How to Support Your Daughter Going Through Puberty

Brace yourself if your little girl is entering adolescence, because it’s not going to be a walk in the park.

With the proper preparation, however, things could turn out a lot better and easier, rather than if you have no idea what is coming for you.

Probably one of the hardest parts that parents have to go through, is helping their kids go through puberty and doing it properly. Part of the reason for that is that the period is quite difficult for the child itself, but it could also be quite emotionally damaging for the parent.

The good news is, you don’t have to go through this alone, because you have our support.

What to Expect While Your Girl is Going Through Puberty

Something you need to be aware of even before your child starts entering puberty, is that through adolescence, they will start no longer being your little girl. This is the period in which they distance themselves from their parents and develop their identity.

Accepting that you will not be the most important figure for your child in that period could be really hard, but have in mind that once they’ve become grown-ups, they will start again showing their appreciation for you a lot more.

After we’ve prepared you for the hardest part, here is how you need to prepare your child for adolescence.

The preparation

All the things that happen during puberty could produce a lot of anxiety in the child. That is why it is really important to know how to talk to them about these things, such as periods and growth.

The way you talk to them could make them feel more confident about it, but could also make them feel ashamed and grossed out. That is why it is quite important to give them enough level of privacy too.

One of the greatest mistakes a parent can make while their child it going through puberty, is to not give them privacy. That could be quite traumatic and have a long-lasting effect.

That is also the time to teach them how to take care of themselves and their bodies. There will be a lot of change happening to all their body, so it’s important to help them adjust to these changes, so that their feel more comfortable and better about themselves.

How to Provide Support for Your Daughter Through Puberty

Helping your daughter go through the emotional challenges of puberty could be quite challenging itself, but you should be the person that is always there for her. In that period, she is developing her identity and forming relationships, which teaches her a lot, but could be also damaging.

Usually there is a lot of conflict between classmates, and even between friends, which could put a lot of pressure on her. Make sure you let her know that you are someone she could always speak to openly when she has a problem.

Never make her feel like you are going to scorn her or make her feel ashamed if she shares with you.

Building trust is necessary not only for her emotional development. It is also extremely important also because that way it is more likely that she will share if things are starting to get dangerous, for example if she’s being peer pressured into smoking or taking drugs.

Always try to put yourself in your daughter’s shoes. If there is any problematic behavior, always try to think what is causing it and try to treat the root cause itself.

What About Discipline

As your daughter is going through puberty, you will discover that it is not really possible to discipline a teenager the same way you discipline a child.

The girl won’t commit to you trying to assert control over her, which is normal for that period of her growth. It is best if you accept that in the beginning and try some methods that actually work, and the results are much better than those from punishments for example.

Discipline in adolescence is important, because it’s how the child learns how to make decisions that are good for them, so try to look at it that way. That will not happen if you are trying to enforce discipline in the same way as you did when your daughter was a child.

In order to avoid your adolescent child opposing you by all means, try to show to them that you are someone that will collaborate with them. Create options for them and allow them to make a choice, rather than enforcing rules to them, because that would only provoke them to rebel, thus expressing the independence they are striving to achieve as teenagers.

That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t enforce any boundaries on your daughter, but you should be very careful about the way you are doing it.