Get Ready Puberty isn’t a four letter word, nor is it something you should feel confident about ignoring until your child is older.  Puberty may be arriving sooner rather than later for your child.  Even if your child begins developing at a later age than most, he or she is likely to have friends who begin puberty early in elementary school.  Did you know that recent research (2010) found that more than 1 in 7 seven year old girls (15%) and more than 1 in 4 eight year old girls (27%) had already started puberty? What Is It? Puberty is the process of changing from a child to an adult, including the acquisition of reproductive capabilities. It is important to remember that this is not a single event; it is a multi-year process involving numerous milestones. During this stage of life children experience considerable change: physically, emotionally, cognitively and socially. When Does It Begin? Typically puberty begins between seven and fourteen years of age in girls and between nine and fourteen years of age in boys. Every child experiences an individualized pubertal timeline.   Both genetics and environment play roles in the age of onset. Gender also plays a role, causing girls to start puberty a few years before boys. By the end of elementary school, most girls have begun developing and are taller than the boys. Within a few years the boys not only catch up, but also surpass the girls in average height. READ MORE… »