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![Bottomless pit: One description of a teenage boy going through puberty.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170730224409im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/3/r/8/t/g/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.13sa6d.gjzq20.png/1444657597816.jpg)
How to tell when your son has hit puberty
The transition of your baby-faced angelic son into a teenager can be a challenging time, especially when you’ve never had to deal with the hormones that can descend upon your home like a cyclone.
![<i></i>](http://web.archive.org./web/20170730224409im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/3/r/t/n/i/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.13zqlm.gjzq20.png/1444658197333.jpg)
How to tell when your daughter is going through puberty
Are you worried about knowing how to tell when your sweet fairy-loving princess reaches puberty? Are you having trouble finding out because said ‘princess’ is locked up in her room?
![Why starting puberty early matters.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170730224409im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/4/0/s/a/c/image.related.landscape.120x80.givov3.gjzq20.png/1444655131111.jpg)
![ek-puberty-precocious-thumb](http://web.archive.org./web/20170730224409im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/2/p/6/r/4/image.related.landscape.120x80.2p6qx.gjzq20.png/1444091436001.jpg)
![Changes](http://web.archive.org./web/20170730224409im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/1/j/t/a/v/image.related.landscape.120x80.1jh89.gjzq20.png/1444628228286.jpg)
![Talking about how and why her body will change.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170730224409im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/3/7/g/l/y/image.related.landscape.120x80.37fnr.gjzq20.png/1444091436001.jpg)
Latest
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Why I decided to have the 'period talk' with my sons
When I was about nineteen I remember an older friend telling me about young her son picking up a tampon that fell from her handbag.
![<i></i>](http://web.archive.org./web/20170730224409im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/y/s/f/e/image.related.landscape.300x200.gwyscs.png/1498695375244.jpg)
Should I buy my daughter a full length mirror?
I'm concerned about the over-critical eye that girls can bring to their own visage.
![<a ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20170730224409im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/u/i/l/0/image.related.landscape.300x200.gwuihv.png/1497936324622.jpg)
The 6 questions this mum asks her daughters about their clothing
One mum is refusing to teach her six daughters to dress modestly, instead focusing teaching them body positivity and self respect.
![<i></i>](http://web.archive.org./web/20170730224409im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/r/k/y/0/image.related.landscape.300x200.gwrl2w.png/1497493107904.jpg)
Yes, I would buy condoms for my teenage son
Is it a mother's responsibility? Absolutely, says Kerri Sackville.
![The vogue for sexting is sad, narcissistic and depressing, but it is also, crucially, attention-seeking.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170730224409im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/o/k/y/s/image.related.landscape.300x200.gvokl0.png/1492666848984.jpg)
Sexting: A language our children must never learn
There's a big difference between "groovy, baby" and "NIFOC", which translates as "Nude in front of the computer".
![<i></i>](http://web.archive.org./web/20170730224409im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/x/n/o/4/image.related.landscape.300x200.guwq7k.png/1489479653655.jpg)
A parent's guide to the teen tribes of 2017
Our generation certainly isn't one homogenous mass, so our kids' generation isn't either. So who are these different types of teenagers?
![Good parenting isn't always about talking everything through, this mother found out.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170730224409im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/r/8/s/j/image.related.landscape.300x200.gunz1s.png/1489353171540.jpg)
When silence is the best way to show your support
Good parenting isn't always about talking everything through, this mother found out.
!["Don't have sex till you're 30," is what parents really want to say.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170730224409im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/p/w/1/w/image.related.landscape.300x200.gupnk4.png/1488505228777.jpg)
Struggling with your child's sex ed? Let me help you
Will our tears wash away the internet? No. So - onward, with this handy Modern Parents' Guide to Modern Sex Education.
![Movie time](http://web.archive.org./web/20170730224409im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/6/i/b/f/image.related.landscape.300x200.gu6e3m.png/1486355663220.jpg)
What I said when my daughter asked me how many sexual partners I've had
I recently sat down to watch Mamma Mia! with my 12 year old daughter. A perfect family movie for a Sunday afternoon, or so I thought. And, not to mention, a brilliant introduction for a young woman to start to appreciate the body of work of Meryl Streep.
![Her only crime is being on the precipice of puberty.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170730224409im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/5/0/y/9/image.related.landscape.300x200.gu2z5b.png/1486617354110.jpg)
Dear men, it's not OK to comment on a pre-teen girl's looks
She is 10 years old. How dare he sexualise my daughter, says Tracey Spicer.
![12-year-old Brooke's mum threw her a first "period party" - complete with cake.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170730224409im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/v/7/b/m/image.related.landscape.300x200.gtv5ax.png/1484874072780.png)
Mum throws a 'first period party' for her daughter - complete with guests and cake
Cast your mind back to the moment you got your first period. It's likely you'll remember an array of feelings - excitement, embarrassment, confusion.
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