Download
1 / 19
E N D
SXEducation Al Mahdi Madrasah
Puberty is the time when you change from having a child's body to having an adult body and results in the ability to have children. Your sex organs start to work and your whole body grows and changes shape. For most people, puberty is a challenging and unsettling time. Understanding what puberty is all about and knowing what to expect will help you through these difficult but exciting few years.
One of the basic characteristics of life is reproduction. Like other mammals, humans are born with bodies that are not able to reproduce straight away. Babies and children need to grow, learn, and form loving relationships with their families. The bodies of young boys and girls are very similar in shape. Then comes the time to develop into sexually mature individuals, capable of having sexual relationships and perhaps, in time, children of their own. This section answers the most common questions about puberty.
When does puberty happen? Puberty usually begins at around the age of 11 for girls and 12 for boys. Exactly when puberty starts varies from one person to another. Anything between the ages of 9 and 14 is perfectly normal.
Occasionally, puberty can start earlier than 8 or be delayed until after 14. If this happens, a doctor may recommend a course of treatment to adjust the timing of puberty.
If you're a girl, it's sensible to speak to your school nurse if your breasts start to develop before you are 9 years old, or if they haven't started to develop by the age of 14.
If you're a boy, it would be sensible to visit your doctor if your genitalia (testicles and penis) or pubic hair grow before you are 9 years old, or if they haven't started to grow by the age of 14.
'Adolescence' is a word that is often used to describe the period of life starting with puberty and lasting all the way through the teens. It isn't really a biological word like 'puberty', as it takes account of the way you feel and relate to others as well as the changes to your body caused by hormones.
Any time of change in your life tends to affect the way you feel. Some people manage to sail through adolescence with few worries - they are the lucky ones! Most people find things more difficult. The important thing is to realise that this is completely normal, and lots of people find these years a bit of an emotional rollercoaster.
Here are some of the feelings that most people have at some time during adolescence: • Worrying about the way your body is changing, and what others are thinking about the way you look. • Feeling that you're different from friends of the same age - either more physically developed or less. Either can be a source of worry, and can make you feel isolated from your friends. • Being misunderstood, especially by your teachers and parents.
Here are some of the feelings that most people have at some time during adolescence: • Wanting more control over things. This can bring you into conflict with adults in authority like teachers and parents. • Wishing to be part of the crowd, fitting in with a group of friends, going places and doing things together. Again, this can cause arguments if your parents don't approve of your choice of friends or clothes. • Concern about your sexuality - whether you might be gay or lesbian and how you will handle it if you are. • Anxiety about the future as you start to think more seriously about what you want to do and what sort of person you want to be. Adults often see this as sulkiness or being moody and self-centred - another source of tension.
Just to make things even more complicated, puberty brings another explosive ingredient into your life - sex! As well as making you change physically, sex hormones affect the way you feel, preparing you for sexual maturity. Most people start to experience sexual feelings and fantasies. These can be very strong and difficult to deal with. It's common, and normal, to imagine kissing and having sex with other people. Most teenagers have 'crushes' on adults they fancy, and imagine having sex with them even when this is obviously out of the question. It's also common to have sexual fantasies about members of the same sex, as well as members of the opposite sex.
Then there are the pressures of school, with exams, option choices, harder class work and more demanding homework. Just to top it all, it's a time when many people need to wear braces on their teeth or start wearing glasses. All in all, it's no surprise that puberty and the teenage years can seem so tough, and knowing that what you're feeling is 'normal' doesn't make it any easier to cope. Building respect for yourself and gaining confidence takes time, and it's easy to get knocked back now and again.
Stress busting tips: • It's normal to feel panicky in a stressful situation. The trick is how you deal with that feeling. If you are feeling stressed out, there are things you can do to feel better. • Relax more - do something to take your mind off everything else. Try going for a walk or watching TV. • Do some exercise - try to exercise 3 times a week. One 20-minute session will generate 2 hours of relaxation response which will help with stress. • Write down everything that's bothering you - go through each thing in turn. • Ask for help - this is the best way to deal with stress as admitting you can't cope is the first step to coping. • Remember - it's no good worrying about things you can't do anything about. Try to work out ways of changing things you can change.
Bullying: Teenagers can be incredibly cruel, and most people get teased about something from time to time. Having a bit of a joke is one thing, but deliberately trying to hurt someone by teasing them is a form of bullying. This behaviour sometimes comes from emotional or physical abuse at home. At other times it's an attempt to look 'hard' in front of mates. Whatever the reason behind bullying and teasing, it's quite common and can make the victim feel desperately lonely and miserable. If this is happening to you, don't accept it. Let an adult know about what's happening. Tell your form tutor, your head of year, the school nurse, your parents or a grandparent. Choose someone you trust, but make sure you tell somebody. Every school has an anti-bullying policy, and should take your situation seriously. Don't suffer in silence - your school can only act if they know what's going on.
