| Archive for NEEPS North East Eco-friendly People's Site |
| Ina |
Onset of pubertyI happened to hear this programme on radio 4 last night and found it very interesting - not just for parents:"Am I normal? Programme 3 - Puberty: In Britain the average age for beginning adolescent development is eleven in girls and twelve in boys, but with indications that puberty may be starting earlier, this definition is currently under review. The American Academy of Paediatrics has recently revised the lowest age for the start of normal puberty to seven in girls, while in developing countries children would be much older. With such a wide spectrum of 'normality' is there a right age for the onset of puberty and what are the factors influencing it? Vivienne Parry talks to academics and teenagers to find out what is normal puberty." http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/am_i_normal.shtml Looks like it's repeated this afternoon at 4:30. |
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| IainC |
Seven years old 
<looks at 6yo daughter playing on the PC across the room>
I thought I had a few years left before we needed to start having "those" conversations. Mind you, it would make sense in a way... she can already be like a stroppy teenager 
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| baldowrie |
at that age, 7, the possibility of health/hormonal problems are very high and the child should be examined by a doctor. | ||
| Ina |
You can always encourage her to become an olympic gymnast - all that training delays the onset... | ||
| IainC |
I think the fact that she can do the splits and generally never sits still means she's more chance of her being a gymnast tah early puberty (I hope). Managed to keep her still now though 'cos Dr Who is on. |
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| Ina |
Oh - they did say what they read and watch on telly influences the age they start, too... 
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| IainC |
So what does, Dr Who, Dora the Explorer and the Kerrang and Scuzz music channels mean then?
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| Ina |
Not sure - I don't think I've ever watched more than perhaps one episode of Dr Who of that lot!
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| IainC |
She's watched Dr Who right from the start of the Christopher Ecclestone ones... and seen them all from then on. Not quite sure if that would have made her 3 or 4 when she started watching them. Thought she would have been real scared of the werewolf one (looked better than the American Werewolf in London IMO) but she wasn't... was the one with clockwork "robots" in painted masks hiding under the bed that got her
I always loved Dr Who when I was young and it's good to watch with the kids now too. I just sat down and explained how they did it with her so she fully understands it all. Our kids (and our mates kids too) get exposed to all kinds of things and none of them are overly bothered by any of it much. One of my mates was so proud when his son came home from school with a drawing he'd done, it was of his favorite band/musician... was Rob Zombie... http://jks.vox.com/library/audio/...252145bc8fdb00cd9786a635f9cc.html gives you a rough idea of what he looks like... I'm sure you can guess what he sounds like
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| PurpleDragon |
A friend of mine has a daughter who started puberty early. They gave her all sorts of drugs to keep it delayed but eventually they just had to let it come on. I think it is such as shame that her childhood has been blighted by adulthood. | ||
| IainC |
I'd heard something about people in either Japan or China who were actively pushing their kids into puberty earlier and earlier with other kinds of drugs as well. Having kids going to primary school who needed to shave every morning, etc.
Strange world. Would agree though that a kid of 7 or 8 is way too young to be entering puberty (IMO). |
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| essex_boy |
Puberty 
A parents worst nightmare! They start turning into.... 
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