My kids need help

[Johno1112]

My 13 yr old boy is worried about the size of his **bleep** and my 12 yr old girl doesn't think her breasts are big enough, what can i tell them?

[TOM-RO]

Hey @Johno1112 ,

I appreciate you posting about your concerns. What you mentioned sounds like it's leaving you feeling uncertain as to how to communicate with your kids involving the changes they experience as they enter and go through puberty.

I can't say I know exactly what to say, but the most important think is to keep the conversations going. Your kids seem open to talking to you about their concerns, which is a positive reflection of you feeling like a safe space for them. There are so many resources online, which I've identified a really helpful one here, and a link here to the relevant Parentsline number to speak with a professional, if you need.

It may be helpful to have a conversation with your kids around where they are getting these ideas from. If they're exposed to social media, they may be influenced and have their expectations around their body appearance be challenges in a negative way, with a need to have certain characteristics. There's nothing wrong with kids using social media, but it may be helpful to have a conversation about what is normal as they go through puberty. Do you have any supports, for example, family or friends who you can reach out to? Sometimes it can help reflect on what was your experience if you were asking those types of questions when you were younger? What helped with reassuring you as you went through that time in your life?

Let us know how you're going!