One Day You'll Thank Me

Cast:
Dr. Tara Egan, host and child & adolescent therapist
Anna, teen cohost
Celeste Osborne, LPC-S, Therapist

Hey Listeners, Anna and I are back again today and are talking with Celeste Osborne about depression in teens.

Especially during Covid-19, the topic of depression has become super relevant with everyone feeling isolated and school work keeping kids in front of the screen. The term depression is thrown around a lot in regular conversation and the goal today is to really define depression and make sure that we discriminate between the casual usage of the term and how we define depression as therapists.

Celeste shares with us the definition of depression, as well as, characteristics of someone (teens) with depression, things to look out for, risk factors, and practical steps that parents can take.

Depression is not moments of sadness, but persistent sadness. Tara and Celeste share examples of what they see with the teens and families that they work with and what you as a parent can be aware of and keep an eye out from their experience.

Oftentimes, parents feel that their kid is just being moody because they are a teenager and that's what teens do. They try to give them their space and privacy, but without being aware and not taking an active role in their lives, signs can be missed.

Other subtopics we touch on:
- The role that social media has on depression
- How medications can be helpful in some instances and the fears that many parents have  about medication
- After being depressed for extended periods of time, kids identify with that and when they  finally do get relief, they feel scared and not sure who they are anymore

We wrap up the episode discussing how getting a therapist involved could be beneficial and at what point should that be considered.

To learn about Celeste and her services visit her website, HERE.

To learn more about Dr. Tara Egan, visit www.drtaraegan.com.
To learn more about Dr. Tara Egan's private therapy practice, visit www.charlotteparentcoaching.com

Please visit our Facebook page and Instagram page and register for our FREE weekly parenting webinars HERE.

This episode is sponsored by Eaton Press. Eaton Press provides writing coaching, editing, and publishing services to help business professionals write, publish, and market their books as a tool to grow their business. Make your book happen.

Cast: Dr. Tara Egan, host
Dylan, middle school boy and Dr. Egan's son
In this bonus episode, Dr. Egan interviews Dylan, her middle-school aged son. Quarantine is still firmly in place, as COVID-19 cases in North and South Carolina are still rising at an alarming rate. Dylan reflects on his technology and video game usage during quarantine, noting that his time is limited, although time can be earned by having a productive day---participating in sports, finishing chores, and having a good attitude. He admits that he has a hard time entertaining himself without the use of technology but agrees that he has never been permitted to have unrestricted usage.
Dylan shares that he's been educated on how technology can "hurt your brain," and admits that his mood is impacted by gaming, especially if he loses. Winning video games feels good, but he realizes that he's never going to be good enough at Fortnite to "go pro," as his parents don't allot him enough time on the Xbox to get the practice he'd need.
Dr. Egan and Dylan discuss the role of video games and violence, noting that although kids who are more aggressive are attracted to violent video games, research hasn't determined causality. Dylan states that he does spend a lot of time looking forward to gaming, as winning tournaments is fun. Together, Dr. Egan and Dylan think of ideas that kids can do in lieu of video games. Dr. Egan asserts that as long as gaming is given as a choice, kids will choose it nearly every time. Because Dylan's time gaming is limited, he's compelled to plan his gaming time with friends. Because the Circle with Disney is used to limit Dylan's time gaming, he can't "sneak it" and accepts that once gaming time is over for the day, family time begins. Dylan is cheerful, pleasant, respectful, successful in school, and easy-going, so Dr. Egan feels pretty good about the gaming policies in their home.
As far as social media goes, Dylan isn't super interested in it. He says that some of his friends have abandoned gaming for social media and "talking to girls," but says that he's not motivated to follow strangers on Instagram just to have more followers. Lastly, Dylan offers some advice to other kids who love gaming and need help with avoiding frustration when it's time to put down the controller.
This episode is sponsored by Moe's Southwest Grill. Order a family taco kit for $34.99 and make family dinner fun.
Please visit our Facebook page and Instagram page.
If you'd like to try BARK, a dashboard that monitors content on your child's technological devices, please use the code QSG7JBW to get 20% off. If you'd like to try Circle Home Plus to set guidelines around when and where your kids spend their online screen time, use THIS LINK to get $20 off. I use both of these tools to protect my children.
To learn more about Dr. Tara Egan, visit www.drtaraegan.com
To learn more about Dr. Tara Egan's private therapy practice, visit www.charlotteparentcoaching.com
To purchase Dr. Tara Egan's parenting books, please visit Amazon.
#parentingpodcast #onedayyoullthankme #subscribe #teens #videogames #COVID19

Host: Dr. Tara Egan
Co-host: Anna, teen
Tara and Anna are back once again with a great episode discussing "The Real Care Baby Project" and Sex Education. For her Child Development class, Anna did a project where she had to bring home a " Real Care Baby" for the weekend and take care of it as if it was an actual baby. Listen in as Anna and Tara both share the humorous and educational experience of having this "Real Care Baby" all weekend. Anna may have ended up in tears once and even brother Dylan got in on the fun!
Listen is as we discuss:
- What is the Real Care Baby Project?
(This experience is much more than an immersion project, it is birth control!)
- Anna's experience taking the baby to the gas station and having to fill up!
- How Anna felt about the project and her thoughts of parenting.
- How Grandma Tara forgot she was watching the baby for a moment and the many laughs she had throughout the weekend of watching Anna taking care of the baby.
The second portion of the show they talk about teen pregnancy and high school students.
You will learn that teen sex has decreased in the past few years, however teen pregnancy in black and Latino high school students has not decreased at all, and why that may be.
How even though teens are healthy and strong, the fact is, teen moms are more likely babies with low birth rate, born pre-term, and with complicating health condition according WHO.
Factors that reduce teen pregnancy rates:
1) If teens are exposed to clearly presented fact based sex education free of messages of shame.
Note: sex education varies state by state, can't say the word condom in some states, abstinence is the only approach taught. The messages kids receive from parents in the home environment varies as well.
2) Access to low cost contraception, specifically long acting reversible contraception, like IUD or implant - has better efficacy and lower risk for error.
Anna shares her perspective about sex education in school and how they taught the information.
Tara shares some tips for parents about talking to their kids about sex, dispelling the notion that if they talk they about sex, kids will be more likely to be sexually active. In reality, studies have shown that it actually delays start of sexual relationships.
Learn more about Dr. Tara Egan's therapy services RIGHT HERE.
To learn more about Dr. Egan's online mini-course called "Managing Your Family's Technology and Social Media", created to help parents eliminate power struggles, keep your family safe from internet misuse, and reconnect with your family, please click RIGHT HERE.Learn more about Dr. Tara Egan's books, webinars, public speaking opportunities, and coaching/consultation services RIGHT HERE.
If you'd like to join our weekly FREE parenting webinar, register HERE via zoom. Once registered, you can access all the prior webinars from our YouTube channel.
Join our private FB group for parents of high school students RIGHT HERE.
If you'd like to try BARK, a dashboard that monitors content on your child's technological devices, use the code QSG7JBW to get 20% off. If you'd like to try Circle Home Plus to set guidelines around when and where your kids spend their online screen time, use THIS LINK to get $2

Cast:
Dr. Tara Egan, host
Anna, teen co-host
Tara and Anna are back at it again today talking about Executive Functioning. No, executive functioning is not a Corporate America term, it is a term used all the time amongst clinicians. Tara and Anna are talking about it today in terms of kids, the topic is "What are Executive Functioning Skills and Why Does My Kid Need Them?
What Is Executive Functioning?

Executive function is the cognitive processes that organizes thoughts and activities, prioritizes tasks, manages time efficiently, and makes decisions.

Executive function skills are the skills that help us establish structures and strategies for managing projects and determine the actions required to move each project forward.

Individuals with executive dysfunction often struggle to analyze, plan, organize, schedule, or complete tasks at all — or on deadline.

People with executive functioning deficits misplace materials, prioritize the wrong things, and get overwhelmed by big projects.

Tune in to learn about:

What Are the Core Executive Function Skills? (Related to self regulation to manage and change your behavior).

How to use these cognitive or mental abilities to actively pursue goals. In other words, it’s about how we behave toward our future goals and what mental abilities we need to accomplish them.

The seven skills executive function is judged by.

How people with ADHD often struggle with some or all of these skills and can cause a lot of mental fatigue for them.
- Simple ways to enhance executive functioning.

To learn more about Dr. Tara Egan's child & adolescent therapy services, visit HERE.
Learn more about Dr. Tara Egan's books, webinars, public speaking opportunities, and coaching/consultation services RIGHT HERE.
To join our private FB group for parents of high schoolers and soon-to-be high schoolers, visit HERE.
To join us on Instagram, visit HERE.
To learn more about Dr. Egan's online mini-course called "Managing Your Family's Technology and Social Media", created to help parents eliminate power struggles, keep your family safe from internet misuse, and reconnect with your family, go HERE.