Adolescent Development: Part 1

Hey, parents! Today, we embark on an exciting journey into the world of early adolescent development – that magical time between ages 9 and 13. As your child navigates this rollercoaster of change, you’ll find it incredibly helpful to understand what’s going on for them and how to best support them through this hugely transformative period. It’s a time of massive change that requires an extra big dose of understanding, patience, and love from everyone involved.

In this post we’ll be taking a look at the physical changes that take place. Check out Part 2 for emotional and behavioral changes you might see.

PHYSICAL CHANGES

Here are some of the physical changes (in addition to the obvious body hair, breasts, acne, and growth spurts) you can expect:

Bones, organs and body systems: Many of your child’s organs will get bigger and stronger.

Clumsiness: Because children grow so fast during puberty, their center of gravity changes and their brains might take a while to adjust.

Physical strength: Muscles increase in strength and size during this period and hand-eye coordination improves.

Weight: Your child will gain weight and need increasing amounts of nourishing foods. Their stomachs and intestines increase and size and they need more energy.

Sleep patterns: Sleep patterns change and many children start to stay awake later at night and sleep later in the day.

Sweat: A new type of sweat gland in the armpit and genital area develops during puberty. Skin bacteria feed on the sweat this gland produces, which can lead to body odor.

Skin and Hair: Glands in the skin on the face, shoulders, and back start to become more active and produce more oil, which can lead to acne.

Teeth: Children will get their second molars around 13 years of age and their third molars, or wisdom teeth, between 14 and 25.

After reading this list, it’s no wonder adolescents are exhausted! But wait! There’s more!

HORMONES

Ah, hormones – the invisible force that influences adolescent emotions and fuels their growth. During early adolescence, hormonal changes can lead to mood swings of exuberant highs and tearful lows. Don’t worry – it’s all part of the ride!

These mood swings are caused by fluctuations in estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. But, hang onto your hats, folks! Not only do hormones effect emotions, but stress, sleep cycles, menstrual cycles, romantic feelings, voice changes, acne, growth spurts and first crushes. Hormonal changes tend to calm down during the adult years, but your child will be dealing with hormonal fluctuations throughout their life, and it’s important that they learn how to manage them as early as possible.

Helping your child create a routine that allows for sufficient sleep, nourishing foods, movement and emotional support is so important. It’s essential to create a safe space for your child to express their feelings openly. Be a compassionate listener, validate their emotions, and help them develop healthy ways to cope with their changing bodies and feelings. Remember, your support is a soothing balm during emotional storms.

BRAIN DEVELOPMENT

Inside those amazing minds, something magical is happening! Adolescence marks a period of significant brain growth and development. For many years, there was a general consensus that the biggest changes in the makeup and functioning of the brain happened during the prenatal period and the first five or six years of life (the human brain is already about 90-95% of adult size by age six!).

More recent research has shown that actually, an extensive reorganization of the brain occurs during adolescence, and that the adolescent brain is like a bustling construction site, with neural connections being strengthened and pruned. This process shapes cognitive abilities, making way for improved reasoning, problem-solving skills, and a sharper memory.

One very important thing to note about all of this brain development is that the prefrontal cortex – responsible for decision-making, planning, thinking about consequences, problem-solving, and impulse control – is quite disrespectfully the last to be remodeled. Ha!

Because it takes so much longer for the prefrontal cortex to develop, tweens and teens rely on the amygdala when making their decisions and solving problems. And you guessed it – the amygdala is associated with instincts, aggression, emotions, and impulses. Yippie! Just like with hormones (and all of it, really), your compassion and patience is vital to this stage of development.

As you can see, there’s A LOT going on during puberty and early adolescence! Parents and their rapidly growing young people can both benefit by building a practice of  deep breathing and digging deep for a bit more patience. Always more patience. 

If you’re looking for some books to support you and your child through the many changes of puberty, here’s a list of books on the subject. Be sure to choose one appropriate for your child’s age and level of maturity and if you have one you love that’s not listed, leave it in the comments for your fellow adolescent travelers!

**Don’t forget to check out Part 2 here for a breakdown of other changes taking place like self-discovery, social circles and friendship, confidence, resilience, and independence.**