excitement ([19:27-20:54]).
  • “Because practically all of life is the middle.” – Shirley ([20:48])

3. Discovering His Father’s Secret Radio Past & Father-Son Closure

[Segment: “Baltimore” – The Barry Glass Story]

• Dad’s Radio Dream: Ira learns about his father Barry’s early (and unknown to Ira) radio dream, and why Barry abandoned it for accounting ([25:09-33:34]).
  • “He wanted a career in radio so badly that every Sunday morning at the break of dawn, he would leave his wife and his five month old baby... to do a four hour program.” – Ira ([26:06])
• Radio Reunion: Barry co-hosts a Father’s Day episode with Ira, relishing a brief return to the mic ([37:41-39:03]).
  • “Our program today will have four acts...” – Barry Glass ([38:40])
• Emotional Resolution: Ira recalls a not-aired moment of real honesty, where he addressed childhood sensitivity to his dad’s moods—his father's apology brought decades of anxiety to a close ([41:31-43:18]).
  • “Honestly. He said, like, the perfect thing... ‘I’m so sorry. That must have been so tough for you… I was doing my best. I didn’t have a dad. I really was trying to...’” – Ira ([41:32])
• Contrast with Mom: Ira notes his mother (despite being a therapist) remained defensive about criticism, while his father was able to apologize and listen ([43:18]).

4. The “Skin-Crawling” Conversation: Mom as Sexpert

[Final Segment: “Double Lives” – Shirley, the Sexpert]

• Parent as Sexpert: Ira discovers, to his horror, that his mother is quoted as a “sexpert” in Marie Claire, and interviews her about it ([47:50-49:55]).
  • “I didn’t really know you were a sexpert.” – Ira ([49:45])
  • “Yeah, because he (your dad) knows that I’m a sexpert. And you can call him to verify that.” – Shirley ([50:03])
• Family Boundaries & Sex Talk: Shirley muses on why adult children bristle when parents talk about sex ([51:31-52:11]).
  • “I think it has to do with boundaries, and I think it has to do with that children, even adult children, do not like to regard their parents’ sexuality.” – Shirley ([51:54])
• Tension & Humor: Shirley tells a risqué joke about Neil Armstrong’s “Good luck, Mr. Gorky,” pushing Ira’s discomfort to the limit ([52:14-53:46]).
• Sex Advice, Parental Style: When Ira asks for advice, she reverts to cliché:
  • “Find a nice girl and get married.” – Shirley ([56:14])
• Meta-Awareness: Ira notes how the on-air banter reflects new warmth, playfulness, and acceptance in their real-life interactions ([57:01-58:36]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “They did not hide the fact that they disapproved of pretty much all my life choices.” – Ira Glass ([01:54])
• “The single most surprising thing that happened… is that it fundamentally changed things between me and my parents.” – Ira Glass ([02:08])
• “I would say that there were a lot of people whose dreams haven’t been realized, whose expectations haven’t been met. And so there’s a sense of disappointment.” – Shirley Glass ([08:49])
• “Because practically all of life is the middle.” – Shirley Glass ([20:48])
• “Honestly. He said, like, the perfect thing…‘I’m so sorry. That must have been so tough for you...I was doing my best.’ ...Emotionally, for me anyway…in one conversation… it was completely resolved.” – Ira Glass ([41:32-43:18])
• “Yeah, because he knows that I’m a sexpert. And you can call him to verify that.” – Shirley Glass ([50:03])
• “I think it has to do with...that children, even adult children, do not like to regard their parents’ sexuality.” – Shirley Glass ([51:54])
• “Find a nice girl and get married.” – Shirley Glass ([56:14])
• “We are so in a nice, friendly groove...Even though we are kind of making little points with each other. It’s just a very lovely thing.” – Ira Glass ([57:04])

Key Timestamps

• 00:35 – 03:41: Ira’s background with his parents, the distance and eventual healing through radio.
• 05:12 – 12:35: “Adult Children” – Hadassah group and interview with Shirley about parent/adult-child tensions.
• 14:16 – 21:26: First episode call with Shirley—skepticism, beginnings/middles, and classic motherly advice.
• 24:34 – 34:09: Barry’s radio career, leaving it for accounting, rare emotional closure.
• 37:41 – 39:03: Father’s Day episode co-hosting with Barry.
• 41:31 – 43:18: Ira’s emotional breakthrough with his father.
• 47:50 – 58:36: The “sexpert” story, family boundaries, joke segment, and signs of relationship warmth.

Tone & Takeaways

The episode remains true to Ira Glass’s signature blend of honesty, wit, and emotional frankness. Listeners get both the humor and discomfort of grown-up parent-child exchanges, as well as moments of vulnerability and catharsis rarely aired in public—much of it rooted in the real, unfiltered personalities of Ira’s parents.

Final Thoughts

More than just a quirky trip down memory lane, this episode illustrates how simply paying attention, extending invitations, and sharing real projects with family members can transform bonds across generations. The specificity of Ira’s family becomes universal, blowing open the myth that parental tensions never resolve, and modeling—with humor and insight—the slow work of understanding and forgiveness.

For listeners interested in the interplay between personal storytelling and familial relationships—or for anyone who’s ever squirmed at a joke their parent made—this is a funny, touching, and ultimately hopeful episode.