Preparing Your Kiddos for Puberty – We Can Help!

I’d like to invite you to take a trip down memory lane. If you consent to that invitation, you can RSVP yes by continuing to read the rest of this article!  

Think back to a time when you were growing up and you first started to notice changes to your body. Maybe you noticed new hair growing or your chest getting bigger. Maybe your skin started to change and maybe you started to get some pimples. Maybe your body started to have some discharge as you were sleeping or on your underwear.  

Now here is the kicker… think about how you felt during that time. Everyone’s body changes and develops at different rates. Did you feel like your parents fully prepared you for those changes? If they did, you have a good role model to follow. Awesome!  

Sometimes, though, people don’t feel prepared to talk to their kids because their parents never talked to them about puberty or anything related to sexuality. Maybe they learned certain messages from finding magazines under their parent’s bed. Maybe they heard stories on the school bus, in the locker room, or during gym class. And now, we have the internet which has some positive learning opportunities but also can contribute unhealthy or inaccurate messages around puberty and sexuality. It’s hard to know what to say and how to say it when you never had anyone role model having these conversations for you.  

We can help!  

Parents and caregivers can meet with us to coach them through having conversations with their children about puberty and other topics related to relationships and sexuality. We can talk over the phone, communicate by email, meet with them virtually or in person, or meet with them virtually. We can meet with them one-on-one or with a group of other folks who have similar concerns to support them.  

We invite you to Smith Elementary on Monday, November 17th 
Cortland Prevention Resources and the LGBTQ Center are providing an opportunity for parents and caregivers to meet and learn more about how educators teach about puberty in schools and hone their own skills to continue conversations with their children as their child develops into an adult. The session is scheduled on Monday, November 17th from 5:30 to 7:00pm at Smith Elementary School.  

Food and childcare will be provided for those who register in advance.  
The link to register online is https://forms.gle/KQ2k7ux1uP14pqmj7 or you can scan the QR code in the flyer included in this newsletter. If you have difficulty registering through the link or the QR Code you can email wramsay@familycs.org or call (607) 753-0234 Ext 1150. 

Please help us spread the word!  

If you know people who have children ages 8-15 years, let them know about this session and our willingness to meet with them outside of this session in a way that works for them. You can help share the flyer and our contact information for people who are interested. We are all a community, and we appreciate any help you can give us with getting the word out there!