By Previledge Shoko
Puberty is the time between childhood and adulthood when girls and boys mature physically and sexually. It is also a stage when a boy becomes a man, and a girl becomes a woman.
The girl child experiences changes such as breast development & menstruation and facial hair growth & ejaculation in boys.
This stage of puberty is also called adolescence because of some of these changes and characteristics:
o Back-chatting and complaining,
o Increase in moodiness and seeking more independence,
o A bad attitude and varying levels of rebellion, and
o an increased interest in relationships with the opposite sex.
How should our parents and guardians deal with this stage?
It’s important for the family unit to raise the child in a warm and healthy environment. It is encouraging to know that some parents do talk to their children about some of the changes that come with puberty before the child notices these changes.
Some parents on the other hand wait until the child asks questions, but what if the child is shy, then what?
For me, here are some things that parents can do to avoid the awkwardness and for the child’s well-being:
The parent has a role to provide the child with a safe, secure, nurturing, loving and supportive environment, one that allows the offspring to have a happy and healthy life; this sort of experience allows the child to develop the knowledge, values, attitudes and behaviours necessary to become an adult making a productive contribution to self, family, community and society.
Your role as a parent:
 Be a role model for forming and maintaining positive relationships with your friends, children, partner and colleagues because your child will learn from observing relationships where there is respect, empathy and positive ways of resolving conflict,
 Get to know your child’s friends and make them welcome in your home as this will help you to keep in touch with child’s social relationships,
 Listen to your child’s feelings – if your child wants to talk, stop and give your child full attention,
 Be open about your feelings – be a role model of dealing with difficult challenges, emotions and moods. Be open to talk to your child about relationships, sex and sexuality. Keep discipline. Non-punitive punishment like grounding instead of physical punishment will go a long way.
No matter which stage we might be going through as young people, there is always a way out of it, I think!
