My son is stuck...
Some boys are late bloomers. They will, in some way or another be
concerned or be anxious that they aren’t developing at the same rate
as their peers. This is also normal because not everyone blooms at the
same rate or time. Assure your boy that he has to be patient and that
everyone is different. Your son might experience anxiety because he
might feel that he doesn’t fit in with the rest of his social group and he
may fear that social exclusion may be his ultimate fate. Encourage him
to go about as per usual and to enjoy spending time with his friends,
beard or no beard.
R & R – Research and
Respect
Ensure that you read up online or consult
with several resources about puberty and
how it affects boys in general. Do not
bombard your son out of the blue one day
and pepper him with all the information as
it will be overwhelming and embarrassing.
Ask your son if he has any questions from
his side that you might be able to answer in
order to aid him with the necessary tools to
effectively deal with his “situation”. Stay calm
and reserved when talking about sensitive
topics. Do not laugh or make jokes about it
or tease your son as this will make him feel
uncomfortable and perhaps unable to masterup the courage to ask you for help when he
really needs it. Your son will appreciate a
conversation that is to the point conversation
rather than one where you beat around
the bush. Keep to the pointand be firm but
gentle as the newly acquired information
still needs to be processed. Being factual
and to the point has more power to stick
especially when sexual activity and possible
sexually transmitted diseases are part of
the conversation. Educate your son in the
process.