Too much too young?

Puberty can be a distressing time – for parents as well as children. With the average age of puberty getting lower, Victoria Lambert asks, should we prepare earlier for those ‘awkward’ conversations?

While it’s probably true to say that no part of the parenting process is exactly easy, handling those years when your son or daughter undergoes the changes of puberty must rank as one of the most difficult – and crucial. It’s not just the physical changes or the emotional ones induced by hormones, but also the implications that go along with the territory. It can be as painful for the parent to watch their children grow into adults as it can be for the young people themselves.

So although we may begin gearing ourselves up for conversations about periods and embarrassing hair when our children are still attending pre-prep – and are more interested in The Gruffalo than gruff voices– the reality can be a rude shock for all. Particularly as experts confirm that puberty is arriving earlier and earlier in boys and girls. By the time you’re ready to deliver the set speech, your ‘baby’ may well have heard a much more elaborate version of the truth from their school friends – and indeed may be experiencing some of the first signs of puberty themselves.

Over the past century, the age at which children began puberty has dropped. In the 1950s and 1960s, a British girl had her first period at 13 and a half. Today, the average age for a girl to have her first period is 12 years 11 months, and it will occur at primary school for one-in-eight girls. Breast and pubic hair growth are now underway in the average 10-year-old.