As the father of a 9-year-old, let me try to put it gently: What in the absolute hell?! Somewhere along the way, our education and training as parents failed us. We knew having a baby would be hard due to a lack of sleep and all the crying. We know toddlers would leave us feeling touched out and exhausted from tantrums. We also know to brace ourselves for the emotional rollercoaster of puberty in the teen years. But…nobody told us about what happens at ages seven or eight.
A doctor on Instagram is raising eyebrows for teaching parents a hard truth: puberty starts much earlier than we’ve been told, and it’s these behind-the-scenes changes in body chemistry that explain a lot.
Inside Out is a masterclass in the emotions of young kids
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Dr.CarmenBriner,adoctorspecializinginhormones,puberty,andperiods,tooktoherInstagramReelstodropsomeknowledge.
“Wonderingwhyyour7or8-year-oldissuddenlysomoody?Well,pubertystartsbeforeyoumightthink,withthebrainsignalingthehypothalamusandpituitaryglandstostartsecretinghormones,whichhappensbeforeanyvisiblephysicalchangesofpubertystarttotakeplace,”shesays.
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