When puberty started, how hard did it hit you?

[kinda deleted 224]

When I was like 11 or 12, I noticed hair, don't ask me where but I also noticed hair later on on my right circular object on the chest. Also my voice is kinda deepish not yet very deep. I also hate waking up in the middle of the night. I think it's part of itm

[Will Guide 21,360]

I've had meltdowns in middle-school

[Steve Piranha 29,424]

To be honest, I don’t remember 

[Dashy 4 Ever 4,835]

It hit me very hard. My self esteem fell really low because my face was full of acne while my other friends were clear.

[SharpWit 2,666]

It wasn't too bad on me. My parents were always telling me I should shave more if I wanted firmer facial hair to grow in when in reality they just wanted me clean shaven. Not that it mattered since almost everything you're told about shaving when young is a myth, and despite it appearing as though I just had extra long peach fuzz because I wasn't cutting it, turns out I really just have quite whispy hair in general.

Everything sort of happened gradually. Physical dimensions started from my feet and worked their way up. Men keep growing into their 20's so my upper body didn't begin to broaden out much until a few years ago. The part I found to be the worst was the growing pains. You hit a spurt and seem to grow an inch over night, but man can that make you sore, my back would just seize up in random places and I'd be forced to sit down and just wait for the pain to go away.

Acne wasn't too bad for me but I still had it in all of the worst places. The obligatory middle of the forehead, tucked behind a nostril, around the lips, I occasionally had a small grouping on a mole that made me think I might lose it because it just became this raw sore. The personally worst ones were on the chin because they'd itch. I knew one guy who was really unlucky. If you get them frequently enough they can leave little pock marked scars and his face would be best described has having been hit by a blast of birdshot.

For anyone new to puberty or feeling they're not handling it correctly,

Wash your face everyday, scrub really well with a damp cloth, and change out your pillow cases more often if you don't want to deal with acne as much. Stress, diet, and genetics are factors to consider as well. Look into what you're eating and have a talk with how it was for your parents so ou can get some basis of what you might be dealing with. Some creams and moisturizes may help, but that can be a trial and error method. Make sure you're getting enough sleep. You can be doing everything right with your life but you'll feel dead inside and look dead outside if you're not well rested. If you do start getting some growing pains, consider some light pain medication. I also tried to eat a banana every day and drink plenty of water because I had muscles pull on me in the middle of the night and that was a nightmare. This is also a good time in your life to potentially get in pretty good shape. You've got hormones rushing through your body and you're less likely to tire out than someone older than you. Establish active routines now and continue them into adulthood. If you don't dicipline yourself to keep going you'll lose your gains. Start feeling emotional and like life is overbearing? Seek out your school counselor. They exist for a reason. For shaving, an electric razor is best for longer hair, half inch or more. Don't use a chin shaver on longer hair or anywhere else on your body, otherwise it'll become entangled in the blades and the hair will rip out rather than be cut. You can get decently close shaves with the electrics if they're meant for it an have the right attachments, but nothing beats a handheld razor for a smooth finish. If a shower is part of your morning routine, use an electric before getting in the water, use a handheld afterwards. Try different creams and what not to see what you like. It's better to use more than less, trust me, razor burn is no fun. And for the love of god don't substitute showers with anything that comes out of a can!

[TBD 17,254]

I hardly don't remember, it just happen without me noticing the feel of it. 

Edited March 7, 2019 by TBD

[Lucky Bolt 35,063]

It wasn’t much of a problem for me. I mean, it was definitely there and I would notice the little things, but I never really got outrageous mood swings or anything, I was pretty mellow. I didn’t really get acne, in fact I never really have. On the rare occasion I did, it wasn’t bad and would clear up in about a day. 

The only thing that hit me hardest was, the uh, ahem, “monthly bill” that showed up when I was 14. But I never have had trouble with that either, I consider myself lucky...no pun intended.  

And as for, you know, certain kinds of “urges” if you know what I mean, I didn’t get those much if ever, I guess it’s cause I’m a girl so maybe girls don’t get them like that? I don'tknow. 

All in all though, puberty was never a problem for me thankfully. 

[The Recherche 29,968]

Very. VERY.

Black as the only colour in my wardrobe? Check.

God-awful music? Check.

Listening to the aforementioned music far too loudly? Check.

An amorphous mood? Check.

Nigh-constant voice breaks? Check.

Rubbish hairdos? Check.

Though I am not finished growing quite yet, I am grateful that my angsty teenage days are over. I am also counting my lucky stars that I am not deaf, but that is a different subject.

[Rebel the Wolfgirl 5,601]

Ye gods, puberty was absolute hell for me. Adding a pretty bitter divorce between my parents, getting plucked out of my normal and incredibly sheltered routine (keep in mind I wasn't diagnosed with Aspergers till 8th grade), and my initial relationship with my stepdad was pretty rocky to the mix didn't help either.

[Arc Flash 7,884]

Oh boy...set the time machine to way back...

Id say it was when I hit 13ish...and it hit hard..

Ready to fight all the time..check

Acne...bad..check

Voice cracks..check

Mind running a million miles a minute..check..

Waking up randomly at like 2am..check..

and all the other wonderful “things”....oh yeah..so much fun...NOT..

[Patty Thundersnow 4,164]

I was around 12 or 13 when it hit me. My voice didn't really change through, so i've got essentually the same voice, just slightly deeper.

[SparklingSquirrels 21,342]

I don’t remember too many big effects. Never had acne (thankfully) and my body grew very slowly. 

[kinda deleted 224]

Didn't mention above

Oh yeah it was pretty good. Well I'm still going through it right now and I hate dealing with size changes. I hope my voice will be deep soon. So I could be mistaken for an older person

[Here No Longer 5,276]

I don't think it ever really "hit me" so to speak. It seemed to just happen over a few years...

[Cash In 22,328]

I began puberty before I turned 12 and it hit me pretty hard. I went through all the normal stages  - voice deepening, facial hair, body hair, acne and growth spurts. Luckily, it happened so fast, I never really noticed until it was done.

[cuteycindyhoney 13,307]

I'm not going into details. I 'blossomed", and started getting monthly visits from Auntie Flo

.

I will admit to getting moody and cranky for a while.

 

[Dreambiscuit 9,794]

It wasn’t really a huge deal for me. I mean, obviously things went through some changes and I was just a tad more distracted than I was used to, but it wasn’t endless misery. I took the skin problems as they came and I didn’t obsess over them. I just put lots of makeup on until it passed. Mood swings, well, it seems I've always had those to some degree, so nothing new there.

[Narcissus 354]

I didn't notice it ruining my life or anything. I was always intense so changes in mood were just more of the same for me. Skin problems had ups and downs but I'm not that vain so I didn't care that much. 

[Meson Bolt 2,648]

I actually took puberty pretty well when I was 12. I started getting taller, my voice started getting deeper, and I started getting acne like everyone does. And yeah, I had some pretty odd emotions that I didn't know how to handle, and well...

Well, that actually backfired on me horribly. My parents told me to just shut them up and act normal, because having mood swings or odd feelings or thinking about girls is "sinful" or whatever. So I did. I acted very normal from 12 to 15, even though I didn't understand exactly what was going on.

All that bottling up finally let loose around ages 16 to17, where I went from a "very mellow and obedient child" to "incredibly toxic and hair-trigger mood swings". I don't remember a lot from those ages, just always being angry at everyone and ready to fight or lash out if I had the chance.

That sort of bottling up stunted my mental growth pretty badly, since I was essentially 2 or 3 years behind what I should've been. Like, even now, I'm almost 21. I'm at the age where I'm supposed to be figuring out how life works, right? And yet, here I am, still acting 18 or younger, because my transition into the real world was really rough.

Don't do this to your kids, people.

[Stone Cold Steve Jobs 22,440]

When it hit me I got all of it but the growing part. I celebrated once i grew to over 5 feet tall.

Most of what i got was acne and voice cracks. My face was basically just one giant pimple.

 I hope whoever is reading this is also eating.

[Twilight Luna 31,386]

On 3/7/2019 at 2:36 PM, The Recherche said:

Very. VERY.

Black as the only colour in my wardrobe? Check.

God-awful music? Check.

Listening to the aforementioned music far too loudly? Check.

An amorphous mood? Check.

Nigh-constant voice breaks? Check.

Rubbish hairdos? Check.

Though I am not finished growing quite yet, I am grateful that my angsty teenage days are over. I am also counting my lucky stars that I am not deaf, but that is a different subject.

Rarity got your wardrobe problems back on track, didn’t she? 

Edited March 12, 2019 by Twilight Luna

[Phosphor 11,529]

I'd say about average. My voice deepened, facial hair started growing, and I had some acne issues. I did become a bit more rebellious in my early teens and did my fair share of stupid stuff. Thankfully, I grew up quickly after 16. Having a job and some responsibilities helped.  

[The Recherche 29,968]

2 hours ago, Twilight Luna said:

Rarity got your wardrobe problems back on track, didn’t she? 

It is slowly but steadily improving, yes. At the very bare minimum, there is a bit of colour now.

[Treeglow Flicker 13,671]

It was a complete and utter psychological nightmare. That's when a majority of my gender identity related questions surfaced and I reached a point where I was like "Oh bugger."

[Lord Midnight Madness 1,543]

I’d say it hit me pretty good with all the zits and crap. I also didn’t like the voice chenges either but it wasn’t that bad.