WHY Boys Need to Learn About Puberty
Teaching boys about puberty reminds me of something that happened recently with my daughter and her 5-year old twins. She asked me to go with her and the twins to a routine visit with their pediatrician. The twins had only seen their doctor for scheduled check ups and those visits normally included a vaccination. My daughter decided not to tell them that they were going to the doctor that particular day to delay the unpleasant response that would come. In their minds, doctor = shot and mom knew they would be unhappy about that. As you might imagine, it did NOT go well when we drove into the pediatrician’s parking lot. Immediately they figured it out and it was clear they were unhappy about the situation. Their anger did not come from the realization they were going to receive a vaccination that day. They were upset with their mom because she didn’t tell them ahead of time.
For the past few years, I have been researching and writing content for parents about puberty as well as books for kids. The response by parents to this topic has been fascinating but one of the most interesting things I have learned is that very few parents ask what they should be teaching their sons about puberty.
Today I am advocating for boys.
Boys also need to be prepared for puberty because they are going to experience hormonal and emotional challenges as well. Granted, it is more difficult to bring them into the conversation but here are some reasons why I feel it’s imperative boys are educated about puberty.
Your son doesn’t want to be surprised either.
You might be wondering what my story has to do with puberty but I think the same response can happen with our sons. Your son is going to be uncomfortable when you approach the topic of puberty with him, but he is going to be even more unhappy if you don’t prepare him for the changes that are coming.
Puberty marks the beginning of sexual maturity.
Unexpected fluid coming out of his penis during an ejaculation is a new experience for him, erections at the most inappropriate times are embarrassing, and changes in their skin that have not happened before are just a few of the surprises that are experienced by our boys.
Here is an interesting concern that I learned about when chatting with a group of young boys. Because boys mature at different rates during puberty, the size of one boy’s penis can be very different from the size of a friend of the same age simply because of the rate of maturity. You wouldn’t think penis size would matter to an 11-year old boy, but you might be surprised. A simple explanation about how hormones start working at different ages in different boys will really help him to overcome his concern about the current size of his penis and feel more positive about the future.
Your son will probably not want to talk to you about any of this information.
My new book, I’m a Boy, Hormones! explains all of this content and if left discretely in your son’s room, he will read it. He will probably never tell you he read it, but the book will answer all of his questions and you will get credit for caring enough to give it to him.
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