There is no question that the most exciting and confusing physical change occurring at puberty is the body's new reproductive abilities. The external genitals enlarge. Boys begin to produce sperm. Girls begin to ovulate and menstruate. The wonderful God-given gift of sexuality takes center stage with all of its newly discovered drives, feelings, and sensations.
Boys become men and girls become women. . .
Be sensitive and affirming as your teen's body changes. Children need parents who will openly explain and discuss what is happening to their bodies. We live in a world that constantly sets unrealistic standards regarding physical beauty and only a handful make the grade. Most of these changes occur during the junior high years, when acceptance by others is of the utmost importance and when peers tend to be most cruel and insensitive. Life can be miserable for the boy or girl who grows too fast or too slow.