This American Life

The radio station, This American Life, had a really great Fathers Day special. It included touching stories about father children relationships with the focus on how fathers try to protect their children but how children also try to protect their fathers. The first story tells the tale of a father who jumps through numerous hoops to recover a lost bear for his son. The father wants so badly to help his son track down this lost teddy. The son had had the bear during a serious time of illness which put added sentimental value on the Teddy Bear. I think that in a way finding the bear may have meant even more to the father than it did to the son.

The second story shows the opposite side of this type of protection, where the son is looking out for his father. A son tries to help his father with Alzheimer’s by taking him on a road trip from Florida to New York City. He documents the trip through film and along the way he asks his father to remember things about friends, family, and different places. This story is powerful because it describes something that is very emotional and real to a lot of people. In many families, there comes a point when the roles flip. The parents grow older and need their children to care for them. Eventually everything comes full circle. I really believe that family is extremely important. They are a permanent support system that I can turn to no matter what.

The last story on the radio described a father who led his daughter to believe that mythical little creatures lived in their home. At first it was just a fun little game, but soon the father had created a complex tale. The father continued to deceive his daughter so that she wouldn’t be disappointed. It is hard being a parent. This father wanted to protect his daughter from the truth but he also wanted to protect her from the disappointment that was sure to result once she learned the truth.

When listening to this radio program, I picked up on certain things that made this program successful. It was only an audio presentation yet I was still able to understand everything that was going on. By having the music fade in and out, I was able to tell when the speaker was changing to some one recorded at a different time. Voice inflection and music choice was key to setting the tone of the program.