2024/05/Natterson-Cara-Kroll-Bennet-Vanessa-e1717690171661.jpg

Relationships/CommunicationWellbeing/Mental HealthSkill BuildingNeurodiversity/Executive FunctionSocial Emotional/Behavioral

Cara Natterson MD & Vanessa Kroll Bennett

This is So Awkward: Helping Kids Manage Today's T(w)een Culture -- Modern Puberty Explained

Noon CST 7 p.m. CST

12:00 pm CST 7:00 pm CST

When

Wed, Apr 23, 2025 @ noon and 7pm CST

Where

Virtual Event

Program Takeaways:

Puberty Starts Earlier and Lasts Longer: Modern puberty often begins as early as 8-9 years old and extends over nearly a decade, influenced by environmental factors, stress, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

Leave Your Baggage at the Door: Parents should avoid projecting their own puberty experiences onto their children and instead offer support without adding emotional weight.

Mood Swings Are Science, Not Attitude: Hormonal fluctuations cause rapid mood changes; understanding this helps parents respond with empathy and calm.

Brain Development Impacts Decision-Making: Teens’ brains are still wiring for sound judgment, which explains risky behaviors despite knowing better.

Talk Early About Sex, Consent, and Porn: Open, age-appropriate conversations about anatomy, intimacy, and digital exposure are critical before external influences take hold.

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Almost everything about puberty has changed since today’s adults went through it.

For starters, puberty begins, on average, two years earlier and stretches through high school (and for some, beyond). Many parents are contending with issues that they didn’t experience in their own youth but that they need to understand: everything from social media to new or newly-potent drugs.

Join puberty authorities Vanessa Kroll Bennett and Cara Natterson MD and learn what adults need to know about today’s t(w)een culture. Hear invaluable commentary straight from young adults on the other side of adolescence that highlights what they wish the adults in their lives had known or done differently.

Participants will learn how to talk to kids about almost anything: acne, body odor, growth spurts, eating disorders, mood swings and more! Discover science-based explanations for all the physical, emotional, and social changes, including the many ways hormones affect kids both above and below the neck.

This eye-opening and reassuring presentation will help adults understand the turbulent pubescent decade and become confident guides for today’s kids.

Cara Natterson, MD, is a pediatrician and the New York Times bestselling author of “The Care and Keeping of You” series, “Guy Stuff,” and “Decoding Boys.” She is a sought-after speaker and the founder of Worry Proof, MD.

Vanessa Kroll Bennett is the founder of Dynamo Girl, a company focused on building kids’ self-esteem through sports,

Together they co-host The Puberty Podcast, and they are co-authors of “This is So Awkward” and The Awkward Roller Coaster Newsletter. In addition, both women run Order of Magnitude, the leading brand dedicated to flipping puberty.