No doubt about it – you’re up against a challenging situation. When a child enters puberty, the physical, emotional, and relational changes involved can be stressful for the entire family. To complicate matters, your son is entering puberty fairly early for a male, which can make it even more difficult to negotiate the transition. This could be the reason for some of the bad-tempered behavior you’ve been seeing.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, boys start puberty anywhere from ten to fourteen years of age, with most completing the process by fifteen or sixteen. Those who begin very early face some unique liabilities. They may feel a sense of shame or embarrassment, as their bodies begin to show obvious signs of approaching adulthood while all of their peers still look like ten-year-old children. Boys who enter puberty late in the game also face adjustment issues, but from the opposite end of the spectrum – their friends look like young men, but their bodies are still immature. It’s easy to understand why many of these kids dread going to P.E. class and the boys’ locker room.
You can help your son through this adjustment process in two ways. First, provide him with plenty of medically accurate information so that he can understand what’s happening with his body. Keep the lines of communication open. Let him know that this period of change is only temporary and that you went through the same thing when you were a boy. Assure him that even though he may feel like he’s going crazy, he’s not!
Secondly, provide him with plenty of love, support, and encouragement during this time. Extend him an extra measure of grace as he experiences emotional ups and downs. Give him space when he needs it. At the same time, let him know what the boundaries are, and that you won’t tolerate aggressive, destructive, or disrespectful behavior in your home. If he’s frustrated, upset, or out of sorts, he needs to learn how to express these feelings in ways that won’t harm other people.
For more information, call Focus on the Family’s Counseling department for a free consultation.
Resources
If a title is currently unavailable through Focus on the Family, we encourage you to use another retailer.
Preparing for Adolescence: How to Survive the Coming Years of Change
How You Are Changing: Boys’ Edition
Launch Into the Teen Years kit
The Focus on the Family Guide to Talking with Your Kids about Sex: Honest Answers for Every Age
Books for Tweens
Articles
Tween Landing Page
