So what, exactly, is puberty anyway?
Good question! Is it when hair starts growing everywhere? When your voice changes? When everything feels… really annoying? Pediatrician Dr. Alison Scott explains it this way: “puberty is the transition between childhood and adulthood, when your body is getting ready for reproduction. That’s why puberty takes years: it has to take that long to prepare for all the big things you might want to do later as a grown-up. But the actual physical sign that puberty has started isn’t hair everywhere or smelling different; it’s testicular enlargement for boys and breast development for girls.” So when you see those specific changes in your body, puberty has arrived!