OTHER ADOLESCENT CHANGES

In addition to these pivotal changes to bodies, young people will notice other physical changes, such as activation of oil and sweat glands that may result in acne and/or body odor. Boys and girls need to bathe more frequently, use deodorant, and cleanse their faces and hands more carefully.

Furthermore, adolescents face new feelings. The exciting and pleasant as well as distressing or confusing feelings that boys and girls experience during puberty are normal. They are caused by the same hormones that produce all the physical changes accompanying puberty. They are also caused by the fact that a boy's or girl's life is changing at the same time as his or her body. Change - new experiences, new responsibilities, new relationships - often causes us to feel anxious or uncomfortable.

FANTASIES

1.Fantasies are prominent in the adolescent's sexual development.

• Boys' fantasies are usually erotic, including scenes of nude women or involving sexual activities. These fantasies occur during daydreams and nocturnal wet dreams.
• Girls' fantasies usually concern romance rather than eroticism, and include daydreams about love stories, romantic moments, or being married. They may or may not include some sexual activities. These fantasies occur during daydreaming and at night and frequently accompany listening to music, watching a movie, or reading a novel.

2.While fantasies help prepare the adolescent for sexual activities, they tend to generate a mixture of pleasure and distress.

• Fantasies provide a means for attaining temporary satisfaction and wish fulfillment and for expressing forbidden wishes.
• The content of sexual fantasies can cause the adolescent painful worries and doubts regarding his or her normalcy.

The changes, physical and emotional, will end. Physical awkwardness caused by uneven growth or adolescent acne will generally end when the body is completely grown. At the same time, most of the emotional confusion and distress will diminish as the child becomes an adult, and grows accustomed to his or her new and mature self.

Adapted from In Between: A Family Life Education Curriculum