How do you explain puberty to an 8-year old?

Question

My daughter is 8 and is starting to develop( underarm hair, and early signs of breast deveopment). What is a good way to explain this to her w/o having to go into the sex talk(I want to wait until she's a little older before I start telling her about that). My own mother never told me anything; I had to learn in health class(fun huh?) so I have no idea where to even begin. I know what to tell her, just not how.

To everyone saying that's too young, it's most likely genetic(I developed at a young age too,about 8 or 9). And as far as the organic veggies and such, we do.

Then stop acting like such an a**hole.It's not cute.

Answer 1

http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/grow/body_stuff/puberty.html

Answer 2

Tell her that everyone experiences these changes and it is the difference between grownups and children. You don't need to give her all the details yet. Tell her that it is normal to have a period, to grow hair, and that she might notice other changes which she should be happy to tell you about, because it means she is normal and developing properly.

Tell her that some kids mature faster than others, just as some kids are taller or shorter at the same age.

Eight seems early; I'd say switch to organic meats, eggs, dairy and vegetables without hormones or antibiotics now. It may not help slow things down very much, but it's worth a try.

Answer 3

Well....8 is kinda young, but my 8 year old sister is starting to ask questions..... I got the sex talk when I was 7 (too young!) but most kids now a days are getting that when they're 10 or 11. If your daughter is showing signs of puberty, you might want to consider taking her to the doctor because this is supposed to happen at about the age of late 9 to early 10. Just explain to her though that our bodies change when we get older and buy some puberty books for her. It helped me when I started puberty ages ago.

Answer 4

I developed very young too, it's confusing and scary. My mom never prepared me for the shock of it all. Older boys all of a sudden paying attention to me, getting teased, it sucked, I was constantly embarrassed and totally caught off guard.
Just tell her how it is, tell it to her straight. I might start the conversation on a walk in the park surrounded by nature. Tell her you want to talk about something really important and special. She might be freaked out at first, but in the end she'll be prepared and grateful that she has been empowered with the right information coming from her mother, not other kids or a health teacher. Good luck!

Answer 5

You're about 7 years too late not having the sex talk as you call it. Knowing body parts , good touch/bad touch should start early. Some predators like little babies.

If you're uncomfortable there are some great books about puberty you can read together. And if that still freaks you out , like Elisabeth Hasleback on the View, take her to your pedatrician or a nurse practioner and stay with her while the doc or nurse talks with her and you.

You know puberty isn't something evil, it's a natural progression into becoming a woman. My mum likened it to the blooming of a rose , as we were studying flowers at the time and I was 8.

If you freak about sex, your daughter will catch the vibe and the attitude and do one of two things, get really curious and get bad info on the street and probably start experimenting early with sex. Or else she'll become repressed and scared and you'll do alot of psychological damage to her you don't have to do.

Answer 6

Just tell her straight out that in a few years she'll experience some changes in her body that are completely normal. Some girls develop early, some late. But each individual is normal. Tell her about hair under the armpits, legs, and pubic area. tell her about breast buds, and ask if she wants to get a training bra..to practice wearing for when her breasts get bigger. Make it a fun event, not embarrassing. Take her to a ladies shop and have her fitted. Let her pick out something really pretty with matching panties. Girls love this. Also, tell her about periods too. I'm sure hair will come in 'down there' first, so if you wanna wait until then, do that. But you can be vague about the periods..some girls start as early as 9 and 10, so tell her about it so she doesn't get frightened when it happens. You don't need to tell her what the period is, just that it's something that women get once a month when they go through puberty. She doesn't need to know that she is then able to have a baby, or whatnot. Those are scary ideas. You can explain to her that you have periods and what age you got yours. Usually, daugthers follow their mothers..so if your period came at age ten, hers might too.

Tell her she's normal, and she'll probably notice a few changes in her body. Tell her that all girls and boys go through this when they near the teenaged years and that there's nothing to be embarrassed or nervous about..it's just her developping into a young lady.
Do the bra thing though, maybe not just yet, but do it. My mom didn't offer to take me to get a bra, but i needed one. I was too embarrassed to ask for one, my first bra was a B cup, GULP!
hehe
Talk to her gently, don't sit her down on the couch or anything. Maybe offer to do something together, like bake some cookies or a cake, and just nonchalontly bring it up. Just ask if girls in school are talking about puberty or periods yet..be your child's teacher. Make sure she gets the facts, and not just what her friends are saying. Chances are the friends will give the wrong answers!
Good luck with this!
Hope I've helped a little! :)

Answer 7

I started talking to my daughter about her body when she was really young. I have always believed that being upfront with your children about their bodies is the best way to go.
I have talked at length with my daughter about puberty, periods, hormonal changes, mood swings..which always helps. I also bought her some books on her body and puberty. She treasures these books and refers to them a lot. (She is a little bookworm).
I did this because I was never told about the beauty and sacredness of being a woman, and about my right to say who touches my body, and when, and I had bad things happen to me as a child.
Educating your daughter now is a good thing. You don't wait until she is in the midst of all these huge changes to talk to her, because at that point she's already confused. Talk to her now..and use books and the web (sites about your body) as reference.
The thing is..people have this stupid idea that if you talk to children about their bodies and sex that you are giving them the okay to do it. No, you are educating them before their little friends and society get to them and give them screwed up information.
I would always rather have information from someone that can give it to me straight and that it would always be the truth.
Good luck..and remember, you were once that age. Make it a good memory, not a bad one.
:)
P.S. A book that my daughter loves is called "It's Perfectly Normal". You can look it up on Amazon.com

Answer 8

I think it's probably enough to simply say that her body is starting to change to the way it will be when she's grown up, and that what she's experiencing is normal. As far as how - calmly, and without undue histrionics worked for me when I told my son. You don't have to talk about sex - just talk about adulthood for now, and stick with the facts. If you don't know all the facts, then a little research can be very helpful. Good luck!

Answer 9

It's better for you to inform her that to hear things that aren't right from other students. (They know things earlier than you think). Also, its scarier not to know about puberty and to just wake up one day with your period. She clearly has to know, as girls are starting their periods earlier and earlier. My mom didn't really know what say either, so she sort of just gave me this book when I was nine, which I still remember: "Growing Up: It's a Girl Thing" by Mavis Jukes. (You can order it on Amazon). It was better this way because I learned all basics from the book and then I was able to ask my mom questions from there. As long as you let your daughter know that you can talk about this stuff together, she'll always come to you about everything.

Answer 10

Tell her the truth. Initially I was going to say: "In English."

But answer her questions and be truthful. Lying only will confuse her.

Example: Mommy, where do babies come from? When a mommy and a daddy make love, a baby grows inside the mommy's womb and then is birthed. Reaction: Oh, okay.

Don't make this out to be anything more than what it is: your daughter is curious about her body.

As far as growth goes, tell her that her body is not only growing up but amazingly in differing directions too!!

Remember, she is 8, wants a simple concrete answer and that is it.

Answer 11

Explain that she is getting older and her body will change. Tell her what will change, boobs, hair, and period. Explain why she will get her period, that EVENTUALLY she will want and with out having it , babies are not possible. Explain boys will change too but in different ways. And ask what she knows about sex. Fill in the blanks and tell her it is best to wait and that she can talk to you about anything (only if you mean it though). And talk matter of factly, not like she is a baby, like she is older.