Puberty: Changes, Myths, and Misconceptions
In this lesson, you will describe the common misconceptions related to puberty.
You will also answer this question: Why are these physical, emotional, and social changes a normal part of growth and development?
Let's Get Ready
Have you noticed some changes in your body? What are these changes? When you hear the word "puberty," what comes to your mind? Share your answer in class.
Let's Find Out
In this lesson, you will be able to do the following
Describe the physical, emotional, and Social Changes during puberty.
Describe common misconceptions related in puberty.
Accept changes as a normal part of growth and development
Let's Go
When you were 6-8 years old, you were in a period called middle childhood. Right now you are in the late childhood, which is also called the tween years. Another term for it is preadolescence because it is the stage of development before adolescence.
You begin to have permanent teeth; your muscles and bones begin to grow; and you experience an increased appetite. You can accomplish tasks, praised in doing them well, cherish values like honesty and fairness, and challenged to learn higher-order thinking skills so that you are able to finish tasks and take on new challenges. You are also given responsibilities like doing household chores. At preadolescence, friends become an important part of your life.
These changes are both exciting and challenging at the same time. When you reach adolescence or the gradual change from a child into an adult, you will continue to experience more changes. Let us go and learn the changes that you may already be experiencing or will soon be experiencing.
Are you excited to change from a child into an adult? Why?
Changes during Puberty
Puberty is a long process that includes many physical and emotional changes. These changes are gradual so that means you will not wake up and find yourself having all these changes overnight.
Adolescents grow up fast and go through puberty or the changes that happen to your reproductive system. Aside from height and muscle mass increase, you will see the appearance of adult features. Appearance of body hair, increase in muscle strength, increase in perspiration, skin is releasing more oils, and deepening of the voice are the secondary sex characteristics that happen to both girls and boys.
The development of these secondary sex characteristics is caused by sex hormones. It is low in childhood but increases in puberty.
Individually, boys will have broader shoulders and the appearance of hairs on their chest and face while girls will develop breasts, have increased body fat, and wider hips. The ovulation in girls and sperm production in boys signals reproductive maturity or the ability to produce children.
While all these are happening, adolescents also go through emotional and social changes. You will begin to wonder and question things about yourself and the people around you. You will search for your identity, thinking of what significant things you will do in your life, just like your role models. You begin to develop your values as you search for meaning and identity so you spend more time with your friends. They have a strong influence about your feelings about yourself, the way you look, how you dress, what you do, and all other personal things that you share with them.
Searching for your life's meaning, values, and identity will make you feel uncertain, overly sensitive, and have fears and doubts. You become self-conscious of your body and begin to notice the opposite sex in a different way. It is a roller coaster of emotions!
Peer pressure can be a good or bad thing. Knowing your values will help guide you to hang out with friends who will influence you to become a better person.
Being an adolescent also means having responsibility for your actions and decisions As you become a bit independent from your parents, you will realize your role in the family so you show that you can obey house rules and support family members when they feel down. Outside your home, you will realize that your friends are not just other people you play with. You support their dreams and advise them when you think they are engaging in risky behavior. Likewise, you have a responsibility as a member of the society so you get involved in civic activities like community planting, cleaning, and helping the less fortunate. Doing these will make you feel good because you were able to contribute in making the world a better place to live in.
Which physical, emotional, and social changes do adolescents experieces?
Puberty-related Health Myths and Misconceptions
Physical changes can be overwhelming, which make adolescents embarrassed or confused. Sometimes, these changes do not happen at the same time as with your friends. Whether the adolescent is an early bloomer, a late bloomer, or just in between, the curiosity of these physical changes can lead to some health myths and misconceptions.
For girls, the confusion is usually with menstruation because they experience it every month. Adults advise girls not to take part in physical activities, refrain from carrying heavy loads, and avoid eating sour and salty food, Some of these advice are funny, like not taking a bath and using menarche or first menstrual period as facial wash. Each of these have no scientific basis and it is also unhygienic.
Boys, on the other hand, go through circumcision at the appropriate maturational stage. They also experience nocturnal emissions when they are sleeping. Some adults would tell them that it is caused by preoccupation of sexual thoughts. In truth, it cannot be prevented and there is no warning when it will happen.
Knowing these changes, myths, and misconceptions will help you understand what to expect when you change from a child into an adult. Do not be ashamed or feel alone because these changes are normal part of growth and development. Learning about them will help prepare you on what to expect and what you can do to properly address them in order to avoid confusion and anxiety. Your parents and other trusted adults can help explain these changes to you.
Whom do you talk with when you have concerns about the changes in your body?
Why are these changes a normal part of growth and development?
Let's Summarize
Adolescence is the gradual change from a child into an adult. At this stage.one experiences many physical, emotional, and social changes.
Aside from growth spurt, adolescents experience puberty or the changes that happen to a maturing reproductive system. Secondary sex characteristics can happen to girls alone, boys alone, or both of them. Puberty is a long process that includes many physical and emotional changes.
Puberty-related health myths and misconceptions are related to menstruation
for girls and nocturnal emissions and circumcision for boys.
These changes are a normal part of growth and development so adolescents should not feel alone while experiencing them. Learning about the changes will help prepare preadolescents on what to expect and how to properly address them to avoid confusion and anxiety.
