PUBERTY
PARENTS BEWARE, IT COMES EARLIER THAN YOU THINK.
CHILDREN SHOULD BE PREPARED TO PREVENT TRAUMA AND STRESS CAUSED BY PUBERTY.
Puberty, especially early puberty is a very stressful, bewildering, physically and emotionally difficult time for children. Because all of a sudden, puberty start disrupting the harmony that exists between the brain and bodily organs, in a way that children are not ready to understand. While the body physically and sexually start to develop, the brain’s development lacks behind. Children do not understand what is happening to them. They think their body is betraying them with all these unfamiliar physical, emotional and sexual changes, such as breast enlargement and bleeding (menarche) in girls, voice changes, appearance of fascial hair, testicular enlargement and breakout of acne in boys. These changes are also accompanied by hormonal rage, labile emotions, mood changes, shyness, sexual dreams and fantasies.
Children are not yet equipped with knowledge, experience and maturity to deal with these overwhelming changes and unfamiliar feelings. These changes, in very early stage in their life, without their parents’ teaching, help and role modelling, could make a child vulnerable. Childhood is without a doubt the most vulnerable time in human life. Usually sexual abuse, early sex, runaways or worse become a common occurrence for abandoned, ignorant, unprotected or homeless children who are vulnerable. Any of these events would leave incessant, deep scars on the child for the rest of their life.
Therefore, it is of utmost important for parents to take responsibility to teach, to warn, to guide and to prepare their children about the puberty and about its upcoming physical, hormonal and emotional challenges. It should be done with a very simple child language. Naturally for parents to be able to do this, they first need to learn about puberty, as much as possible, and use their own experience about their puberty, to talk to their children. Girls teaching is belong to mother and boys teaching is belong to father.
I remember a touching story, a doctor friend of mine told me about their daughter’s first menstrual period (menarche), and how they celebrated it with a private party for their daughter. The mother prepared a white coconut cake with a red cherry placed at the top of it to present menarche. They congratulated and assured her that this is normal and is a welcome first step towards adulthood.
Puberty for girls starts around the age of 10 – 12 and for boys 12 – 13. American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) considers early puberty (Precocious) if it occurs before age 8 for girls, and before age 9 for boys.
Genetic studies have shown that 80 percent of puberty timing is controlled by genetics. But timing of puberty is also influenced by environmental factors, diet and nutrition. Puberty today begins earlier, and more girls experiencing early puberty than boys.
Sperm counts decreasing in boys. Experts say that these are caused by a class of chemicals used by the industry called “endocrine disrupters” which mimic body’s hormones and fools the body into early puberty. These endocrine disrupters chemicals are everywhere: in plastics, shampoos, cosmetics, pesticides, canned foods and other products.
Government regulations and corporate responsibilities are crucial to control these harmful class of chemicals. In the interim, the following practical suggestions should be followed:
· Do not store foods in plastics, but in glass containers.
· Do not ever, microwave food in plastics.
· Avoid pesticides.
· Always use cotton shower curtains, not vinyl.
· Do not use air fresheners.
I personally believe that it is a big mistake for parents to shy away from talking to their children about this critical, bewildering and stressful period of their lives. Puberty, human sexual development and human sexuality are, and will remain, very important part of our life and survival of human species.
