DR ASHA PEMBERTON
teenhealth.tt@gmail.com
A frequently asked question by parents to healthcare providers centres on the onset of puberty and adolescence. When is early too early?
Over the past few generations, there has been a demonstrated downtrend in the age of onset of puberty in children. It is considered normal for girls at the age of eight and boys at nine to start showing pubertal changes. At ages earlier than those, normal puberty can begin, however it is important that a comprehensive review be performed to ensure no evolving medical condition is occurring. This developmental stage marks the transition from childhood to adolescence and involves significant physical, emotional, cognitive, and social changes. Many parents are fearful of this transition when it occurs at younger ages and feel ill-prepared for the emotional and behavioural shifts which ensue.
In earlier stages of childhood, parents generally are held in high regard by children. They typically seek parental approval and eagerly engage in affection and quality time. Perhaps the most dramatic change that occurs at the onset of puberty and adolescence is that children and tweens abruptly prefer time alone or with friends. Some can even be disrespectful and haughty to their parents as they demand to have things their way. This is a source of frustration and sometimes grief for parents, who have challenges accepting what they perceive to be rejection.
In addition to the shift of focus from parents to peers, children of this generation become even more consumed with social media and the many online trends of the day. For some this may be a focus on gaming but for others, scrolling through apps or instant messaging are their interests. This represents a required shift in parenting approach.
Parents today simply did not have the access to the online world that their children do, because it did not exist in their childhood the way it does now, or even at all. As such, parents cannot rely on how they were parented, as this is all completely new. They are advised to create and maintain appropriate boundaries for their child and their home. The pressure will be intense and persistent, however, particularly for children who commence puberty at younger ages boundaries are required.
Although their emotions and interests will be directed toward teen content, much of it may be simply inappropriate for their cognition and exposure. During adolescence, the teen brain undergoes dramatic development. At the start, young people are rigid and concrete in thinking. This means that they are not always able to appreciate and understand nuance or metaphor. They see the world in very black-and-white terms.
In spaces where misinformation, falsehood and enhancements make up a large portion of online content, younger adolescents struggle to separate fact from fiction. For this reason, parents need to remain engaged and supervisory to teach their children the differences and ensure that they are not unduly influenced by mischief makers or those pr
