Since 2013, hundreds of pre-teen girls and their parents have learned together about the physical, social, and emotional changes that happen in puberty. I have been giving talks on puberty at schools, troops and private groups and this talk has become one of my favorite things that I get to do.

It all started with my friend Kim who came back from a school year in San Francisco and told me about a mother-daughter class that she took there. Once she started telling me about what they talked about I thought to myself, this is what I am talking about 1:1 with middle school girls in my sessions every week! 

In my sessions it felt like such private conversations, often filled with questions about their periods, arguments with parents, feeling moody, crying for no reason and friendships issues. 

This class sparked an idea for me to formally create a class that  would be based upon what the girls are talking to me about. I would add in the social and emotional issues that are going on for girls and keep up with the latest issues going on.

The class has been a big success and I have collected years of feedback and questions and now I am ready to share this class with even more girls and their parents.

So...sit down, grab a drink, some snacks and get comfy. We are going to explore the changes all girls go through. Girls, you'll learn the facts about what will change in your life, how to best take care of yourself, and how to manage the sometimes difficult changes that come along with puberty. Parents, you will learn signs and symptoms to look for, conversation starters and communication skills that are aimed to help improve your relationship with your daughter during this often challenging time.

I want to create a community of supporting parents here. Please take a moment and introduce yourself, and if you wish, your daughter in the comments below. Leave me questions, comments and feedback.

I can't wait to hear from you!

We will begin our journey with the physical changes your body will go through. 

For some, this is an exciting time, for others it can be very stressful and even a little scary.

In these lessons, I will guide you through what your body will go through, when you might see changes happening, why these changes happen, and how you can make this a time of celebration without fear or worry.

In this module, I will take you through the most common emotional changes that happen in puberty. We will take about mood swings, crying, screaming, anxiety and mental health. 

My hope is that after you watch this video parents will better understand what is going on with their daughters moods and feelings and how to respond to it. I also hope that girls will better understand their own feelings more and practice some skills around regulating their feelings.

In this last major module we will discuss all things friendships. I explain why your moods affect your interests and how to deal with changing friendships. I find that this is the area that a lot of girls really struggle with so I do my best to present this in a way that is helpful to both parent and child.

We also talk about things like social media, self esteem and bullying. I walk you through peer pressure and how to say no when you need to. There is a lot of good information here that I hope will be helpful in navigating the major social changes that are typical during this time.

In the live version of this class this is my favorite part! This is where the girls and the parents ask me anonymous questions about what I just taught them. 

For this bonus module, I randomly selected cards with their questions on them and answered them. In the future, I want to hear from you! Please comment here or go to the private Facebook page and ask questions, I will be sure to respond.