What’s going to happen to me when I go through puberty changes?

The changes of ‘puberty’ can start anytime really between the ages of about 8 and 16. Nobody gets all the changes at the same time, or even in the same order. The changes include growing hair in unfamiliar places, getting a period every month or so, changing body shape and feeling new emotions.

It can feel like your body is doing all sorts of weird obvious stuff on the outside. But most of the changes are ones you can’t see: invisible, natural changes in hormone levels inside your body are making the outside changes happen. At first it seems like it’s all imposed on you, and out of your control. You can feel like you don’t know your body.

Such a big change happens to everyone – twice in their lives. You can’t remember the first time because it was way back when the baby-you changed into toddler-you. The pre-teen and teen-years changes are just as necessary. You’ll get bigger, you’ll get curvier, you’ll get fluffier (grow more hair in new places), you’ll get leakier (you’ll produce more oil through your pores) and you may become moodier. Once you know what’s going to happen, you can feel much more okay about it all.

There’s lots more on puberty changes in the book, Girl Stuff 8–12: Your Real Guide to the Pre-Teen Years.