Melisa Holmes - Theres Something New About You. A Girls Guide to Growing Up

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Holmes, Melisa.

Girlologys Theres Something New About You: A Girls Guide to Growing Up / Melisa Holmes, M.D., Trish Hutchison, M.D.

ISBN-13: 978-1-939433-33-6

2010 Melisa Holmes and Trish Hutchison

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America by Bookmasters 30 Amberwood Parkway Ashland, OH 44805

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

3 LEAF Press, its logos, and marks are trademarks of 3 LEAF Press.

Illustrations by Lisa Perrett
Cover design by Ashley Inzer
Girls short stories by Barbara Robertson

If youre flipping through this book, you must have been asked one of those questions recently. Or maybe you were surprised to hear your little girl having girl talk that sounded like big-girl talk. Perhaps youve noticed your daughter or one of her friends showing signs of puberty, and you realize its time for that talk.

Thats why were here.

Since 2002, Girlology has been helping families improve communication about puberty, sexuality, and adolescent behaviors. This book is based on our most popular daughter-mom program: Something New About You. It is written for girls ages eight through twelve, and it covers everything about puberty without diving into reproduction and its associated topics. Like many books, its most helpful to your girl when she has an adult to follow along and answer questions or hear her comments.

There are several reasons to share a book like this with your elementary-age girl. Obviously, you want her to be prepared for the changes that come with puberty, and whether youre ready or not, puberty sneaks in as early as age seven. You want her to have an accurate and trusted source for information rather than relying on the tales she hears on the playground from some kid who has been miseducated by an older sibling. But most important, you want to establish yourself as her go to person when it comes to health and sexuality education. You do. Really. Open communication about these topics has been shown to delay the onset of sexual behaviors and to improve protective behaviors among teens. And now is the ideal time to open those communication lines.

Scared? Dont be. Its a lot easier than you think. And besides, we promise to offer help along the way. Visit our website at www.girlology.com for talking tips and other resources. You can also turn to the next books in our series: Girlology: A Girls Guide to Stuff That Matters, and for high school and college girls, Girlologys Hang Ups, Hook Ups, and Holding Out.

Get started on those conversations that matter!

Melisa Holmes, M.D.
Trish Hutchison, M.D.
Girlology

LILY IS MY BEST FRIEND in the whole world. Weve known each other since we were threealmost nine years. She is pretty and smart and nice. We do everything together. We have always done everything together. When Lily learned to swim, I learned to swim. When Lily took ballet lessons, I took ballet. When Lily took horseback riding lessons, I did, too. Although she was always a little more graceful and a little better at everything than me, it never seemed to matter. I would try harder and I could hang in there. If I put my mind to it, I could do what she did.

We tell each other everything. We have no secrets. We know the names of each others secret crushes. We tell each other every little embarrassing thing that happens. She is the one person that knows me better than anyone else. I have always loved my friend Lily. Actually everybody loves Lily. But today, if I hear the name Lily, I will scream! I will scream so loud it will shatter a window. If I think about my best friend, I will get so angry, I will throw something. The thing is, she hasnt done anything to me. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Shes always super nice. I mean, if you knew her, you would totally be on her side. But its just not fair! Everything is easy for her. Did I mention that she is perfect in every way?

Nothing is easy for me. I am too small, too skinny, and not too great at math. My mother says, Claire, you are the perfect you. You are beautiful and smart. Well, duh, shes like my mom. What else is she going to say? But shes wrong. All of my friends are looking older. They are developing as Ms. Schwartz, our science teacher, says. Me? I could still pass for a seven-year-old! What if I am some sort of freak that never develops?

Lily just called me. From her new cell phone! I try to be excited for her. Listening to her happy, squeaking voice, I forget about how frustrated I am and how perfect she is. Still, I am now officially the last girl I know who doesnt have a cell phone. My mother says that I am too young for one. She doesnt understand why I would need a phone. Once again, she thinks that I am just a kid. She thinks that because I am small, I am too little to be taken seriously. Well, my mother seriously makes me a little crazy!

Does the word puberty make you want to roll your eyes? Does it sound like some grown-up word that comes before a very embarrassing talk? Puberty can be confusing, embarrassing, and exciting all at once. Thats the way it is for almost everyone. Reading a book about it may seem really awkward or really helpful, or maybe a little of both.

The more you learn about your body and the way it works, the less embarrassing it will be. Its even pretty interesting sometimes, and youll be glad you know whats going on. Even though you will be reading about some awkward stuff, like breasts growing, pubic hairs sprouting, acne blooming, and periods starting, youll find it less embarrassing as you learn more. You may think some of what you learn here is gross, some of it is neat, and some of it... well, you may not really know what to think about some of it. Thats all normal! Well teach you some things that will make puberty easier to understand and easier to talk about. We promise you three things by the end of this book:

1. Youll be proud you know so much.

2. You will be more comfortable asking questions about growing up.

3. You will be more comfortable talking about your body and the amazing (and sometimes confusing) things it does.

Puberty is a pretty unusual word. What exactly does it mean? Well, the word puberty comes from a Latin word,