happy2bg33k

Just had to vent that my tween, just entering puberty child is driving me bonkers with her sullen, could care less attitude. I am smiling on the outside and seething on the inside!!

SageMother

I must have been rather lucky with my sons. I have a difficulty understanding what it is about the changes in personality, associated with puberty, that bother parents so much. i remember feeling comfort in the signs of my sons growing up, accepting the moods that are tied to the influx of hormones, and their further development as their own people with experiences that I may never find out about.

What is it about this stage of development that vexes parents so?

trick-r-treat

I wondered what everyone's problem was when my daughter didn't go through any of that. Everyone kept telling me, "It's coming!" but it never did. Then my son got to that age....... AAAAARRRRGGHHHHH! Need I say more?

happy2bg33k

Nope, no more to be said by me. And it's not the developmental stage that vexes me, it's that I miss my child who I know is buried under all that hormonal angst.

tater03

My boys are not at this stage but I can only imagine what you are talking about. I know that my friends daughter got really moody and testy. It was a pretty rough time for them I remember. I don't look forward to this at all.

mamab

I think the female hormonal changes are more severe than a boys. There's so much going on in her body. I don't think the males hormonal changes are that bad, so that may be why it seems like your daughter's going through puberty is worse.

SageMother

That's an excellent point..I never thought of that....

Stephanie2377

My friends who have older children have always told me that their girls had it worse during the 'tween' times because of the enormous rush of hormones with the starting of periods and the full onset of puberty. My son is still a toddler, so I have a few years left to go. I can't imagine what it is like to look into the face of your sweet, loving child... yet, not fully recognize them due to the scowl and attitude. *sigh*

mamab

I have a friend whose daughter has just started her period. I can say she's definitely more "moody" than before, which was quite often. She's also more "whiney." We can only love them, guide them to the best of our abilities, and be honest with them if they have questions. When I was in school, Kimberly Clark had a program to explain the changes the body goes through during puberty - for both boys and girls. I think I'll try to see if they have anything like that for parents. It was a non-threatening way to learn about what was going on. My mom wasn't really that comfortable talking about it, so at least I had the information from school.

blade

I never really had any of that whole 'entering puberty' moody stage with my daughter. She went through the first couple of years fine. Now at 14, well it's a different story. She's a lovely girl, but her hormones are going crazy. Her moods changing, much more lazy, she's got that, can't be bothered attitude etc. Then theirs her latest thing, boys. *rolls eyes* What they like eh!