soon to be a teenager

[threeangels]

Im just curious if any of you all had a son start going through puberty at 12. Im not saying he has a moustach but I noticed the little hairs above his look are getting a little darker. I know that sounds weird but Im nervous because he will be my first teenager soon. Lots of changes on the way. I have noticed he is really starting to mature pretty fast. I mean the way he acts and talks (I mean that in a good way). Ive just bought his first thing of deoderant. They sure grow up fast.

Threeangels, I know what you mean although I am talking as the mother of a twelve year old girl who has just started her periods (she'd be mortified if she knew I'd told the world)! I have found that she is taking everything in her stride and I am on the one hand terribly proud of this extraordinary young woman blossoming in front of me and yet at the same time terribly sad to be loosing my little girl. No one told me their puberty would be emotional for me!!!! I think as mothers we need to ring the changes too. I took my daughter out for a girly shop and lunch to celebrate as I sure don't want her to view being a woman as negative.

threeangels, I wonder if your nickname has anything to do with your children, because if your son is 12 you will have to change your name to 2 angels and one horror. At 12 my godson changed from being the sweetest, most obedient, pleasant child you'd ever met into the teenager from hell. Boy's seem to go through a stage at around 12 that involves discovering the stupidity of their parents and a complete disregard for the feelings of anyone else. Luckily this stage doesn't seem to last too long and they do go back to normal. I think it's something to do with puberty and discovering their bodies and girls. For some reason girls go through the parental rejection later and not necessarily in conjunction with puberty. Of course this is all experience with my friend's children and my stepchildren. My son is only 18 months, so I'm undergoing a different torture.

SofiaAmes, I know what you mean. I have a 19 mo boy. I was just typeing under the thread Boys and Girls in the topic called "parenting". Wanted to share a little of my toddlers daily highlights.