Pining for Puberty

Waiting for puberty to start can be frustrating for some tweens.

“You were in the bathroom a while. Everything okay, Son?” Asks Melissa.

“I was searching for signs of puberty, Mom.”

“Did you find any?”

Sean shakes his head. “No. I thought I found a zit, but it was a tiny scab. No hair, no zits, no taller.”

“You sound worried.”

“I’m the only eighth grade guy singing with the sopranos in choir. I wear the same pants as last year. My friends are a foot taller than me.”

“I wish I could help.”

“Do you know that my friends call me ‘baldy’ in the locker room?”

“Baldy?” Melissa knows this can only mean one thing!

“Cuz I don’t have any hair down there,” says Sean, pointing.

“That’s gotta be rough.”

“Sometimes I make them laugh by saying, ‘Come on pubs, come on pubs, come on pubs’!”

“You are so funny!”

“I googled how to make puberty start. Guess what, Mom? You can take me to the doctor and she can give me some shots. I could start puberty tomorrow!”

“Really?”

Sean complains, “According to them, 13 is not old enough. You gotta be 16 before they care. They want guys like me to suffer!”

“That’s frustrating.”

“Yep. Short, with a girlie voice, and a baldy. That’s me. Good thing I’m smart.”

“And funny. And likable. And kind.”

I want to encourage you to look at Melissa’s language. It’s her approach – she listens and responds to Sean with empathy – that creates comfort for him to talk. He feels understood.