Eight clues to puberty in boys

Sometime between ages 10 and 15, your cute little boy will become a young man. In one quick summer, you will hardly know this awkward young man goes around your house carrying a razor, with a voice that fluctuates between squeaks and baritone and an odor that suddenly smells suspicious.

If you say YES to the questions below, prep yourself, your boy is going through puberty.

• Has his voice become deeper?
• Has his muscles gotten bigger? (Like you didn’t see him flex it more often too!)
• Is he suddenly taller?
• Is he getting pimples on his face or back?
• Has he started to grow facial hair?
• Have you noticed new body odors?
• Has his penis gotten larger? (Sorry, you gotta ask. Or maybe dad’s doing the asking.)
• Has hair grown under his arms, or around the penis or testicles?

YES to most of it? Then it’s time to talk to your child about changes in his body. Tell your boy about the changes that will happen to him during puberty. Read up on the topic yourself so you’ll be more familiar and knowledgeable about it. Remind him that every boy goes through the same thing, but the timing may be different for each. Be open, honest and keep the talk light. Humor is fine, but don’t make fun of it or of him. Chances are, he’s also scared about the changes going on (including the emotions and raging hormones), so being confident and reassuring will help him early on.

When is the best time to talk? Timing is everything, but don’t wait for him to approach you. He may be too embarrassed or confused about it. If you can talk to him before any of the signs of puberty appear then he’ll be better prepared for it. Even when he says at first, “Ugh! That’s gross!”

Source: Healthy Advice Networks