Peter Mayle - Whats Happening to Me?: The Classic Illustrated Childrens Book on Puberty

Books in this delightful series...

WHERE DID I COME FROM? by Peter Mayle and Arthur Robins. The facts of life without any nonsense and with illustrations.

WHERE DID I COME FROM? African-American Edition. The classic about sex and birth, illustrated for African Americans.

WHATS HAPPENING TO ME? by Peter Mayle and Arthur Robins. A guide to puberty, from the authors of WHERE DID I COME FROM?

WHY AM I GOING TO THE HOSPITAL? by Claire Ciliotta, Carole Livingston and Dick Wilson. A helpful guide to a new experience.

WHY WAS I ADOPTED? by Carole Livingston and Arthur Robins. The facts of adoption with love and illustrations.

WHAT AM I DOING IN A STEPFAMILY? by Claire Berman and Dick Wilson. How two families can be better than one.

HOW TO BE A PREGNANT FATHER by Peter Mayle and Arthur Robins. An illustrated survival guide for the father-to-be.

Each book is delightfully written and illustrated in the style of the book you hold in your hands!

Ask for these books at your bookseller. If your bookseller cant supply you, order direct from the publisher by calling 1-800-221-2647. And send for our complete catalog of titles: Kensington Publishing Corp., 850 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022.

Youll be glad you did!

This book is for all of you who are suffering from growing pains.

We hope it brings some fast relief.

Everybody goes through it.

Nobody talks about it.

Dont let anyone fool you.

People say that your childhood and school days are about the happiest times of your life. Thats not altogether true.

The years between ten and fourteen may be a lot of fun. But physically, theyll probably be among the most puzzling years of your life.

Thats because youre turning from a child into a young adult. Big changes are taking place, both in your mind and your body.

Although youre not a child any more, youre not an adult yet.
This book is about the time in between.

When they start to happen, it may be hard for you to understand and adjust to them. What makes it harder is that nobody talks about them very much.

Your parents may have forgotten what it was like to be your age and to have your problems. Teachers are often too busy teaching school to explain. And your friends (who may try to act sophisticated) usually dont know any more than you do.

This book can be very helpful to you.

It wont solve all your problems or even answer all your questions. But when youre through reading it, you should know a lot more about whats happening to you. And be a lot better prepared to cope with it.

Weve tried to touch all the important bases. But if you still have unanswered questions, talk to people you can trust.

They can help. And youll find if youre not embarrassed about asking the questions, they wont be embarrassed about giving you the answers.

A school teacher just doesnt have the time to answer everybodys questions.

All the changes youre going through and will go through are quite normal. Theyre nothing to be ashamed of, and certainly nothing to be afraid of.

Remember that. Remember, too, that youre not the only one who has ever gone through this difficult time.

It happened to your parents. It happened to your heroes.

Most movie stars have had pimples. The best football player in the world probably worried when he was a boy because he didnt have much hair on his chest. And some of the most beautiful women were very homely as little girls.

Despite that, they all came through it pretty well. So will you.

You dont need a hairy chest to be tough.

Why you change.

The main reason you change is very simple. Nature changes you from a child into an adult so you can mate and reproduce the human species.

In other words, so that you can have children of your own.

The instinct to reproduce is common to all living things, from fleas to flowers to elephants.

Every living thing reproduces, from the smallest flea to the biggest elephant.

But it would be bad organization on natures part if you could start having babies when you were only five or six years old. (Imagine. You could be a grandparent at the age of twelve.)

So nature waits.

She begins the process sometime during the years between ten and thirteen. These years, called the puberty years, are very busy ones for both your mind and your body. Many of the biggest changes in your life begin to take place now.

A twelve-year-old grandmother?
Its impossible.

Is puberty catching?

No, its not a disease. Its the medical name for the process were describing: the change from child to adult.

Obviously, the changes a girl goes through are not the same changes that a boy goes through.

So to give you a clearer idea of what happens and when, weve done two charts.

Before you look at them, remember this; its very important.

The changes that happen to the girl and the boy in this book wont happen to you at exactly the same age. Were all different, and we grow at different speeds.

With some of us, the changes start early. With some, they come later. You will change at different times than your friends. It doesnt mean youre any better or worse than they are. It just means youre you.

Thats why you should only use these charts as a rough guide. Dont time yourself by them.

Often, but not always, girls grow up faster than boys.

Girls Guide

8 to 10 years old.

Unless youre an early starter, puberty hasnt really begun yet. You dont have breasts or pubic hair, and most girls this age are not specially interested in boys.

11 to 12 years old.

Puberty gets going. Your breasts start to develop; nipples begin to stand out. Pubic hair makes its first appearance, and your hips become a little broader. Your voice may get slightly lower, and you may start to have periods.

13 to 14 years old.

This is often the age when you start having regular periods. Youre not growing upwards quite as fast now, but your body is still busy. Pubic hair and breasts continue to flourish.

15 to 16 years old.

By now, your emotional life is probably in full swing, and boys have well and truly taken over as a major subject of interest. Along with that often comes an increase in your confidence.

17 to 18 years old.

Youre now pretty much a young woman, and no longer a little girl. Breasts, pubic hair and hips have developed. Although your emotional development will continue, your physical development is just about complete.