Early Puberty - A Mothers Journal
March 25 - Marie started her period today!! I can't believe it, she is only nine. This cannot be natural. I have always noticed that her body developed faster than most of her friends but I never thought this would happen. She is very confused. At nine she is just starting to brush her hair without a fight, she is still a little girl. She doesn't understand why she is going through something that none of her peers are. Marie is devastated and I need to find a way to help her.March 26 - I let Marie stay home from school today. She was to embarrassed to go and have to deal with it on her own. We spent the day talking about how to handle this and still have a life without letting anyone know. We talked about the do's and don'ts of menstruation and how it affects your mood. She agreed with that. She said that she feels so weird. I am truly afraid for her; I know it has to be hard. I am going to make an appointment with the doctor tomorrow. That way she can gain advise from someone other than her mother! March 27 - We just got back from the doctor. He mentioned a couple of things that may have contributed to her early puberty and a few other avenues that we can take. q Marie is over-weight for her age group, puttin
McCarthy, (1999), Healthy Teens, Facing the Challenges of Young Lives, Birmingham, MI: Bridge Communications INC. q Do what it takes to stay safe. Scream, yell if you have to. Even to the point of yelling FIRE to get others attention. Little, (1990), The Endocrine System, New York: Chelsea House Publishers. q Speak up immediately. Not speaking up can be misinterpreted as consent. 1. Rejection. Expect it. It makes them feel like they are being treated as if they were a little kid. q Reviving Ophelia, by Mary Pipher Ph.D.: This is a story of the trials and tribulations that teenage girls go through and the dangers they face that can jeopardize their futures. Slap, Jablow (1994), Teenage Health Care, New York, NY: Pocket Books. April 1 - I spoke with Tib today, a friend of mine who is a counselor with the Family Advocacy Clinic on base where we live. Tib is so great!!! She gave me the name of a book called Revising Ofelia, by Mary Piphin. She said that the book would be good for Marie and me; it would help us in understanding the separation and individualization that Marie will be faced with. She said that we separate and individualize ourselves from our parents about the age 2-5 and again at puberty. Plus at this point she is not emotionally prepared for this. Tib also gave me a few suggestions for how to deal with this. q Most sexual offenders are someone the targeted person knows and trusts.
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 3367
Approximate Pages = 13 (250 words per page double spaced)
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