Some parents want their children to hurry up and grow up and get out of the house. Not this mom. The thought of my kids someday grown up and moved out makes me want to cry maybe because I adore my children. I love being with them. So to see my oldest child who is eleven start to begin puberty makes me cringe. It seems like yesterday he was in my arms and nursing now he is almost taller than I am!
I have never paid much attention in the past how children develop different at the same age. My son has physically changed while some of his friends have not. His voice is different, has body odor and acne. Wow! So my husband and I sat him down to talk about changes so that he knows these changes are all normal and part of growing up.
Oh the hormones……………. They can wreak havoc on a tween/teen boy!
First we told our son that all boys bodies change, it is a sign of growing up! We did not want him to feel like he was the only one experiencing these changes. It’s normal just as God intended it to be!
Hair….. It grows and several places. One of those places, the most obvious for him was his face! Yes his face! He was very self conscious of it too, his friends thought it was cool but the girls poked fun of him so needless to say he wanted it gone. Not having a clue what to do I spoke with a friend who recommended to have his facial hair waxed off – let me just say NOT a good idea. Knowing he was way to young to use a regular razor we gave him an electric razor which works great. He uses it a few times a week and is great with it. Now no one even notices!
Oh that smell…… Yikes! For some reason my two older boys hate to shower. It is a battle! We explained to him increased hormones makes the body sweat more which causes the odor. We hated to say it but he stunk! So we bought him deodorant and a men’s body spray. We have to remind him those things are not in place of a shower but using them are in addition to showering.
Height….. As I mentioned above my son is almost as tall as me. He has no issues with that, he cannot wait to tower over his mom. Plus he knows there are lots advantages to being tall although I do not like it because it makes him look older than he is. I read on-line that a kid going through puberty usually grows about 4 inches taller every year until he turns 17. My husband and I are average height so somewhere in the gene pool he got a tall gene. Wow!
Skin changes…… I have noticed that my son has mild acne. He is self conscious of it and I do not want him to take the approach I did with acne when I was his age which is popping and picking at it. So he makes sure to wash his face before bed using a face cleaner which as helped. Keeping the oil glands clean and dirty hands off the face.
Parents a tips for you: growth spurts not only cause all these body changes but they cause kids to be hungry. A healthy diet and sleep are definitely essential during this puberty. Be supportive and encouraging because the hormones can run rapid!
These are some of the topics we have discussed with our son but a talk is coming soon for more detailed puberty changes. I would rather him talk to either his father or I about it instead of other kids. Kids do not always provide accurate information! Sometimes kids are not comfortable going to their parents with their questions which can be understandable so maybe offer them one of the following books, they are definitely helpful: The Story of Me, Before I Was Born or The Ultimate Guys’ Body Book: Not-So Stupid Questions About Your Body.
Thankfully he is not interested in girls (only as friends) and just wants to play with Lego’s and video games because this mama does not look forward to that stage of girls! What about you, are you experiencing your son going through this stage in their life? Definitely a whole new ball of wax! Yikes!
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My friend definitely needs this! She has 3 boys and these topics are already coming up. Thank you so much for the great advice!
I only have daughters, the oldest is in sixth grade this year. We have talked with her about puberty and body changes as well. I ever did an experiment with her where we took a disposable pad, a tampon and a cloth pad on the table and I let her pour water on each one and explore how each one worked. I want my girls to be open to talk with me about anything, so we had fun learning about menstrual products instead of being embarrassed by them.
I love that you talk openly with your son as well. Growing up should never be something kids are afraid of.
I’m quickly approaching this conversation happening. The smell is where we are at now…the rest is coming!
We had open talks with our older children, but then as our family grew…it seemed that the older kids shared with the younger ones, and there were less questions for us to answer.
I really do know how you feel. Even with a house full (we have 10 grown kids), I dreaded them growing up and leaving the nest. LOL, I really didn’t need to worry, many have “cycled” back through the home, bringing their kids with them. Right now we have two grown children and a grand daughter living with us. This summer our daughter will finish college and move out and another already has her room spoken for:-)
Great advice. It’s important to talk openly with your kids about these things.
My son turned 8 a few months ago and I can’t believe how much he has been changing already! Thank you for sharing this advice because I just don’t know how to bring up a lot of these things!
Reesa, I noticed a huge difference starting at 9 years old but with my 2nd son who is 9 he is completely different than his older brother. I think they grow and mature differently!
As an only boy mom this post hit home for me. I am going to have to be having these talks sooner than I want!
These talks should be informative and not meant for embarrassment. These are some great talking points.
My daughter is just about ten and I noticed some acne on her face already and she is starting to get BO. I am sad because I too remember her as an infant.
These are all some great points here. I don’t have any sons, but I do have two girls. I don’t know if we’re ever ready to have the talk about this.
It can be so hard to talk to kids about puberty. We started talking about it as the kids were growing up to keep the conversation going. We just treated it like it is Natural and made sure they were not embarrassed by it.
This is such a hard talk for parents for sure no less today than in past generations. However, all your tips are spot on and will likely make starting the conversation with one’s tween/teen with greater ease.
It’s definitely good to be able to talk to the kids about puberty. There are definitely some big changes they’d appreciate knowing about ahead of time.
These are wonderful straightforward tips about puberty that any parent can glean information From! My advice is to just have the conversation and keep it as non chalamt and honest as possible and remind your son that you are always there to be a sounding boardn
!
My son is just starting puberty. He is almost as tall as me and we have him using deodorant. I hear you about boys not wanting to shower. I have to remind him all the time.
This can definitely be a hard conversation. But it is a very important one. Thanks for the tips.