1. Puberty http://kidshealth.org/teen/interactive/female_it.html

2. How it Begins…
Between the ages of 9-13 children go though puberty, which marks the beginning of adolescence
The Pituitary gland in the brain secretes hormones that stimulate physical growth and development of reproductive organs.
Testosterone- Male Sex Hormone
Estrogen and Progesterone- Female sex hormones
Male and female hormones are responsible for the physical, mental and emotional changes that occur.

3. Physical Changes
The development of sex characteristics- those related to ones gender.
Primary Sex characteristics are directly related to the production of the reproductive cells- Sperm cells in males and ovum (egg) cells for females
Secondary Sex Characteristics- Pubic hair and body hair will appear, and the development of breast and the widening of hips in females, and the broadening of the chest and the deepening of the voice in males.

4. Concerns Over Physical Changes
As people reach puberty, there is a great variation in the size and shape of people of the same age
Rapid growth in males may leave them feeling awkward and clumsy
Females will typically be taller than males as they usually go through puberty earlier
Hands and feet may appear large and awkward

5. Mental Changes
Brain reaches its adult size and weight
You are able to predict the outcomes of many situations- abstract thought
Your ability to think logically, or think things out, increases
You learn to form and evaluate hypothesis
New interests will develop and career goals may begin to come into focus

6. Emotional Changes
Strong emotional feeling can come to surface
You may feel happy one day, sad, angry or anxious the next. You may feel that no one understands what your going through
This change in emotion is a normal part of development!