The transitional age of adolescents is a big problem not only for them, but also for their parents. Indeed, in a short time, changes occur in the body of boys and girls that affect both their appearance and behavior, which can become unpredictable. It is often very difficult for parents to understand a child, especially if they have a girl.
Physiological signs of the transition period
After the girl's endocrine glands (primarily the thyroid gland and pituitary gland) begin to work in an enhanced mode, drastic changes occur in her body. A teenage girl quickly gains in height, the pelvic bones begin to expand, and the hips and buttocks become more rounded. Hair appears on the pubis and armpits, and the mammary glands begin to develop intensively. At the age of 11-12 years (depending on many factors, this period may come earlier or later), the girl begins her period.
In many girls, sweat and sebaceous glands work hard during this period, which makes the skin and hair become oily, acne appears. In addition, the girl can gain noticeable weight. This makes her worry, react sharply to any criticism of her appearance, even the most benign one.
Parents need to be delicate and patient with their daughter's experiences, in no case should they joke about her acne or extra pounds.
What are the psychological signs of adolescence in girls
In addition to unpredictability, mood swings, the behavior of a teenage girl has a number of characteristic features. First of all, it is a strong, sometimes painful obsession with appearance, often accompanied by self-doubt, insecurity. This explains the demonstrative attempts of a teenage girl to use a lot of makeup, wear miniskirts, translucent tops, and tantrums about missing breasts (if these secondary signs have already become very noticeable in most of her classmates). She wants to attract attention, to be liked, to behave like an adult woman, while remaining, in essence, still a child.
Any attempts by her parents to force her to dress more modestly, to prohibit the use of cosmetics in such quantities, the girl meets with hostility.
Teenage girls, as a rule, are very painful to endure the first love, which, in most cases, either remains unrequited or brings disappointment. Parents should not laugh at her feelings. You shouldn't even condescendingly console: "I found something to cry about, you still have everything ahead of you!" It is best if the mother confidentially speaks with her daughter and tells her that she, too, once had the same problems.
