Throughout childhood, a person grows intellectually, emotionally, socially, physically, spiritually, and morally. Physical and hormonal changes during puberty can affect our emotions and our relationships with others. Boys and girls have many different and similar strengths, talents, and goals in life. Each person develops through the same basic develop mental stages, but at different rates. The physical changes that children go through are only one part of many developmental changes they experi- ence as they approach mature adulthood.
Adolescence is a time of many complex changes.
Some maturation occurs automatically, while other areas that are important for maturity benefit from focused effort and support. As a society, we must promote healthy behaviors and lifestyles for everyone. An unmarried teenager who practices abstinence dramatically decreases the chance of damaging his or her reproductive system.