There Comes a Time in Every Boy's Life.......

Oh boy.  Here we go!  I'm not one to be shy about this stuff and have in the past, sat down and drawn pictures complete with parts whenever Max had questions.  I've saved one or two of those sketches just because they are so darn cute (stick figure'ish) and they'll remind me of a time when we were steam rolling headlong into PUBERTY.  It's natural for him to have questions and concerns and I'd like to maintain an open line of communication well into the future so he can get the correct information.  One day he came home from a friend's house and told me a 'fact' about girls, one he had obviously just been told by his friend, completely sure that his new-found fact was true.  It was so FAR from the truth it was hard not to call up that kiddo and set him straight!  Made me chuckle, it did.  Where do kids come up with this stuff?
So, to Amazon I have turned recently to do a little research on a couple of books we can have on the shelf for those moments of insatiable curiosity.  Two books arrived yesterday and Max stayed up late reading them in his room, well after the grown ups toddled off to bed.  This morning he mentioned that he is kind of embarrassed by all of it and I encouraged him not to be - that's just how humans are made and how we reproduce!  So glad to have these books on hand.

Here are some resources if you might be in this developmental neck of the woods, too.  Note that I focused on boys in this post for the most part, just because I currently have one running about the house hither and yon, screaming like a banshee.  For most of these you'll find comparable editions for girls:

My Body, My Self for Boys, Revised Third Edition (What's Happening to My Body?)

This arrived yesterday.  It's chock full of quizzes, checklists and games.  Straight talk, respectful and informative for sure!

My Body, My Self for Girls, Revised 2nd Edition (What's Happening to My Body?)

On Your Mark, Get Set, Grow!: A "What's Happening to My Body?" Book for Younger Boys

This would have been a good choice, too.  Slated for grades 4-6.

American Medical Association Boy's Guide to Becoming a Teen

Comparable edition for girls here:

American Medical Association Girl's Guide to Becoming a Teen

Will look for this one at the library, I think, to decide if it should be a permanent resident on the shelf, or maybe the other two books we have will suffice for now.

What's Going on Down There?: Answers to Questions Boys Find Hard to Ask

The title says it all, doesn't it?

Sex, Puberty, and All That Stuff: A Guide to Growing Up

Now has a proud place on the shelf.  This would be a good text for a newly minted teen, or perhaps for a mid-teen.  It covers EVERYTHING from anatomy to how to stick up for yourself to some of the complicated issues teens sometimes face.  It's a little much for Max just now, I think, because he has been paging through it and making faces.  I need to take a closer perusal of this one to determine its age-appropriateness.

The Boy's Body Book: Everything You Need to Know for Growing Up YOU (Boys World Books)

"What's Happening to Me?" A Guide to Puberty

Where Did I Come From?: A Guide for Children and Parents

I'm a little stunned that we've got a pre-teen.  How did that happen?  Where did that time go?  Wasn't he just knee high to the sky a little while back?  I also think books with titles like What's Happening to Me??! would be appropriate and welcomed for someone of, say, the mid-forty age bracket like myself.  Jeepers.  Kinda' freaky, these changes :).  Let's not just focus on puberty as a time of monumental change, no?

Good luck guiding your pre-teen and teen through these interesting waters.  It's kind of nice to have a written guide that one can source now and then as needed!