Growth is an inevitable process and there are many phases of it. From the growth in the early phase of life as an infant to growth in the later part of life, it is an evergoing process.
However, it can be a difficult task to manage puberty as the body is developing both physically and sexually. A grown child would experience unique changes in behaviour and overall body postures as soon as puberty has set in. There are circumstances when the pre puberty mood swings can start even before the actual puberty phase.
So in this blog we will be conversing on the question as how to deal with child’s puberty? And what are the signs and symptoms that can tell how to know if you are going through puberty?
Table of Contents
Introduction to Puberty
Puberty is the process where the body is growing in full swing not only physically but also sexually.
It is important to guide the young boys of 9 to 13 years of age and girls of age 8 to 13 about their body changes during this puberty phase. However with all the information available at the click of mouse, parents are the last option children will opt for this discourse.
But it is essential for the parents to support the child during puberty phases as much as they can.
Out of all the questions, the most frequent question parents tend to ask is :
How to deal with a child’s puberty?
But First thing first : how to know if you are going through puberty? Or your child is going through puberty?
Studies show that the first sign of puberty is physical growth.
We will converse on this question and will get into the discussion by catering to different conditions that are most likely to appear in this puberty phase.
There are typical signs that are given by body of children that will tell that they are experiencing puberty:
1. Body Odour
A boy or a girl going through the phases of puberty will observe significant changes in the body odour. However this phenomenon is significant among boys, girls can experience this too.
The main reason behind this issue is that all the glands of the body are working at full potential. With the onset of puberty, the glands of the body, particularly the adrenal glands, start to secrete more and more hormones. The adrenal gland secretes a hormone which is concerned with excessive perspiration and this will lead to more sweat.
This body odour issue is more prevalent around areas like armpits and groin area.
What should be the role of parents in this regard?
Parents should offer a listening ear to all the qualms and concerns of their children undergoing puberty changes.
It should be demonstrated that these are part of healthy growing.
Parents to deal with puberty changes of this sort, can offer a deodorant and underarm rollers to their children. Along with this deodorant, there should be proper reassurance from the parents’ side.
Parents can also make sure that the children are taking regular showers with more consideration to underarm and groin areas.
2. Body Hair
Out of many other physical changes a child has to go through, during puberty age or even during pre puberty phase, body hair is one of them. The growth of body hair during the pre puberty phase can be a reason for mood swings as well.
Hair grows naturally at a normal pace but as soon as puberty has set in their growth is multiplied unchecked. With the hair follicles, receiving more and more secretions that make them more nourished, they start to grow out of the body as well.
By checking out the hair growth on the body, a boy of age 9 and a girl of age 8 can sort the concern of:
how to know if you are going through puberty?
Hair will grow around areas where you didn’t expect. Hair will grow around pubic areas and for boys hair can grow on the face and underarms as well.
What should parents do to help deal with this issue?
It is necessary for parents to have a discourse on this issue and let them know that they also have to go through the same issue.
Parents should also consider the fact that the children might be going through pre puberty mood swings as well. Anxiety and rage might hinder the process of conversing with them so it is necessary to not to lose the temper.
Introduce them with not so sharp edged razors and assure them that they can handle this thing as a part of normal hygiene.
Once again offer them a listening ear if they are feeling difficulty in any regard.
RELATED: Read out these 10 things that your children need for physically healthy growth and a happy life.
3. Acne Issues
This acne and pimple breakout is another determiner for a child to tell if he/she is going through puberty changes.
With all the secretions of the body being accelerated, a child might experience frequent breakout on skin and can expect the issue to be persistent.
A child going through an early stage of puberty can find himself in trouble over the looks. A child might feel shy to make social contacts and you may find a boy and a girl that will avoid coming out in public.
This thing can be bothersome in the regard as a boy or a girl who is school going might face issues at school level as well.
What can parents do in this regard?
In many cases, there is no medical care required in this regard.
This acne issue is a part of the puberty phase only and things will get better as soon as the phase is over.
But parents can consider consulting a dermatologist if a child is going through a bad acne breakout on face.
There are certain medications that can be applied on the face and they have very little chemicals in them.
These chemicals will try to alleviate the worsening skin conditions and can help them with their lost confidence.
Once again the necessary confidence should be instilled in children from their parents and they should be assured of this fact that things will get better after some time.
To deal with the psychological stress faced by your children, consult the best physiologist.
4. Nocturnal Discharges
These emissions are one of the key signs of puberty.
A boy and a girl which is going through puberty might experience these emissions at night time that’s why they are called nocturnal discharges.
The key thing to consider here is that with many other glands of the body working in full potential, the reproductive organs are also working on the same principle.
The reproductive organs will fill themselves up with the secretions under the influence of many other hormones. As a result, these excessive secretions should be voided off from the body.
What should be the role of parents in this scenario?
Parents should communicate with their children about this issue before its appearance in full swing as it can be nerve racking to see unusual discharges out of your body out of nowhere.
Parents alone cant help with this prevalent issue. Teachers and learning areas should try to develop an environment where children can express the troubling issue.
Don’t overpress them. Instead let them know by your example that the concern will settle on its own after some time. Still if they need to know about anything don’t evade the discussion due to the reason that it is a taboo topic and should not be dealt with in an open discussion. As it can lead to depression among children as well because they are bottling up things that they can’t rectify on their own.
SIDE NOTE: Read out these depressive disorders in children to help them in this regard.
Let’s Wrap It Up
Parents are the one that a child might refer to discuss certain issues. But not in this regard due to the reason that most of the parents don’t like to discuss such things. But it is essential that a child gets the best possible information on any topic no matter how controversial you may find it.
With that being said, it is essential for Parents to update themselves on these issues like how to deal with a child’s puberty? If you have concerns over the growth of your child then book an appointment today with the best pediatrician. To get more information on child care and general health, visit our website healthwire.pk.
