Puberty - Get Ready to Play the Puberty Game

Puberty can be a difficult time for children. Not quite kids anymore and not really adolescents they are caught in the middle in type of limbo. It is a sad time for many young people too. Many look back at their childhood and realise that they can never really act the same way yet they look ahead and realise that adolescence will present them with its own peculiar challenges.

Children are reaching adolescence earlier than ever. The World Health Organisation estimates that in developing countries puberty begins about three months earlier every ten years. It is a stage when the maturity gap between girls and boys is quite evident - about two years.

Puberty is a time of immense body changes. The male and sex hormones are different and set off different development in girls and boys. Bodily changes are more evident for girls are accompanied by huge mood swings, which can be disconcerting fro parents. The onset of puberty is not so obvious for boys. The first physical sign boys may notice is the enlargement of the testes, followed by growth of pubic hair. Testosterone, the male hormone, also affects mood swings but it arguably leads to increased energy and boisterousness. Many parents discover that their pre-teen son delights in wrestling with siblings or even his father in what is a sort of test of strength. Paradoxically, many early teen boys need more sleep and eat parents out of house and home.

Pre teens have a need for greater privacy so they spend more and more time in bedrooms, locked in bathrooms or arguing with younger siblings about personal space.

During puberty peers begin to assume increasing importance in young people's lives. Their opinions, their dress and appearance is increasingly influenced by their friends. It can be hurtful for a parent to discover that you are less influential than your child's friends, particularly if you enjoyed a close relationship when they were younger. It is a time when the telephone often becomes usurped, particularly by girls. Incidentally, girls can be quite cruel to each other at this age forming friendship groups along extremely exclusive lines.

It is time for parents to be a little circumspect ? a time for guidance and influence rather than control. Make no mistake children during this time of change need their parents more than ever. The way you go about helping them changes - subtle, gentle guidance is often required.

This particular stage provides a window of opportunity for parents. It is a time to help prepare your child for adolescence and even adulthood. It is a time for parents to establish a relationship based on mutual respect and shared interest. And it is the start of an exciting period in your child's development that requires thoughtful and smart parenting.

Michael Grose is The Parent Coach. For seventeen years he has been helping parents deal with the rigours of raising kids and survive!! For information about Michael's Parent Coaching programs or just some fine advice and ideas to help you raise confident kids and resilient teenagers visit http://www.parentingideas.com.au

---

Children Who Talk to Angels

What do you do when your child begins talking to some unseen entity? How do you determine if it's a psychic event, an imaginary playmate, or some... Read More

5 Solid Reasons: Why Your Child Can Be An Achiever

All of us, including your child, entered this world equipped with a super-computer that can be programmed to achieve almost anything.We all have what it takes to... Read More

Why Wont My Child Do as I Say?

In speaking with parents a comment I frequently hear is "My child won't listen!" Repeated attempts in trying to get a child to co-operate often lands on... Read More

Types of Schools for Troubled Teens

It can be difficult on all family members to have a teen move to a boarding facility. As a result, many parents choose to take their troubled... Read More

Best Investment

Every week I write something about the stock market - how to, when to and where to put your money and how to protect it from loss... Read More

Building Your Childs Self-Esteem

According to researchers, most children enter school with a good sense of self-esteem (at least as defined by psychologists) and yet leave high school with a poor... Read More

Time, Stress, and a Baby

The main thing we noticed since having a baby is that time is a more valuable good. We do not have enough time for many things or... Read More

Diaper Bags for Dads - Papas Got a Brand New Bag

Today's dads are more hands-on than ever before and their involvement is being rewarded with parenting gear designed with men in mind. Many items that have typically... Read More

Is There Any Real Use For A Fun Quiz?

Q. I don't like my children spending so much time on the computer and playing video games. Can you help me find or develop a fun quiz... Read More

Responsible Fatherhood - A Unique And Irreplaceable Role!

Something happened the other day that made me feel uneasy. Yet I shouldn't have felt that way!My wife had left for work and I was hanging the... Read More

Is Your Child Having Trouble in School?

Did you know that the school system is only able to meet 50% of student learning needs?That's right! - only 50% of the student population is in... Read More

Mom vs. Dad: Navigating Parenting Differences With All Good Intentions

Let's face it: raising children can be quite the adventure. Rewarding at one turn, challenging at the next ? it's the ultimate roller-coaster for the parenting thrill... Read More

A Child Can Make a Difference

Sometimes dreams really can come true! May 8th - 11th, 2000, my daughter and I traveled to Disney World in Orlando, Florida, because of a dream my... Read More

Now, They?re Bullying My Daughter in Our Home: Welcome to Cyber-bullying

Last night Tom's daughter, Sue, came out of her room to see her dad and said, "I got another one of those instant messages. It says, 'tomorrow... Read More

My Stomach Hurts - I Cant Go to School Today!

It's the third time this week that Sam has complained of a headache or Shaundra has an upset stomach. Daniel cries before leaving school and Tanya won't... Read More

Advocating for Your Child with LD

Advocate: you've probably heard the term before. But what does it mean to you? Advocating happens when you speak on behalf of someone else. You say for... Read More

What a Parent Must Do to Stop Online Predators

Teens can freely access the Internet from computers at school, at their friends' homes and in public places such as libraries and even from cell phones and... Read More

God Dont Like Rich People

I will never forget the day that my daughter's sixth grade friend told me that. We had been discussing someone who had recently lost a fortune and... Read More

Develop Your Childs Genius: Improving Concentration and Focus

Some people can concentrate on an assignment, to the exclusion of all distractions around them. My husband, who is an avid reader, can sit at a public... Read More

So You Want to Adopt?

Many reasons will cause some people to feel the need to adopt a child. Sometimes it is because they have exhausted every other means of having children.... Read More

Are You Addicted to Your Children?

Is it possible to be using our children addictively?Anything that we use to get love, avoid pain, and fill up inner emptiness can become an addiction ?... Read More

Achieve Success At School - Parents, Help Your Kids Easily Be Top, Honor-Roll Students!

With the beginning of the new school year coming VERY soon, here are some tips to give us a "heads-up" to start the year off knowing what... Read More

The Secrets To Improving Childrens Behaviour

Most parents at some stage are driven to distraction by one or more of their children's annoying habits or behaviours, whether it is a toddler who continually... Read More

Thriving As A Family When You Live In The Fast lane

It is extraordinary times that we find ourselves in. Change is now an entrenched way of life. Most of us don't blink when new piece of technology... Read More

What is Prenatal Intelligence?

Prenatal intelligence, also known as fetal intelligence, has become a very hot topic among medical professionals and expecting parents because of the affects it might have on... Read More

A Place For Everything: Its Childs Play

What parent hasn't gone into a son's or daughter's room and wondered, "Where did I go wrong? How could I have created someone who creates such a... Read More