This Is So Awkward

Questions swirl around bras: Does a kid need to wear one? When should they start? What type should they wear? The list goes on and on, and we cover all of it. Spoiler alert: the answer often boils down to it all depends… 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...

Listener questions can open up profoundly important conversations. Like this one, that asks whether their menstruating 10-year old daughter should start taking a birth control pill because the family lives in a state where abortion is illegal even in the case of rape. We answer from every angle, wading into medical, parental, social, and emotional considerations. Show Notes: Order our book This Is...

The author of our own puberty narratives — literally — is coming to theaters everywhere this weekend. Judy Blume’s stigma-shattering story “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” has been adapted into film more than 50 years after its initial publication. There’s so much to say about the impact of this story, then and now. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and...

It’s hard to find anyone who hasn’t been gobsmacked by Peggy Orenstein’s chronicles of adolescence, laid out in her books Girls & Sex and Boys & Sex. During peak COVID, Peggy wrote on a new and wildly unrelated topic: Unraveling dives into the hilarious and harsh realities of raising teens while anticipating an empty nest. We talk to her about all of it! Show Notes: Unraveling by Peggy Orenstein O...

Caregivers of tweens and teens sit in the middle of the family sandwich, looking out for kids and aging parents, but often stretched so thin we can’t even identify — let alone meet — our own needs. This episode is all about how to ask for the help we need, finding balance so that we can look after ourselves as well as everyone else. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our s...

There’s lots to say on a controversial subject that ranges from hair removal to nose jobs. We explore it all with one reigning principle: leave your judgment at the door. 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@lessawkward.c...

When 19-year-old Henry was in the 4th grade, he received a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. His tween and teen years were intertwined with chronic illness, but he made the conscious choice not to be defined by it — instead, becoming a multi-sport athlete and fiercely independent adolescent. Then, sophomore year of high school, a second, separate medical challenge came his way. Adults and kids will al...

We welcome Dr. Kelly Fradin back to the podcast to discuss a highly complex aspect of parenting: managing kids’ medical diagnoses and subsequent challenges. Her new book, Advanced Parenting, is an empathetic guide designed to help adults understand and manage all kinds of health challenges — both physical and mental. Show Notes: Advanced Parenting Follow Dr. Kelly Fradin on Social Media Instagram ...

The stressful – not to mention (sometimes prohibitively) expensive – college process lands some kids where they want to be. But others are left disappointed. And many describe being somewhat traumatized by the whole experience, regardless of outcome. How can we be supportive to the kids in the midst of a process that itself has gone haywire?  Show Notes: www.grownandflown.com Order our book This I...

The microbiome is an important component of health throughout the body: in the gut, on the skin, and yes, even in the genital tract. During puberty, as bodies change these ecosystems shift, particularly in the moister, oilier, and hairier parts. We get into why the situation turns itchy, focusing on one major category: yeast infections. Show Notes: The Vajenda by Jen Gunter Order our book This Is...

This is one of the most common questions we get from adults! Can I talk to a kid about their changing body when I don’t have the same parts? Spoiler alert: 100% YES. We spend this episode explaining why and how to cover mechanics and logistics, even when you don’t share the same biological equipment. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.les...

Dealing with executive functioning in tweens and teens can be a perfect storm of frustration, anger, and low self-esteem. Clinical psychologist, Tori Cordiano, shares insight into what’s happening in the brain and trade secrets about how kids and adults alike can maximize executive function skills at different ages. Show Notes: Tori Cordiano Insta and  Tori Cordiano newsletter sign-up and website....

Excellent listener question alert! What’s a parent supposed to do when they follow our advice and attempt to start conversations, only to be repeatedly shut down by their kid? 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@lessawkw...

We thought our recent social media post about masturbation was benign, offering straightforward advice about safe ways to talk to your kid. But it sparked a massive reaction — good and bad. Which is why we decided to do an episode talking about why masturbation really freaks people out. Show Notes: IG Reel discussed in the episode Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and cu...

Braces, retainers, and all other mouth hardware offer a rite of passage for the awkward years. This hardware affects self-esteem, finances, executive functioning and more. Thanks to a beautiful listener question, we unpack all the ways that orthodonture impacts adolescents… and their parents. Show Notes: Order our book This Is So Awkward Check out all our speaking and curriculum at www.lessawkward...

Lying is normal – literally everyone does it – but it peaks during adolescence. Sometimes their little white lies, sometimes they’re big, scary lies. To help us understand how to handle all of them – and the difference between consequences, discipline, and punishment – child development specialist and parenting guru Betsy Brown Braun guides us through. Show Notes: www.betsybrownbraun.com Facebook....

Hickeys are back… but they never really went away. This episode focuses on these classic teenage suction-splotches and the age-old questions like: do we say something when we see them or zip our lips?! And what causes them anyhow? 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 sc...

Science journalist and author Donna Jackson Nakazawa explores the two-sided science of estrogen: as a source of female superpower and the root of certain mental health disadvantages. In light of recent data about teenage well-being, this is a must listen for anyone who wants to understand teen girls. Show Notes: Girls on the Brink donnajacksonnakazawa.com  Instagram: @DonnaJacksonNakazawa Twitter:...

Different families, different rules… a fact most apparent during sleepovers. Turns out, even Cara and Vanessa have surprisingly divergent opinions about sleepovers and how to handle the sticky situations that can arise. Production by Peoples Media  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We tackle the hormonal science behind voice changes and their social and emotional impacts, including the perennial question: why are these ups and downs so embarrassing? Show Notes: Join the Awkward Roller Coaster Newsletter Production by Peoples Media  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This bonus episode with Dr. Lisa Damour dives into specific topics like substance abuse, gender socialization, gender identity, and race. Lisa parses the research to shed light on modern day life as an American teen. Show Notes: The Emotional Lives of Teenagers Ask Lisa Podcast Subscribe to The Awkward Roller Coaster Newsletter Production by Peoples Media  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit p...

Adults walk a fine line in an effort to both support the teens in their lives and help them learn to manage the expected distress of adolescence. The incredibly wise and wonderful Dr. Lisa Damour shares invaluable advice from her newest book, The Emotional Lives of Teenagers, packed with data and decades of experience.  Show Notes: The Emotional Lives of Teenagers Ask Lisa Podcast & Subscribe to T...

This week saw a massive – and massively important – data dump about the physical, emotional and sexual behaviors of teens. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey from the CDC provides critical though imperfect insights into the lives of post-pandemic high schoolers. Show Notes: 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey  2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey  Associated Press Article on YRBS Subscribe to The Awkward Rolle...

After the American Academy of Pediatrics released new guidelines about the treatment of obesity in children and adolescents last month, a firestorm ensued, starting with the medicalization of the term obesity. Therapist and body positive activist Zoe Bisbing shares her perspective of this evolving, complex conversation. Show Notes: @mybodypositivehome on IG My Body Positive Home Link to AAP guidel...

Does it matter if a kid is sloppy, leaving shoes strewn across the room or wet towels piled on the floor or school papers shoved half-in/half-out of a 3-ringed binder? These habits leave many adults frustrated because they imply that kids don’t care about their surroundings or the feelings of others. But is this accurate? Show Notes: Subscribe to The Awkward Roller Coaster Newsletter Production by...