DD just turned 8 and its now hit me she has probably hit puberty earlier than i expected. Looking back this has obviously been happening since she was 7 but I was not completely sure at the time. For context she has always been tall older looking. Or at least people have told me so. She measures 132 cm where up to 8 is generally 128cm. I think she may have taken a growth spurt. Her breasts are developing at which stage I'm unsure. Little bumps under some clothing but not always.
What do I do next? She can wash herself but not her hair. I do that for her but when is it too late to expect her to manage that herself. She hates water near her eyes. She is still into peppa pig and yet talks about makeup all the time. Its like she is still very much a younger child but also interested in more pre teen stuff. (all her dolls have boyfriends and she isn't exactly understanding what a boyfriend actually is. We haven't discussed the facts of life because she is just too young to really understand it. Yet I feel we should discuss it in some way. I feel I've been dropped in the middle of a whirlwind. These things alone would be fine but the body changes make it harder as its not just her hearing stuff and playing along with her toys.
This seems a bit muddled. Sorry. I'm trying to explain and as I do my thoughts are just falling onto the page. Any advice? I don't expect her to grow up overnight and I don't want to take her childhood away but it feels awkward and I'm not sure what to expect now.