Pretty harmless looking molecules, aren’t they?
HA!
Ask any mother of a pre-teen or teenaged daughter, and she will tell you they are to be feared and respected. But pretty much mostly feared.
You see, those two colourful and relatively innocuous-looking molecules are, in fact, ESTROGEN and PROGESTERONE. (You may wish to run – run fast – right now!) Because if you thought these two little hormones threw you for a loop every 28 days or so, that ain’t nothin’ compared to the havoc they wreak in the bloodstreams of 11 year-old girls. NOTHING. Maybe it’s because these hormones are so new to the pre-pubescent female, and by extension they’ve had no chance to grow accustomed to their effects, or maybe it’s just that their surges are so much stronger, but, well, to quote Diary of a Wimpy Kid, “zoo-wee mama!”
Now, there are many wonderful things that come with your daughter growing up and beginning her journey towards becoming a young woman, but let’s get one thing straight: hormone swings are not one of those things. You may marvel at her long-legged beauty, smile at her fledgling independence, and be impressed by her newfound worldliness and opinions, but you will not go misty-eyed when she begins to feel and demonstrate the effects of her new, surging hormones. She may explode in rage, scream, stomp, storm off, slam doors or hang up the phone mid-conversation; or, if you’re very, very lucky: she may do all of the above! And it’s worth noting that the provocation for these behaviours will range from absolutely nothing to infinitesimally minor irritations. Yes, folks, hormones will have your daughter flying into a rage or collapsing in a heap of tears at the drop of a hat. Now ain’t that just a bag full of fun?
Way back in the day, I remember a friend of mine enviously saying, “you’re so lucky you have two girls…look at how wild my boys are!” And she was right. Her boys were running wild all over her house, tackling each other, breaking toys, screaming and just generally acting insane. But a thunderbolt if wisdom hit me in that moment and I replied, “well, I know it seems that way now, but let’s check back in with each other in 10 years!”
Now? She’s got two nice young fellas keeping busy in soccer and hockey, whose only real manifestation of puberty is cute little voice cracks every now and then. And I? I have an unpredictable ball of hormones.
Someone out there who has been through this…please tell me it is a short-lived stage.
Please?
Anyone???
Our hormonal daughter was crying at supper the other day – for no reason she could explain- my husband turned to me and said ” How long will this go on for? I cannot handle years of this.” I just laughed and said, “get ready for the exciting ride of mood swings, it is just beginning.”
I wish there was some way I could make it easier for her- the wild mood swings are not easy for anyone.
Like I have been telling myself for the last 19.5 years – it is a phase, and he/she’ll get over it. I found my older daughter’s pre and early teen years to be easy compared to her pre-school years, so it is not always awful. And we have come through it pretty successfully as my beautiful, independent, almost 18 year old daughter moves to Vancouver on Saturday (sniff!) to go to university. My second daughter is 11 but so far we have had smooth sailing. While I expect a few rough spots, experience has shown that we can get through it and still like each other.
Ha, ha this couldn’t have come at a better time as I was just dealing with one of my daughters unpredictable mood swings of rage, I hate you, to crying – all in a matter of 30 minutes! Yes this craziness hit when she was about 11 and I hate to say it but she is 13 and it hasn’t left – yet. I am seriously hoping that it will subside soon but i am not holding my breath. I just think that as girls get older they learn how to deal with it a bit better – well this is what i keep tellling myself. I have another girl who just 8 and I am not looking forward to her in a few years. Thank goodness I have 6 other boys to balance it out!
I fear those days more than any others. My daughter is 9 now and already, shall we say, not entirely even-keeled. I am truly fearful of what hormones will do to her. My husband has already threatened to move out and take our son with him.
At our mom’s group first bday party, all the moms of the girls sat there drinking their wine in peace while us mom’s of boys ran all over the place after our hellions. I looked over and said ‘enjoy that wine ladies…I’ll be drinking mine in 12 years from now when your life turns into hell’….
I couldn’t handle a teenage girl…I still act like a teenage girl.
GOOD LUCK!
i will be awaiting any and all comments posted here as well. i, too, have had the “you’re so lucky you have girls” comment…yup…i am _now_