Puberty: Talking the Talk (Tween Tuesday)
For the past several months, when I’ve reprimanded my 12-year-old for some particularly irrational behavior or disrespectful comment, he comes up with one reply: “It’s puberty.”
While I’m not inclined to blame hormones for everything he does, there’s no doubt his body is changing. I’m amazed to see his shoulders becoming broader and his voice a little deeper.
Some companies and small entrepreneurs have discovered that there’s a market to be had in helping parents deal with kids going through puberty. They’ve come up with puberty kits for boys and girls like this and this. The contents vary, but all of them have pamphlets explaining to kids and their parents what to expect about this important time of their lives.
When my son was in fifth grade, he received one of these kits in school. He thought the stick of deodorant was pretty cool. For the most part, I feel pretty comfortable talking with my boys, but every now and then, they come up with some questions I’d prefer they ask their father.
What about you? Is it hard to talk with your tween about puberty? Have you tried any of these kits that are on the market, and do you think they make it easier?
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Comments
I just wanted to throw a topic at you for this part of your blog. There is a new book called Taking Care of Your Girls which is all about breast health and is aimed at tweens and teens. It is written by Marissa Weiss MD and her daughter Isabel Friedman. It's written in a friendly, funny way but manages to answer questions and present breast health accurately and thoroughly. Bra-vo!
Posted by: Edamommy | November 19, 2008 2:02 PM
Thank you for mentioning my company, I'm All Girl, Inc. in your blog. It is always wonderful to come across people talking about talking to children about puberty.
Puberty is a funny topic that no one really wants to talk about yet it is one of the greatest changes we all go through. The sad reality is that schools are not teaching about it and most parents I’ve met over the past 3 years aren't talking to their kids about it. Most feel "I made it through o.k. with no formal help".
People don’t realize, however, that the world our kids are growing up in is vastly different from the one we were raised in. Sex is everywhere today where we, as kids, were much more insulated. We live in a very sexual society and kids are inundated with sexual images on a daily basis yet they lack the very knowledge that could help them understand and process these images.
The results are the statistics that have recently come out: Teen pregnancy is up, 1 in 4 girls carry one or more types of sexually transmitted diseases and violence in teen relationships are at an all time high.
When I started to market my product to schools in 2005, I realized that there was no curriculum that focused specifically on puberty so I put a team of experts together and created the Changing and Growing Seminar. Just recently we held a seminar for 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade boys in a public school in Queens, New York. We absolutely expected the auditorium to be a mad house – 90 boys!!!! But once the boys realized what the topic was, they fell silent and were in rapt attention. The Q&A portion was both humorous and concerning; their questions were basic and not so basic. It was apparent that these kids were getting information, but unfortunately it was coming in bits and pieces and not fitting all together.
Kids today need to be taught about their bodies before they can be expected to understand the risks of sexual activity. They want to know, they deserve to know.
Thanks again for mentioning us in your blog and for providing a platform for us to talk about a subject we truly believe is life-altering – and for helping us continue to raise awareness about its importance.
By the way, for more information on the subject, check out the article in this month’s “Family Circle” magazine about the sexualization of our girls in our society.
Posted by: MaryAnn Keim, President, I'm All Girl, Inc. | November 20, 2008 11:02 AM