My Honest Thoughts On Having A Manchild: Signs of Puberty in Boys

Having worked with young people, mostly teenagers for pretty much all my adult life I am not fazed by much. It has always made me smile that teenagers talk freely in front of their teachers like they wouldn’t to their parents.  This means that I have heard a lot including the antics at drunken parties, underage sex and smoking, friendship fallouts, car accidents (that have been hidden from parents), puberty in boys, future plans the lot.

There is not much you don’t see or hear as a sixth form teacher.  Yet nothing much has prepared me for having my own manchild. Here are 7 Crucial Signs of Puberty in Boys Today.

Many already know that boys mature a little slower than girls. This isn’t just an emotional thing it is phyiscal and for boys, puberty begins at age 11 on average, although starting as early as age 9 or as late as age 14 is still considered normal.

The first signs of puberty in boys

My boy isn’t often on the blog, quieter than his sisters and much more private which is something I have always respected. Many who read my blogs could be forgiven for forgetting I have this gorgeous boy nestled among the girls.

Others have on occasion, asked why he doesn’t feature much. Some have even joked I obviously prefer the girls.  The truth is much simpler I  respect that he doesn’t like to be centre of attention.  I wrote about him being an introvert and what it means here.

However, although this post is mostly about him, the message is wider and relevant, which is why I’m sharing it.

My boy became a man much faster than I had anticipated and puberty was a bit of a shock to me. He started shaving and talking an octave lower all before he became a teenager. With girls, I think you get more clued up on the signs of puberty.

There is the whole period’s chat and supplies are bought and stored ready for that stage. With boys, it is much easier to ignore that puberty will happen, and when it hits hard and fast it can be a shock so here’s what to look out for and what to expect as a parent when your boy hits puberty…. boys hairy legs and all!!

7 things that happen to boys during puberty

• The signs were there for a while, we went through a period of high emotions.  On a few occasions there were raised voices (mine and his) over nothing meaningful and tears flowed.  Mood swings are common in puberty thanks to the hormonal changes that are occuring at a rapid pace. Doors were slammed and I remember retorting that I found this pre-teen stage a challenge. Wake up Emma, this was the beginning of male puberty and all that comes with it. I was just late to spot the signs of puberty in boys.

• Clothes were bought and discarded because growth spurts are one of the first sign of puberty in boys. As soon as I had bought him some new jeans or joggers he was moaning that they didn’t fit him.  That they were too short. The truth was, it was as though his bed was a grow bag. Each day he is waking that bit taller. Hence why shorts are brilliant, they don’t get obviously short in such a small time frame!

• He changed shape because stage 3 of puberty is said to include muscle growth.  Dyl is lazy, always has been. Yes, he plays football each week, but he is the goalkeeper so not exactly the most active on the team.  As such he had a bit of a tum.  However, that has been replaced by this long-legged, slim thing. I saw him with his top off recently and couldn’t believe the difference in his shape. He is also taller than all 5’3 and a half of me.

• Sleep, teenagers are supposed to sleep in, yet he wasn’t even a teen. 12 years old and sleeping the clock round became the norm. He would be flat out still in the mornings.

• Growing too fast did cause some health issues.  Dyl developed both Osgood Schlatters and Severs disease, which isn’t really a disease.  Both can happen due to growing rapidly.  Basically, the bones grow but not the tendons and ligaments. It makes things a little painful, especially when playing a sport. This is really common and nothing to worry about long term but can be very painful in the meantime. The Osgood Schlatters is something Chloe also suffered with and is commonly linked to hypermobility which I explained in Hypermobility explaining the invisible illness.

• Hair that gets everywhere.  Dyl started growing his moustache about 8 months ago.  A good six months before he was 13.  At first, we laughed, but then I didn’t want to hear that others were laughing at him.  For Christmas we popped a razor in his stocking and Boxing Day morning he asked his dad to show him how to shave.  All this before his 13th birthday. Since speaking to others I know that many have 15-year-olds not needing to shave yet. However thanks to how we handled it is a non-issue in our house too.

• Acne is one of the not so pleasant side effects of puberty but is, fortunately, one of the final stages of puberty.  Boys often have more acne than girls and this has been true for us too.  However, using some good products has helped we rate Freederm Oil-Free Perfecting Moisturiser.

Changes in boys during puberty

These signs of puberty were there to be seen, but it took me a while.  It does change things too.  Doors are now shut when showering when dressing.  He asks me to make hair appointments rather than me tell him he needs a cut. Every so often I catch a glimpse of him and think wow, my baby is now a man. Those shorts he wears, because they fit and the length doesn’t matter, now show hairy legs.  

It is a bit of a shock for a mum and I wasn’t expecting my boy to have hairy legs at just 13 but it is part of puberty.  When in your mind your boy is still your little man it is disconcerting to see a fully-fledged man staring back at you!  He may only be 13 but he looks much older.

Puberty happens and you can’t slow it down, so be prepared, recognise the signs in your boys as well as your girls.  It is a big deal for both of them and as parents, we need to be clued up on the signs of puberty and be prepared to support them through the physical and emotional changes it brings.

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