Begin talking about sexuality before social taboos are attached and keep talking. Clear up misinformation. Impart values and the facts. Ensure that the child has other resources available that you trust, including books. Use humour in response to a child's hilarity on the subject.
Puberty refers to the physical changes that alter a child's body into a reproductive adult's body.
Adolescence, another word that sends shivers up a parent's spine, refers to the emotional and social changes that also take place during and after puberty. The pituitary gland starts the whole process off by producing hormones. Hormones are chemical messengers in the body which regulate many different processes in our bodies including but not limited to sexuality. It is important that children understand what 'average' means. In simple terms, if you took all the girls in the world, for instance, most of them would experience the first signs of puberty between 9 and 13 years old but many would begin before 9 and many would begin after 13 and this would be normal for their bodies.