Adolescent boys over a river
**Adolescence** is the time between being a child and a mature adult, that is the period of time during which a person slowly grows into an adult, but is emotionally not mature. Adolescence in the English-speaking world usually corresponds to the teenager years of 13-19 which are so named because of the end of the English words "thirteen" to "nineteen".

The ages when one is no longer a child, and when one becomes an adult, vary by culture. In many cultures they are marked by rites of passage. The word comes from the Latin verb *adolescere* meaning "to grow up." During this time, a person's body, emotions and academic standing change a lot. When adolescence starts, in America, children usually finish elementary school and enter secondary education, such as middle school or high school.

During this period of life, most children go through the physical stages of puberty, which can often begin before a person has reached the age of 13. They also have a growth spurt in which their height increases more rapidly than in childhood or adulthood.

Most cultures think of people as becoming adults at various ages of the teenage years. For example, Jewish tradition thinks that people are adults at age 13, and this change is celebrated in the Bar Mitzvah (for boys) and the Bat Mitzvah (for girls) ceremony. Usually, there is a formal age of majority when adolescents formally (under the law) become adults.

Adolescence male timing average stages of puberty
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Beginning of puberty: 10 to 16 years of age. (Most boys start at 12-13)(puberty varies from different places you from for example Senegalese boys reach puberty on average later, so to get the general average for boys must be 1 year later before people assume the average age is around 11 however this isn't the general average for every place because another place could have the average age as 14,13,12 etc)

First pubertal change: enlargement of the testicles : end of 6th grade/year 7. (Age 12)

Penis enlargement: begins approximately one year after the testicles begin enlarging : end of 7th Grade/year 8. (Age 13)

Appearance of pubic hair:shortly after penis enlargement.:beginning of 8th grade/year 9. (Age 13)

you start getting a starter moustache/ light moustache ( peach fuzz people often refer to) :beginning of 8th grade/year 9. (Age 13)

Hair under arms: end of 8th grade/year 9 (Age 14)

Nocturnal emissions (or wet dreams): beginning 9th grade/year 10. (note not every teen male experiences wet dreams). ( Age 14)

Growth spurt: beginning 9th grade/year 10. (Age 14)

voice change, and acne: beginning 10th grade/year 11. (Age 15)

Moustache thickens and beard starts to grow :end of 10th grade/year 11. (Age 16)

Chest hair : beginning of 12th grade/ year 13 (

Full grown beard and beard thickens :end of 12th grade/year 13. (Age 18)

Adolescence female timing average stages of puberty
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Beginning of puberty: 8 to 14 years of age. (Most girls start at 10-11)(puberty varies from different places you from for example Senegalese girls reach puberty on average later, so to get the general average for girls must be 1 year later before people assume the average age is around 10 however this isn't the general average for every place because another place could have the average age as 13,12,11 etc)

First pubertal change: ovaries/ vulva/labia enlargement: end of 4th grade/year 5. (Age 10)

Approximately one year later Breast development : end of 5th grade/year 6. (Age 11)

Pubic hair development: shortly after breast development. : beginning of 6th grade/year 7. (Age 11)

Hair under the arms: : end of 6th grade/year 7. (Age 12)

Nocturnal emissions (or wet dreams): beginning 7th grade/year 8. (note not every teen female experience wet dreams) (Age 12)

Growth spurt: beginning 7th grade/year 8. (Age 12)

voice change, and acne: beginning 8th grade/year 9. (Age 13)

Vaginal discharge : end of 8th grade/year 9. (Age 14)

Menstrual periods: 10.5 to 16.5 years of age : beginning of 9th grade/year 10. (Age 14)

Related pages
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* Teenager
* Adult
* Youth

Other websites
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* Adolescence -Citizendium .