This Is So Awkward

Revealing our newest project: a reliable, relatable and fun health and sex ed curriculum arriving in the next few weeks! We’ve had this in the works for a while, but our book tour audiences across the country have provided new inspiration. Now we’re reaching out to our listeners: What would you want to see included? And if you’re an educator, how can we make the teaching as light a lift as possibl...

There’s no federally mandated standard for sex education – in fact, there aren’t consistently enforced standards across states or even local school districts. Jaclyn Friedman, founder of Educate US, joins us to un-complicate this web of loose and widely-varying recommendations, ultimately explaining where parents and educators alike go from here. Show Notes: Jaclyn Friedman https://educateusaction...

Discipline is about teaching kids, not about punishing them. It can be challenging to take that approach when managing our kids’ behavior, but ultimately the goal is for kids to do better next time. Our consequences need to keep that goal in mind and Tina Payne Bryson joins us to give us a pathway toward that goal. Show Notes: Tina Payne Bryson Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our s...

Divorce and changing family structures create complexity for everyone. When kids are going through puberty, this adds a layer on top of already shifting physical, social, and emotional worlds. Family lawyer Sophie Jacobi-Parisi combines professional insights with deep empathy to help families manage this transition within a transition. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Connect with Sop...

To celebrate the launch of our new book, THIS IS SO AWKWARD, we are sharing an Ask Us Anything hosted by comedian, co-creator of Big Mouth (and Vanessa’s brother) Nick Kroll. Show Notes: Pre-order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email operations@lessa...

Data guru Emily Oster joins us to talk about puberty in a way only an economist can. She’s as warm and funny as she is devoted to good research, which is why she has become a wonderfully loud voice in the world of parenting. Show Notes: Pre-order our book This Is So Awkward Parent Data  Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com...

Here’s a super common question that we get all the time: How do I know if content is appropriate for my kid? The short answer is: It depends. The longer answer in this episode takes into account a variety of factors. The ultimate answer may still be… it depends. Show Notes: Pre-order our book This Is So Awkward Book Preorder Bonus  Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com a...

Caring for tweens and teens is complex at baseline, but add to that navigating moving countries, changing schools and learning whole new cultural systems… it can be a very complicated stew! Dr. Anisha Abraham offers clear guidance – including reminders about the upsides of growing-up cross-culturally – for those walking this winding path. Show Notes: Pre-order our book This Is So Awkward Book Preo...

Adults get a lot wrong when it comes to kids and technology. Here to bridge this divide is expert in media and tech, and the author of Growing Up in Public, Devorah Heitner. She provides insights for balancing kids’ burgeoning independence and guidance for creating constructive approaches to this complex issue. Show Notes: Pre-order our book This Is So Awkward Book Preorder Bonus  Middle School Ba...

One year ago, we finished writing our book, This Is So Awkward. The summer writing frenzy ended with giddy laughter and exhaustion. We pressed record literally five minutes after turning it in to be able to share, one day, what we learned about ourselves, each other and puberty in the process. A year later (and a month before publication) is that day!  Show Notes: Pre-order our book This Is So Awk...

Pediatric endocrinologist (and our personal hero) Dr. Louise Greenspan has lots to say about the latest research on early puberty. This episode covers emerging data from one specific study run during the Covid pandemic. Are the trends found recently blips? Or the beginning of a new, new normal? Show Notes: Pre-order our book This Is So Awkward Book Preorder Bonus  Middle School Back to School Work...

Kids’ changing friendships during the middle and high school years are a profound part of growing up. While developmentally normal, these changes can be confusing and sometimes painful but they can also be exciting and filled with new opportunities. We will walk through what to say (and what not to say) to kids through these shifts.  Show Notes: Pre-order our book This Is So Awkward Book Preorder...

Young people are struggling under the weight of today’s toxic achievement culture. Journalist Jennifer Wallace’s new book, Never Enough, provides rigorous research to help make sense of how we got here, shedding light on the critical underpinnings of how to combat this issue in our own families.  Show Notes: Never Enough by Jennifer Wallace Pre-order our book This Is So Awkward Book Preorder Bonus...

Our families and our kids don’t always turn out the way we expect, with surprising difficulties or unexpected setbacks along the way. Dayna Abraham to the rescue! She’s an educator and parent of three neurodivergent kids managing her own ADHD. None of this stops her – in fact, it fuels her – from offering clear, tactical guidance and humorous reassurance for dealing with the most challenging paren...

Nearly everyone enters summer with lofty tech goals (fewer screens! more fresh air!). Whether you achieved them or not, going back to work and school inevitably means more tech is back in the mix. This episode offers scripts for talking to kids about keeping up good habits and shedding the less good ones. Show Notes: Pre-order our book This Is So Awkward Book Preorder Bonus  Middle School Back to...

Back for a second visit to the podcast, author/blogger/mom Uju Asika shares insights about raising Black boys in the UK. This conversation picks up where our episode from last season left off, covering issues about race, sexism, masculinity, and cultural influences on tweens and teens across the globe.  Show Notes: Raising Boys Who Do Better with Uju Asika Check out all our speaking and curriculum...

It’s easy – and quite human – to identify a symptom or two or three and roll them into a diagnosis. This is as true for kids as it is for adults, so we walk through a bunch of scenarios (and role plays!) about how to handle tween and teen self-diagnosis.  Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at w...

When scientist David Hu realized there was no age-appropriate book for his son to understand his penis – a part of the body his son found deeply fascinating – David wrote one! The resulting book is filled with eye-popping and entertaining scientific facts (like the speed of farts vs the speed of ejaculation). We can promise this episode will have you laughing hysterically and deeply engrossed at t...

Every summer has its own soundtrack, and then there’s the one that’s on replay year after year: that endless conversation about the importance of hydration. Learning to care for a growing body means understanding how to stay hydrated and also how to recognize when you’re not. Pro tip: every bit of info in this episode applies to people done with puberty, too. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So...

Listeners often ask us to address sibling dynamics during the adolescent years. Frankly, that could be its own multi-episode series. But just because it’s a vast topic doesn’t mean we can’t toe into the conversation. So in this episode, we start by tackling birth order and sibling relationships during these years, getting into only-child dynamics too.  Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward...

We tend to be prepared for waterworks at graduations and send-offs, but sometimes big emotions sneak up at unexpected moments. Summer is a time with lots of such moments, so in this episode we talk through how to handle tears… or just let them flow. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myo...

If you’re sending a kid away for part of the summer – or even if you’re just sending them off for the day – here are the key conversations to have before getting too far into summer. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward.com and our super comfy products at www.myoomla.com To bring us to your school or community email operations@l...

When the adults raising boys understand their biological and social development, they can better support and guide them. Jennifer Fink is a writer, podcaster, and mom of four (boys) who makes it her mission to change the way we think about caring for adolescent boys(!!).  Show Notes: Twitter: @jlwf @BuildingBoys  FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/945086638893108 Instagram: @j_l_w_f Substac...

We’ve covered body positivity and eating disorders on this podcast, but one topic we haven’t hit: orthorexia, an obsession with "healthy" eating. The precise definition is still up for debate and it’s not yet recognized as a clinical diagnosis. Nonetheless, it’s increasingly recognized as a type of disordered eating, and adolescence is a common time for it to emerge. Show Notes: National Eating Di...

The hand-off for healthcare responsibility from parents to teens can be complex and bumpy. But it’s a practical – and ultimately legal – necessity! Dr. Sara Levine, Adolescent Medicine specialist, offers sage guidance starting with this central tenet for the ongoing process: start the process early. Show Notes: Sara Buchdahl Levine, MD, MPH, FAAP  On Instagram with Caraway Health Order our book Th...