Puberty (say: pyoo-ber-tee) is the name for the time when the body begins to develop and change as one moves from kid to adult. We're talking about stuff like girls developing breasts and boys starting to look more like men. During puberty, body will grow faster than at any other time in the life, except for the baby stage.

It helps to know about the changes that puberty causes before they happen. That way, you know what to expect. It's also important to remember that everybody goes through these changes. No matter where one lives, whether one is a boy or a girl, everybody will experience them. No two people are exactly alike, but one thing everyone has in common is that we all go through puberty.

Time to Change

Usually, puberty starts between ages 8 and 13 in girls and ages 10 and 15 in boys. This wide range in ages may help explain why some still look like young kids whereas others look more like adults.

Body Taking Shape

As the body grows taller, it will change in other ways, too. They will gain weight, and as the body becomes heavier, you'll start to notice changes in its overall shape.

In boys

Guys' shoulders will grow wider, and their bodies will become more muscular. Their voices will become deeper. For some guys, the breasts may grow a bit, but for most of them this growth goes away by the end of puberty.

Guys will notice other changes, too, like the lengthening and widening of the penis and the enlargement of the testes. All of these changes mean that their bodies are developing as expected during puberty.

In Girls

Girls' bodies usually become curvier. They gain weight on their hips, and their breasts develop, starting with just a little swelling under the nipple. Sometimes one breast might develop more quickly than the other, but most of the time they soon even out. With all this growing and developing going on, girls will notice an increase in body fat and occasional soreness under the nipples as the breasts start to enlarge — and that's normal.

Gaining some weight is part of developing into a woman, and it's unhealthy for girls to go on a diet to try to stop this normal weight gain. If you ever have questions or concerns about your weight, talk it over with your doctor.

Hair, Hair, Everywhere

Well, maybe not everywhere. But one of the first signs of puberty is hair growing where it didn't grow before. Guys and girls both begin to grow hair under their arms and in their pubic areas (on and around the genitals). It starts out looking light and sparse. Then as you go through puberty, it becomes longer, thicker, heavier, and darker. Eventually, guys also start to grow hair on their faces.

About Face

Another thing that comes with puberty is acne, or pimples. Acne is triggered by puberty hormones. Pimples usually start around the beginning of puberty and can stick around during adolescence (the teen years). You may notice pimples on face, on upper back, or on upper chest. It helps to keep the skin clean, and your doctor will be able to offer some suggestions for clearing up acne. The good news about acne is that it usually gets better or disappears by the end of adolescence.

Putting the P.U. in Puberty

A lot of teens notice that they have a new smell under their arms and elsewhere on their bodies when they enter puberty, and it's not a pretty one. That smell is body odor, and everyone gets it. As they enter puberty, the puberty hormones affect glands in skin, and the glands secrete chemicals that smell bad. These chemicals put the scent in adolescent!

So what can be done to feel less stinky? Well, keeping clean is a good way to lessen the smell. You might want to take a shower every day, either in the morning before school, or the night before. Using deodorant (or deodorant with antiperspirant) every day can help keep body odor in check, too.

Some more

Guys and girls will also notice other body changes as they enter puberty, and they're all normal changes. Girls might see and feel a white, mucous-like discharge from the vagina. This doesn't mean anything is wrong — it is just another sign of your changing body and hormones.

Guys will begin to get erections (this is when the penis fills with blood and becomes hard) sometimes. Erections happen when guys fantasize and think about sexual things or sometimes for no reason at all. They may experience something called nocturnal emissions (or wet dreams). This is when the penis becomes erect while a guy is sleeping, and he ejaculates. When a guy ejaculates, semen comes out of the penis — semen is a fluid that contains sperm. That's why they're called wet dreams — they happen when they are sleeping and underwear or the bed might be a little wet when they wake up. Wet dreams become less frequent as guys progress through puberty, and they eventually stop. Guys will also notice that their voices may "crack" and eventually get deeper.

Strange kind of feeling

Just as those hormones create changes in the way your body looks on the outside, they also create changes on the inside. While the body is adjusting to all the new hormones, so is mind. During puberty, one might feel confused or have strong emotions that have never experienced before. One may feel anxious about how their changing body looks.

One might feel overly sensitive or become easily upset. Some teens lose their tempers more than usual and get angry at their friends or families.

They might have new, confusing feelings about sex — and lot of questions. The adult hormones estrogen and testosterone are signals that body is giving new responsibilities, like the ability to create a child. That's why it's important to get all their questions answered.

It's easy to feel embarrassed or anxious when talking about sex, but you need to be sure they have all the right information. You should talk to them about sex and get all their questions answered. But if you feel you can’t talk to them about sex, there are many other people who can talk to them like your doctor, a school nurse, a teacher, a school counselor, or another adult they feel comfortable talking with.

Developing Differently

People are all a little different from one another, so it makes sense that they don't all develop in the same way. No two people are at exactly the same stage as they go through puberty, and everyone changes at his or her own pace. Some of children may be getting curves, whereas yours don't have any yet. But eventually everyone catches up, and the differences between them and their friends will even out. It's also good to keep in mind that there is no right or wrong way to look. That's what makes us human — we all have qualities that make us unique, on the inside and the outside.