Q: How do you account for the popularity of this series?
A: This is a book about the body and treating it right and respecting it, and about body development. It doesn't feel the need to go ahead into more mature topics like sex and sexuality. It really stays focused. That allows docs to say to parents of younger girls, 8 and 9, "Here's a great book for your child that gives lots of great information but not too much information." And girls read it.
Q: Where does Book 2 pick up from the updated original?
A: It goes deeper and explains a little bit of anatomy, a little bit of biology. It also covers a lot of new territory, in terms of brain development and moods, social interaction and things intimately connected to puberty.
Q: How significant was research on early puberty?
A: The onset of puberty -- the appearance of secondary sex characteristics, such as the development of breasts, body hair, body odor -- is starting earlier. But the average age of first period is still around 123/4, although some girls start earlier.
Q: Do you have a favorite section in the new book?
A: One is called "Moody You." I've asked (fourth- to sixth-grade girls) if they have ever felt like they were crying for no real reason or laughing hysterically for no real reason, or their emotional response is totally exaggerated, and 100% raise their hand. And then I've asked, "How many of you like how that feels?" And none raise their hand because they feel a little out of control. This section helps explain how all the same hormones that are causing secondary sex characteristics to develop on your body are also affecting the way your brain responds, and that's normal. And there are things you can do about it to feel a little more in control.
Q: What advice do you give them to manage those moods?
A: In a moment of calm, talk to your mom or other trusted adult and explain: "When I start to feel this way, I need to take a time out, just like toddlers take a time out. I need to take a break from the situation because I don't want to feel out of control." During those timeouts, you might go outside and run a few laps or furiously jump-rope for 60 seconds. Kids who are musicians might pound on a piano or strum a guitar for a while. Other girls just might want to pick up a pillow, put it over her face and scream, like in that "primal scream" sort of thing. Do whatever you need to do to moderate the situation, and then you can go back and have a level emotional experience. Kids love those strategies because it validates their feelings and it gives them a way to get the crazies out without getting into this whole slippery slope with your family.
Q: From ages 8 to 12, issues of self-esteem and self-image surface. What's your advice to help girls maneuver this terrain?
A: Like everything else, self-esteem has to be in moderation. There is such a thing as too much, where people feel so high and mighty that everything rolls off you. But much more often the problem is too little. Kids can make foolish choices if they have low self-esteem. Everyone assumes that means sex and drugs, but those choices cut across every category. There's a section in the book about permanent changes and temporary changes. Kids can make foolish permanent changes, like getting a tattoo. There's a time and place to make decisions about your body, and adolescence is not a great time to make a permanent change.
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