Posted on Apr 24, 2022
A new puberty guide for kids aims to replace anxiety with self-confidence
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https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/04/23/ [login to see] /a-new-puberty-guide-for-kids-aims-to-replace-anxiety-with-self-confidence
The authors of a new book on puberty had trouble coming up with a name. The guide to growing up, for pre-teens 9 to 13, is written for all kids – girls, boys, nonbinary youth. It's inclusive of the gender spectrum and the trans experience.
Titles like "Hello Hairy," and "The Rollercoaster Called Puberty" weren't cutting it, says Dr. Kathryn Lowe, one of the book's three co-authors, who are all physicians and parents.
They settled on You-ology: A Puberty Guide for Everybody. The slim, 150-page guide, published Tuesday by the American Academy of Pediatrics, is one a handful of recent puberty books that aim to be more inclusive. It explains body parts and how they change in clear, accessible ways, while assuring kids that there's a wide range to what is normal. Big feelings, big questions and growing faster or slower than other kids are all part of it.
"We talk about how every body is different," Lowe says, "Breasts can come in all different shapes and sizes. We try to normalize the variety of [ways] the human body goes through puberty and how there is no one right way."
The authors of a new book on puberty had trouble coming up with a name. The guide to growing up, for pre-teens 9 to 13, is written for all kids – girls, boys, nonbinary youth. It's inclusive of the gender spectrum and the trans experience.
Titles like "Hello Hairy," and "The Rollercoaster Called Puberty" weren't cutting it, says Dr. Kathryn Lowe, one of the book's three co-authors, who are all physicians and parents.
They settled on You-ology: A Puberty Guide for Everybody. The slim, 150-page guide, published Tuesday by the American Academy of Pediatrics, is one a handful of recent puberty books that aim to be more inclusive. It explains body parts and how they change in clear, accessible ways, while assuring kids that there's a wide range to what is normal. Big feelings, big questions and growing faster or slower than other kids are all part of it.
"We talk about how every body is different," Lowe says, "Breasts can come in all different shapes and sizes. We try to normalize the variety of [ways] the human body goes through puberty and how there is no one right way."
A new puberty guide for kids aims to replace anxiety with self-confidence
Posted from npr.org
Children
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Posted 2 y ago
Responses: 3
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Next target for the extreme right, not only could it make some feel uncomfortable, it has a person of color on the cover.
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen As a Navy Spook, I've Never had any Trouble making those that Oppose Me, Uncomfortable!
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LTC David Brown
Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen - well CW4 Guy Butler and PO1 William “Chip” Nagel don’t look like they are viewing it as satire. Perhaps hyperbole?
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SrA John Monette
CW4 Guy Butler - Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen I don't think it is satire. This book will definitely be banned by the autocratic governor of florida.
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
...""We talk about how every body is different," Lowe says, "Breasts can come in all different shapes and sizes. We try to normalize the variety of [ways] the human body goes through puberty and how there is no one right way."
The text is strewn with colorful diagrams, fun facts ("Some people call an erection a 'boner,' but there's actually no bone in the penis!") and stories from a diverse cast of fictional characters navigating puberty.
Two of the authors, Dr. Trish Hutchison, a pediatrician and Dr. Melisa Holmes, an OB/GYN, teach puberty classes and co-founded an online puberty education hub called Girlology. The third, Lowe is a pediatrician who helps steer the AAP on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender health and wellness. The idea for the book grew out of interacting with kids and seeing the need for accurate information that avoids shame.
One early reader endorsed the book. Stella, 12, a sixth-grader from Chicago, who identifies as nonbinary and uses them/them pronouns, read an early copy (their mom is an acquisitions editor at AAP).
"I'm excited about growing up and also kind of nervous about the changes," they said, "The book was, like, very reassuring because it told me that everything is normal and your body is doing what it needs to be doing."
Stella thought the book was a good complement to what's taught at school. They identified with some of the book's characters (like Oliver, who had glasses like Stella's and a shared interest in cosplay). Stella also found a diagram about gender identity and expression especially useful, along with a section on "puberty gear" that explains things like bras, binders, athletic cups, period underwear.
"Tampons still freak me out," Stella says, but adds they're feeling more clear about what to expect for themself and their friends.
A few years ago, when it was in the planning stage, "we wanted this book to be in every school in the country, so that any kid could pick it up and see themselves and their peers," says Hutchison. That's unrealistic today, amid a growing tide of anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ legislation, including restrictions on what books can be used in schools. Now, "there are certain states out there where you can't even say [some] of these words," Hutchison says."...
...""We talk about how every body is different," Lowe says, "Breasts can come in all different shapes and sizes. We try to normalize the variety of [ways] the human body goes through puberty and how there is no one right way."
The text is strewn with colorful diagrams, fun facts ("Some people call an erection a 'boner,' but there's actually no bone in the penis!") and stories from a diverse cast of fictional characters navigating puberty.
Two of the authors, Dr. Trish Hutchison, a pediatrician and Dr. Melisa Holmes, an OB/GYN, teach puberty classes and co-founded an online puberty education hub called Girlology. The third, Lowe is a pediatrician who helps steer the AAP on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender health and wellness. The idea for the book grew out of interacting with kids and seeing the need for accurate information that avoids shame.
One early reader endorsed the book. Stella, 12, a sixth-grader from Chicago, who identifies as nonbinary and uses them/them pronouns, read an early copy (their mom is an acquisitions editor at AAP).
"I'm excited about growing up and also kind of nervous about the changes," they said, "The book was, like, very reassuring because it told me that everything is normal and your body is doing what it needs to be doing."
Stella thought the book was a good complement to what's taught at school. They identified with some of the book's characters (like Oliver, who had glasses like Stella's and a shared interest in cosplay). Stella also found a diagram about gender identity and expression especially useful, along with a section on "puberty gear" that explains things like bras, binders, athletic cups, period underwear.
"Tampons still freak me out," Stella says, but adds they're feeling more clear about what to expect for themself and their friends.
A few years ago, when it was in the planning stage, "we wanted this book to be in every school in the country, so that any kid could pick it up and see themselves and their peers," says Hutchison. That's unrealistic today, amid a growing tide of anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ legislation, including restrictions on what books can be used in schools. Now, "there are certain states out there where you can't even say [some] of these words," Hutchison says."...
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