Preparing For Puberty
Email 1
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Subject Line: Preparing For Puberty, Part One
Hello,
It’s time to introduce another valuable parenting skill for the purpose of equipping you to be the parent God intends you to be.
The topic: Puberty I can almost hear the groans coming through the computer on this one, but it doesn’t have to be that way. This week’s OPC takes you to the parenting video on this subject. After watching the video you should have a healthy attitude toward developing and keeping an open dialogue with your children on the subject of puberty. My door is always open for anything you may need…whether it be prayer or sharing questions and concerns.
https://vimeo.com/parentministry/review/148892226/540632c1b5
Partnering With You,
Preschool Pastor
Email 2
Copy/Paste the following email: Preparing For Puberty, Part Two
Parents,
There will come a time in your role as a parent for you to discuss the changes going on in your child’s body. That’s where our video this month comes in.
I hope you had a chance to watch our Online Parenting Class, Preparing for Puberty. If you were able to watch, I hope you received the encouragement you need to be honest and open with your children about puberty.
I’ll say it again: when talking to your child about puberty, it is important to approach the subject honestly, openly, and age-appropriately. They aren’t looking for a biology lesson, just give them what they need to know to answer their questions. The most important thing is to keep the lines of communication open on this topic.
With all of the outside influences on children these days, it’s important to be proactive and make sure that the information they receive is accurate. Honesty…openness…and the truth of God’s Word. These are the instructions you need to be giving your children.
Partnering with you,
Preschool Pastor
Video Script
You may be a long time away from talking to your child about puberty, so this video is one that you can store away for the future. But some of you have older children, and the time is coming soon where you’ll need to talk to your child about the changes they will face during puberty.
What age is the right age to talk about puberty with your child? Isn’t that the $64,000 question that you really wish you didn’t have to answer? Or maybe you’re a parent who has no problem talking about bodily functions with your child. Whichever type of parenting style you relate to best, there is one rule of thumb which will help guide you with this subject. It’s not necessarily about whether or not you are ready to have this conversation, but more importantly, it’s about whether or not your child’s ready to have this discussion and for a lot of parents your child’s going to be ready for this sooner than you are.
Basically, there are two questions that you can ask yourself to know whether or not now is the time to broach this wonderful and enlightening subject of puberty with your child. First one is, “Is my child ready for this discussion and because of outside influences or circumstances do I have to have this discussion?” We all know children mature at different ages. Your child may start their puberty at twelve years old when your friend’s ten year old has already begun. Because all kids are different, parents need to be tuned in to their child in order to accurately determine the beginning of this stage. The last thing you want is for your child to be in fear of the unknown because of lack of knowledge or misinformation. You are their best source of instruction. Who better than someone who’s been through it already and loves them? We as parents often feel inadequate when it comes to these matters, but please let me encourage you by telling you that your teenager is not looking for scientific data. They just need to know specifics from the person they trust the most, you.
I realize our children think they know all they need to know because their best friend told them all about it, and that is when you need to jump in with true knowledge and wisdom. That is one of those circumstances when the decision, it’s been taken out of your hands and this has become a have to situation. Just be honest and forthright. At this point, your child does not have to know every single thing there is about puberty. Find out what they know, correct the misinformation, and give them practical advice that they will need in the near future. Remember, it’s taken this many years for your child to hit the age of puberty. It doesn’t take just one conversation to give them all the information they will need for the rest of this stage of their life.
I like to think of this time as kind of like a road trip. Conversations will need to take place at different points along the way and the only way to know when that point arrives is by paying close attention to the signs. The important thing is, remember, you’re on this trip together.
TIP: Choose a hashtag for your tweets and use it consistently. That will tell Twitter to store a list of your tweets on one place for later reference.
Tweet One: How will you approach talking to your child about puberty? #pubertyisafactoflife #urchurchparentministry
Tweet Two: Let the puberty talks begin at home #pubertyisafactoflife #urchurchparentministry
Tweet Three: If you don’t tell your child about puberty, someone else will #pubertyisafactoflife #urchurchparentministry
Tweet Four: Talk to your kids about puberty before someone else does. #pubertyisafactoflife #urchurchparentministry
Tweet Five: Don’t let the internet teach your kids about puberty. #pubertyisafactoflife #urchurchparentministry
Tweet Six: The puberty talk is part of parenting responsibly. #pubertyisafactoflife #urchurchparentministry
Tweet Seven: Discussing puberty is the parent’s job—biology is the school’s. #pubertyisafactoflife #urchurchparentministry
Tweet Eight: Honesty, openness & God’s truth…keys to an open relationship with your child #pubertyisafactoflife#urchurchparentministry