Table of Contents
On Your Mark, Get Set, Grow!
A WHATS HAPPENING TO MY BODY? BOOK FOR YOUNGER BOYS
Ready, Set, Grow!
A WHATS HAPPENING TO MY BODY? BOOK FOR YOUNGER GIRLS
My Feelings, My Self for Girls
AND AREA MADARAS
The Whats Happening to My Body? Book for Girls
WITH AREA MADARAS
The Whats Happening to My Body? Book for Boys
WITH AREA MADARAS
My Body, My Self for Girls
AND AREA MADARAS
Lynda Madaras Talks to Teens About AIDS: An Essential Guide for Parents, Teachers, and Young People
Womancare: A Gynecological Guide to Your Body
WITH JANE PATTERSON, M.D.
Woman Doctor: The Education of Jane Patterson, M.D.
WITH JANE PATTERSON, M.D.
Great Expectations
WITH LEIGH ADAMS
The Alphabet Connection
WITH PAM PALEWICZ-ROUSSEAU
Childs Play
FOR OUR FATHERS
Wed like to thank all the men and boys who made this book possible by sharing their feelings and experiences with us. Thanks to Andrew F., Chico F., Michael F., Moshe F., Victor F., Jonathan K., Michael L., Andy M., George M., John O., Warren O., Tracy R., Larry S., Everett T., Big Al V., Bill V., the boys in our classes and workshops, and the many boys and men who have written to us over the years.
Hi, were Lynda and Area Madaras.
Were the mother-and-daughter team who put this book together (with a lot of help from our friends). Weve been writing books and teaching classes on puberty and sexuality for years. We have also written another book called The Whats Happening to My Body? Book for Boys that explains the physical and emotional changes a boy goes through during his preteen and teen years, as his body changes from a childs into a mans body. This time of change is known as puberty, and the book explains how and why puberty happens and answers the many questions that have come up in our sexuality education classes over the years. We received thousands of letters from boys all over the world with new questions and experiences to share, and thats how this book came about.
This book is a companion to The Whats Happening to My Body? Book, and covers many of the same topics, though not in as much detail. You dont need that book to use this one. The big difference between the two books is that this is an interactive book, with exercises, quizzes, and other activities that will help you learn about the changes that take place in your body during puberty.
This book owes a great deal to the many boys and girls who have been students in our classes over the years and to the families who have attended our puberty and sexuality workshops. Much of the material in this book was developed and refined with their help. Indeed, without their kind patience when exercises and activities didnt work out as planned and their enthusiasm when they did, this book would not have been written. We also owe a big thanks to the many men and boys who have written to us over the years, and to those who spoke with us personally while we wrote the book.
We hope you (and the friends and family members youll recruit for some of the activities) enjoy the activities and exercises in the book and that it will answer some of the questions youll have as you enter this new stage of your life.
LYNDA MADARAS
AND AREA MADARAS
Imagine that its late on a dark, stormy night. All is quiet as you stare out your bedroom window into the darkness.
Suddenly, the storm clouds part. Moonlight floods your bedroom, striking your mirror. You turn to look at yourself and come face to face with the truth. Theres no longer any doubt about it. Your body is definitely changing!
Perhaps the first change you noticed was the coarser, darker hair growing on your arms and legs and in places where it never grew before. By now, hair may even be growing on your face.
You may have noticed the whole shape of your body changingbroader, wider shoulders; thicker, more powerful muscles. You may be growing at an amazing rate. Your feet may seem too big and your arms too long.
Your forehead is becoming higher and your jaw longer and lower, so that it juts out more. Your body may have a new, unfamiliar odor. And you may be experiencing new and intense feelings and urges.
Whats happening to you?
A. Youre turning into a werewolf.
B. Youre going through puberty.
B. Puberty Is the Answer
Youre not turning into a werewolf; youre turning into a man! Puberty is the time in a boys life when his body develops from a childs body into a mans body.
Luckily, puberty doesnt happen overnight, and its nowhere near as scary as turning into a werewolf. Still, puberty does mean lots of change, and it helps to know ahead of time what to expect. Thats where this book comes in. It explains how, when, and why your body changes.
But this is not just a book about puberty; its also a book about you. It is filled with exercises, activities, and places to record whats happening to you. In fact, by the time youre through, this book will be not only about you, it will be by you as well!
HOW OLD?
The drawing below is adapted from a medical textbook and shows three boys in different stages of development. Can you guess each ones age? Write your guesses in the blank spaces below. The answer is in the box on page 4.
STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT
Hair is more oily; you may need to wash it more often.
Skin is more oily; you may have problems with pimples.
Nipples enlarge, darken in color, and may be tender or sore.
Breasts may swell and may remain enlarged for a year or two.
Sex organs grow and develop.
Curly pubic hair grows on and around sex organs.
Muscles are thicker and more developed, and body strength increases.
Hair on legs increases and may darken in color.
Feet enlarge and perspire more; foot odor may be a problem.
You go through a growth spurt and your weight and height increase rapidly. You grow taller faster than ever before. Your feet grow first. Your arms and legs grow before the trunk of your body grows.
Hair grows on upper lip and on cheeks.
Shoulders are wider and broader.
Underarm hair grows; you may notice more perspiration (sweat) and body odor.
Hair may grow on chest, back, shoulders, or elsewhere.
Hair on arms may increase and darken in color.
Erections (when the penis gets stiff and hard for a while) happen more often.
And during puberty, for the first time, a boy ejaculatesreleases a teaspoon or so of a white, creamy fluid called semen from the opening in the tip of the penis. Youll learn all about ejaculation and these other changes as you do the exercises in this book.
