My two older daughters were close in age 👭, and they shared a friend, Liza🚶🏽♀️, who had two younger brothers👬 and no sisters. My girls had no brothers. Liza loved spending time at our house because we had Breyer horses, a play kitchen, and a pair of very entertaining miniature donkeys. I loved sending my girls to Liza’s house where they were exposed to penises.
😳 Wait. Let me explain that better.
The penises belonged to Liza’s two and four year old brothers who were frequently scampering through the house naked or peeing in the yard. 😅
Liza’s mom and I felt pretty resourceful.
Liza learned about reproduction (you mean they’re not dancing?) from our donkeys and thought it was cool.🤰🏻✨ My girls saw penises frequently enough to settle their curiosity and recognize a penis as just another body part. 🍆 🤷🏻♀️
Over years of helping thousands of children prepare for puberty and grow in body confidence, I know this for sure: kids are not just curious about how their own bodies will change, they ask a ton of questions about how puberty affects other kids.
How much should they learn about each other?
You know my answer:
ALL of it.
Menstruation and vulvas shouldn’t be a mystery to half the population. Keeping it that way only perpetuates stigma and shame. Same goes for erections, wet dreams, and gynecomastia (when pubertal boys transiently develop breast tissue – about HALF of them will).
When every child understands what happens to all bodies in puberty, they are more understanding and less self-conscious. They begin to recognize that everybody has some pretty interesting and strange new things going on. They become more accepting of their own changes, and more supportive for their friends.
So, even though we are GIRLology, we also have an on-demand class and activity book on BOYS’ PUBERTY, called GUYology. It’s led by Dr. Trish and Dr. Matt – who you and your kids will love! We created it because so many parents asked for it (and we’ve been teaching it in-person for over a decade!). It was created for boys, but if your daughters are curious, it’s a YES 🙌🏽 from me! If you have friends with sons in 4th-6th grade, please share!
And if you’re looking for one resource that covers puberty for ALL bodies, check out our book You-ology: A Puberty Guide for Every Body, written by us and published by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Did you know Girlology has grade-by-grade playlists listing on-demand video and downloadable content to support her and you through the entire journey? Learn More
