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puberty

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fullmetal_freak
not a newbie
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Nov 26, 2015 12:44 am
Age: 21
Awesomeness Quotient: my hair
Primary language: english
Pronouns: he or him
Sexual identity: not sexually active
Location: texas

puberty

Unread post by fullmetal_freak »

Hi, I am a thirteen year old boy and puberty is getting kinda rough. I see my friends in the locker room with large amounts of hair under their arms and their voices are super deep, and I'm the one out of my group that doesn't have either. It's kind of embarrassing and I am asking you guys because asking my parents is kind of awkward.. and when I simply make a post I'm not really breaking that weird boundary. So anyway, back on the subject, I often wonder why I can't be like them. They don't make fun of me about it, it's a conscious battle I have almost everyday. I have also noticed I am a tad shorter than them and I realize not everyone is the exact same and genes have a lot to do with all of that but, it's kinda awkward being in the middle of people who are like five four and I am five one.. it's like I am surrounded by giants. Great big giant 7th grade football players.
Heather
scarleteen founder & director
Posts: 9687
Joined: Sun Jul 27, 2014 11:43 am
Age: 54
Awesomeness Quotient: I have been a sex educator for over 25 years!
Primary language: english
Pronouns: they/them
Sexual identity: queery-queer-queer
Location: Chicago

Re: puberty

Unread post by Heather »

I really want to call a band "Great Big Giant 7th Grade Football Players" now. :P

I hear you, puberty can be rough, especially right at the start of it, which is where you and your friends are (in fact a lot of 13-year-old dudes won't have even started yet, which may even be the case with you), where where folks are at with it is all over the place. People who started earlier are way ahead of people who haven't at all. I'm a short person, but I was early to it myself, so for a hot minute, I was a little taller than everyone else...then I just watched them all keep getting taller and taller while I stayed my same height for the rest of my life. Alas. (And now, with the onset of middle age, I've started shrinking, for crying out loud.)

The answer for why one person is behind another in puberty, or why any part of your body is different than someone else's is mostly just genetics, which are outside our control. It sounds like your friends aren't being jerks about this difference, so what do you feel like you need to accept and feel better about it?
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. - Margaret Mead
fullmetal_freak
not a newbie
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Nov 26, 2015 12:44 am
Age: 21
Awesomeness Quotient: my hair
Primary language: english
Pronouns: he or him
Sexual identity: not sexually active
Location: texas

Re: puberty

Unread post by fullmetal_freak »

Thank you Heather, I definitely feel better now. One thing is for sure though.. I have NEVER lost at arm wrestling with them!
XD
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