Puberty: when emotions get involved

Puberty is a very delicate stage in life where boys and girls who undergo this era find it very difficult to cope with some varying changes on their body. Especially when their emotions start taken a better part of them. A number of emotional changes may occur in children undergoing the puberty era which if not well controlled at a infant stage might lead to permanence in the modus operandi of the child.

Peer pressure

With the onset of puberty, your conversations with your friends will increase. Your peer group and you are likely to be influenced by what you see around you in popular media and the culture that is represented through them. You might often pick up on what's in and what's out in terms of the way you dress, your language and even your behaviour depending upon what you see.

This may be uncomfortable at times and would probably even change your likes and dislikes. It's also one of the ways in which you struggle to fit in with your peers. These events can lead to a gap between what is perceived as appropriate by your parents and your friends.

Mood swings

You may also experience frequent and sometimes extreme changes in your mood. For example, sometimes your mood will swing between feeling confident and happy to feeling irritated and depressed in a short span of time. These frequent swings in how you feel are called mood swings. They may occur due to shifting levels of hormones in your body and other changes taking place during puberty.

Getting sexual feelings

Puberty is also the phase after which you develop sexual maturity. One aspect of sexual maturity is being curious about sex and also about bodies of people that you are attracted to. With the onset of puberty, it is normal for a boy or a girl to be sexually attracted to people that they would want be more than 'just friends' with. You may also feel sexually excited by normal everyday activities such as reading a romantic novel or watching a romantic scene on television. These feelings are normal and there is nothing to feel guilty about. You may have many questions about sex. It is a good idea to talk to a mature adult (like your mother, doctor or a counselor) with whom you're comfortable discussing sex. You should get your questions answered and should stay informed on safe sex.