A Girls Survival Guide

Growing up/Puberty

Growing up/puberty

Growing up

If you've ever said "I want to grow up" when you were younger, or have you ever said "I don't want to grow up" when you've finally gotten older. If you have then vote, vote, vote (be truthful ). The truth is that growing up is never easy, and growing up sometimes takes longer than you would like. It seems like everyone is telling us to "grow up" and we try, we really do but in the end, we're still our immature, crazy, childish selves. One thing is that sometimes it's good to be childish, but how do we grow up? First of all, accept. Accept that things are changing around you and you have to change with them. Where you used to lie down and watch tv, you now have to help your mum in the kitchen. Where you went out with your friends, you now have to look after your little brother/sister. Where you used to be daddy's girl, you're now 2nd place. All of this is hard. For anyone at that, but sometimes, accepting your situation helps you to deal with it better. Denying that you're growing up isn't going to help, instead, embrace it and anytime things get hard, and you feel that you can't do anything right, rewind, and see what went wrong. I do that every time I go wrong. I think back to what happened, and what I've learnt from that is that what happens in my life is mine to control. The stuff in other people's lives are not mine to control, but my life, is my Kingdom so if something goes wrong, I'm to blame and I'm to fix it. That of itself is responsibility on your part. So remember, accept, think back, learn and fix.

Puberty

Puberty can come at different times and in different circumstances. Knowing about it more can sometimes help to better know your body, and understand the changes it's going through.

To simply explain puberty to those who aren't so aware of it yet, puberty is a way by which the body shows that it is biologically ready for reproduction. Now don't get me wrong, just because the body is ready, it doesn't mean that you are or that you should. Puberty can be a simple experience for some and a bit less peaceful for others. For one, you get cramps, two, you can be unprepared and therefore maybe embarrassed in public and these are just some of the things we as girls go through. When a girl reaches that age, she begins to undergo certain changes such as growth of breasts, hair under the armpits and pubic hair (we also start developing hormones ;)).

Along with puberty, comes menstruation as well as boy problems (uh oh). Menstruation is simply the discharge of an unfertilised egg along with some blood and the lining of the uterus. This happens every month, and if you happen to see it two times in a month, then it's probably just normal. My sister went through that once but found out it was nothing much. But if you happen to experience your period more than once in a month, for alot of months, then talk to someone you're comfortable with and visit your doctor. When on your period, make sure to bring extra pads/tampons depending on what you're more comfortable with.

Also, keep a calendar or download an app that helps you keep track of the days your period occurs so that you can be prepared and keep an extra in your bag just in case. Make sure to change your pad/tampon if it's been soiled, every 2 to 3 hours to prevent infections. If you see a whitish-yellowish discharge that has a faint odour, then it's very likely that you will be starting your period soon, but if the discharge has a stronger odour, then it's possible that you have an infection.

If you're not too sure about whether you've begun your period or not (that is if it's your first time) or if you see your period late then you can ask your mother, sister, friend or anyone you feel comfortable with. It's important to clean up after yourself so that you don't develop a bad odour and it's not necessary to use a virginal spray because those too could be harmful if not used properly.

So this is the end of this article. I know that it was uploaded late, but there were some minor difficulties, namely LIFE. I also know that this doesn't contain everything possible to know about growing up/puberty but feel free to comment or PM me. We're all girls here so no need to feel ashamed, and if you want it private, then we can either put your name as anonymous or simply not upload it. We also have an advice column now wherein you can ask questions about different topics and we'll answer them there so if you have a question, I'll probably answer it there. Thanks for all the support. Stay safe and don't get pregnant ;)

@yalianne13 signing out!