The Family We Carry

The Sugars take on the essential topic: the family. The family of origin, the family we create, and the family we hold in our minds - the ideal family.

In this episode, they field questions from a new mother, who is exhausted after walking in on her alcoholic father relapsing in her home, and from a woman grappling with how to be childless in a society in which parenthood is so revered. What takes the place of the meaning that children can bring to our lives? They're joined by Elizabeth Gilbert, the best-selling author, who made the decision not to have children.

Show notes

[0:16] “I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl,” Nina Simone, 1967.

[2:11] "Cat's Cradle," Kurt Vonnegut, 1963.

[9:03] "Lit: A Memoir," Mary Karr, 2009.

[9:12] "Where I'm Calling From," Raymond Carver, 1988.

[9:21] "Drinking: A Love Story," Caroline Knapp, 1996.

[15:40] "The Beast In Me," Nick Lowe, "The Impossible Bird," 1994.

[18:43] "Home," The Wealthy West, "The Wealthy West," 2011.

[19:50] "One of our previous letters, where we were talking about the struggle around whether to have a third child or not," Dear Sugar Radio, Episode 1: Meet The Sugars.

[24:36] "The Signature Of All Things," Elizabeth Gilbert, 2013.

[37:43] "Endless Road," Angel Olsen, "Burn Your Fire For No Witness," 2014.

Full episodes of Dear Sugar Radio are released biweekly, with shorter episodes appearing on off-weeks.