Cast:
Dr. Tara Egan, host
Anna, teen co-host

Tara and Anna are flying solo and sharing their thoughts on today's topic, "Should I Force My Teen to Spend Time With Me?" As teens begin to grow up, what is the best way to have them connect with you AND should you as parents fight that battle to keep your them engaged with the family?

Annas gives her teenage perspective on whether teens should be expected to spend time with their parents and how she sees her friends response to spending time with their parents.

We discuss:
What Tara's professional opinion is about teens be "forced"  to spend time with their parents.
 
How to use spending time together as an opportunity to get to know each other better, bond, and talk about important topics in their life.

How parents are a home base when life gets scary or their teen needs support.

What can parents do to make the process less awful to spend time with them and their family?

•  We discuss how important setting expectations ahead of time can be, by giving advance notice, how long you are expecting them to participate, if they can bring a friend, etc.

 How kids from divorced families have even more family obligations and that it should be taken into account.

In closing, Tara tells parents that family time can be looked at like a pie. Family time should not be a tiny piece of pie. Family time should be substantial enough for the teen to connect and have balance. If the pie is just consisting of school, friends and technology -  that is not balanced and should be looked at to make adjustments.

To learn more about Dr. Tara Egan's child & adolescent therapy services, visit HERE.
To find lots of great free parenting resources and learn more about Dr. Tara Egan's coaching services and books, visit her website, 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.