Puberty can be a challenging time for both children and their parents. Many parents I have spoken to over the years feel they are/were totally ill equipped to deal with their child’s changes over this period. Definitely families who know what to expect and who talk about puberty together will find this time easier.
I have a 13 year old son (Dylan) who is currently going through Puberty and the many Physiological and Psychological changes associated with it, which is why I researched the topic. Whether you have a child entering puberty or you’re just curious about puberty, there are many questions often unanswered.
Below are some of the most common questions I hear parents ask when they want to talk with their kids about puberty. I hope you find the answers helpful.
What Is Puberty?
Puberty is the time between childhood and adulthood when girls and boys mature physically and sexually. It is the period when a girl is becoming a woman and a boy is becoming a man. Puberty is marked by changes such as breast development and menstruation in girls and facial hair growth and ejaculation in boys.
During Puberty two parts of the brain called the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland start making a lot more of some hormones including growth hormone, LH and FSH.
These hormones act on other parts of your body to make the changes happen. Both boys and girls have these hormones but they act on different parts of their bodies.
| For Boys: The LH and FSH work on their testes and adrenal glands (glands next to the kidneys) to make androgens (sex hormones) such as testosterone. They also work on the testes so that they start to make sperm. |
| For Girls: These hormones work on their ovaries (where all the eggs that they will ever have, are stored since before they were born), as well as on their adrenal glands, so that they make more of the female sex hormones such as oestrogen and progesterone. |
Both boys and girls have some of all of these hormones but boys have more androgens and girls have more oestrogens, and the different levels of these hormones make the differences in their bodies
When Does Puberty Happen?
Puberty happens to everybody, but it doesn’t happen to everybody at the same time. Generally, girls start puberty earlier than boys. The bodies of some girls begin changing at age eight. Others don’t start changing until they are 14. Boys’ bodies start changing between ages 10 and 12. Most often these changes are complete before a person is 16, but puberty can go on throughout the teens.
In many ways, puberty is similar for girls and boys.
During puberty, both girls and boys:
- grow taller quickly
- develop pubic, underarm, and body hair
- may sweat more and notice more body odour
- often get pimples on their faces, backs, chests, or buttocks because of changes in sweat and oil glands
- see their body shapes change — wider hips for girls and broader shoulders for boys
- find that their voices become deeper — this usually happens much more suddenly for boys
- develop more sexual feelings
Girls and boys often worry about being normal as they go through puberty. Some children begin puberty months or years earlier than their friends and classmates. Others begin much later. You should reassure children that even if they go through puberty at a different time or a different rate than their friends, it’s perfectly normal.
As girls and boys go through puberty, they also begin to go through big changes in their thoughts and feelings. Their emotional changes will continue through adolescence until they reach adulthood. During this time, peers become more and more important in our children’s lives. (Sorry Mums) They may spend lots of time trying to be like their friends and classmates. They may also spend a lot of energy exploring how they are unique and independent.
Hormones cause the physical changes we call puberty. They also affect children’s feelings. Hormone shifts may give children strong emotional highs and lows. You can help children deal with their shifting moods by being patient and by validating their feelings. Remember that their feelings are real and may be confusing or overwhelming to them. Good family communication can help girls and boys deal with all of their changes more easily.
When Does Puberty End?
Puberty is usually complete before the age of 16, but is also the start of adolescence. During the rest of their adolescence, teens’ thoughts and feelings about themselves and their relationship to other people will continue to change dramatically. They may look and think like adults one moment and like children the next. It helps to remember that the brain keeps developing until kids are in their early 20’s.
I found researching this topic very interesting, and I hope this has also helped make the subject a little clearer for you.
Yours in health,
Dirk