Melisa Holmes - Just the Facts. A Guys Guide to Growing Up

Copyright 2014, Melisa Holmes and Trish Hutchison

ISBN: 978-1-939433-01-5

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014933515

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

Printed in the United States of America by:

Bookmasters

30 Amberwood Parkway

Ashland, Ohio 44805

April 2014

Job #50003744

Guyology, its logos, and marks are trademarks of Girlology and Guyology, LLC.

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

Illustrations by Lisa Perrett
Cover Design by Ashley Inzer

We talk with parents of boys and girls ages 8 to 18 on a daily basis. If you are like most of them, we know that you want the best for your children. We know that you want them to have better information than you did about growing up. We also know that you lack a little confidence when it comes to talking with them about puberty, reproduction, and their emerging sexuality. We started Girlology and Guyology to help. Were here to give you some information, some tips, and some gentle nudging to start talkingnow.

Its true that puberty is beginning at younger and younger ages for both girls and boys. And although their bodies are changing, they may lack the emotional and cognitive abilities that help them navigate their emerging sexuality. They need your help.

Now, more than ever, children need you to provide honest and accurate sexuality education. Research confirms that children want to hear it from you more than from their school, the media, or even their friends. But if your kids get the idea that you may be bluffing or hiding some of the truth, theyll turn to their ultimate authority: the Internet. And that should really make you panic.

This book is a great starting place for boys who are facing or just entering puberty. We present everything about puberty, and nothing about intercourse. That makes it easier for them to process without getting overwhelmed with too much information.

When boys and girls learn about what to expect before it happens, they face puberty with greater confidence and even a little excitement.

We encourage you to read this book, too, so you know what information your son has.

Most of all, do your best to be open and honest when he asks questions or wants to talk about somethingno matter how awkward it may be. Establishing yourself as his go-to person for sexuality education creates an important parentchild connection that will protect him for years to come.

Good luck!

Melisa Holmes, MD, and Trish Hutchison, MD
Co-founders, Girlology and Guyology

Growing up? Really? Did a parent just give you this book? Did you roll your eyes, or were you a little excited? Either would be normal because this book is going to give you a lot of information that may seem awkward, but its really important. Its about pubertythat time when your body starts changing to look more grown up.

Now that youre getting older, you need to understand what to expect when puberty starts. You need to know how your body will change and how to take care of it. And honestly, its pretty interesting.

The most important thing to understand as you head toward puberty is that you will have the same body changes that all guys have but they will happen on your own unique timeline, and you will end up with your own unique look when its over. That means puberty can be confusing or frustrating because its a bit of a mystery. When will your changes start? When will they finish? What will you look like when its all done?

The title of this book is Guyology: Just the Facts, because were going to stick to just the facts of puberty. You may already know that talking about puberty can lead to other awkward conversations, but we are going to stick to puberty for now.

So, what exactly does puberty mean?

Its a strange-sounding word, but it comes from two Latin words: Pubertas means to become more adult-like. That seems about right.

And then theres pubescere, which means to become ripe or to grow hairy or mossy.

Hmmm. There is definitely some hairiness that will happen, so maybe thats pretty accurate, too.

Putting it simply, puberty is a time when your body begins to grow up and become more adultlike.

Your body has to go through these changes so that one day you can mate and repopulate the human species. In other words, help make a baby. That means that your private parts are getting an extreme makeover and your body is changing from a boys body to a mans body.

Everyone goes through puberty, but not everyone gets the chance to learn how and why it happens. Learning about this stuff might make you feel excited, interested, embarrassed, or just plain awkward. Thats normal. Keep reading, and youll see that it will get easier and more interesting.

Fun Fact: Humans arent the only group that goes through pubertyall animals, from antelopes to zebras, go through puberty as they take on their adult look. They may not get zits, but many get changes in their body shape and different coloring and new attitudes.

Obviously, this book is all about Guyology, but you also need to understand a little about girls puberty, too. Understanding the changes that happen to girls and boys makes you smarter, and its important to know. Yep. Gotta do it.

Do girls go through puberty? Of course. Boys and girls both have to grow up and have body changes. Some of the changes are the same for boys and girls (like growing taller), but a lot of the changes are different since boys and girls bodies are different (we bet you knew that). Well talk mostly about boys changes in this book, but we just want to make sure you understand girls changes, too.

Lets start by comparing the changes that girls and boys will go through. Look at the list below and decide whether its a puberty change that happens to girls, boys, or both. You can draw a line from each change to the girl or boy picture. You may not even know what some of these things mean. Thats OK. Youll know about everything on this list if you keep reading. The answers are at the end of the chapter.

sweat more

hairy legs

feelings change

shoulders get wider

pimples

facial hair

body odor

testicles grow

grow taller

pubic hair

breasts grow

erections happen more

underarm hair

periods begin

voice changes

oily skin and hair

penis grows

chest hair

hips get wider

bigger muscles

ejaculations begin

Adams apple grows

Did you realize that boys have more changes happening than girls do? Its fun to have a friendly competition with girls sometimes, but dont try that when it comes to puberty because, even though guys have a longer list of changes, girls almost always start developing before boys do.