Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 2: Look for physical signs
• Method 2 of 2: Look for emotional signs
• Tips

Puberty can be one of the most confusing and exciting times in a boy's life. During puberty, a boy will notice that his body is developing and changing, making it more and more like a grown man's. At puberty, boys grow taller, develop body hair and odor, and develop reproductive organs and sexual feelings. Puberty brings many physical and emotional changes for any boy. Although puberty in boys usually starts between the ages of 9 and 14 and the changes follow their own pattern, each boy develops at their own pace. If you want to know if you've hit puberty, follow these steps.

To step

Method 1 of 2: Look for physical signs

1. See if you have more body odor. Your hormones affect your sweat glands, giving you a stronger or different odor. If your body odor has changed, it may be time to start wearing deodorant (if you haven't already). You may also need to shower more often to keep your body smelling and feeling clean.
2. Notice an enlargement of the testicles. If your testicles have grown, you have probably reached puberty. This is one of the first signs of puberty and is not always easy to spot. Your testicles grow from childhood to puberty, from puberty to adulthood.
3. See if your penis and scrotum have grown. About a year after your testicles have grown in size, your penis and scrotum will start to grow too. Your penis will enlarge in length and to a lesser extent in girth. Your testicles will continue to grow from childhood to adulthood.
4. Watch for body hair growth. Once your testicles have grown, you may notice hair growing in areas where you previously had very thin or (almost) no hair. This happens in places such as your armpits, pubic area, arms, legs, chest, face, hands, and feet. The hair will not just show up in new places. The hair in other areas will also become thicker and darker. In general, your facial hair and underarm hair will start to grow about two years after your pubic hair.
   • Every boy's body is different. Some boys develop thick body hair during puberty, while others will notice little or no difference.
   • The hair under your armpits and in the pubic area can even get darker than the rest of the hair on your body. It can also become stiffer and curly.
5. Look for swelling in your chest. Some boys develop swelling in their chest for 1-2 years. This is completely natural and does not mean that you are developing breasts. It simply means that your body is getting used to its new shape. This usually happens when you are 13-14, but it doesn't happen to everyone.
6. Check for mild to moderate acne. Acne can be unpleasant, but it is a completely natural part of puberty. The high levels of hormones in your body can cause acne on parts of the body where you have never seen blemishes before. This is partly due to the fact that your sebaceous glands become more active during puberty: you will sweat more and your skin will be more prone to acne. In most boys, the development of acne occurs roughly at the same time as the appearance of armpit hair.
   • Since your skin will feel oily, you may find that you need to shower more often to look and feel clean, fresh.
   • Some boys develop severe acne during puberty. If you are concerned about this, you and your parents can see a doctor. In some cases, acne medications are prescribed.
7. Check if you have erections more often. A boy or man has an erection when his penis gets harder and bigger. This can happen when a boy has romantic or sexual thoughts, or when his penis is stimulated. An erection can also occur without these thoughts or stimulation. When you are in public this can be quite uncomfortable at times.
   • Although you can also have erections before puberty, you will find that you get erections more and more during puberty. This is because your sexual feelings develop your hormones.
   • Most erections are not quite straight - most erections curl slightly up, or to one side.
8. See if you have wet dreams. In a wet dream, a boy is sexually aroused during sleep and ejaculates semen. Semen is the sticky liquid that contains sperm cells. Sometimes when you have a wet dream you can remember the sexual dream; often you just wake up with a wet spot on your pajamas, underwear, or sheets when you wake up.
   • Wash your penis and dirty laundry if you have had a wet dream.
   • Don't worry if you've never had a wet dream but are experiencing other signs of puberty - not everyone gets wet dreams.
9. Notice if you have had a growth spurt. Every boy grows at a different time and at a different pace. Perhaps you are suddenly a head taller than the rest of your friends, or your friends are standing head and shoulders above you. Don't worry: your friends will soon be following you, or vice versa. With some it takes a bit longer than with others. Here are some things to consider when charting a growth spurt:
   • In general, boys go through their growth spurt a little later than girls. You may just go back to school after a long summer and find out that all the girls are suddenly taller than you. That is completely normal.
   • See if your fingers grow. Also see if your feet are getting bigger. For example, if you buy shoes in a certain size and you don't fit them three months later, you are probably going through a growth spurt.
   • Most boys reach the peak of their growth spurt about six months after they start developing pubic hair. You will find yourself getting taller - sometimes a lot.
   • Your shoulders may also broaden to suit your new build.
     
     
   • If you've already gone through your growth spurt but would still like to be a little longer, don't worry. Most boys reach adult height in their late teens or early twenties. So you still have time to grow.
10. Check the shape of your face. Before puberty, your face may be a bit rounder, with a bit of apple cheeks. During puberty, your face will become more oval, with more pronounced features. In short, more mature. Because you keep seeing your face, it can be difficult to perceive a change. Look at a picture of yourself from a year ago, or even from a few months ago, and see if you notice a difference.
11. See if your voice skips. You may have found that your voice is skipping more often recently. This sounds like a nervous, crackling sound that can interrupt you in the middle of a sentence. This can be a bit uncomfortable in public, but fear not - most guys get the "beard in the throat" at some point, it's just a sign of your transformation into a man. Your vote will stop skipping in a few months. After this, your voice will be lower and deeper.
    • Your voice changes because the amount of testosterone, the male hormone, in your body increases. This makes your vocal cords thicker and louder, allowing them to produce a deeper sound.
    • This change in hormones can also cause your larynx to enlarge. You can see this change in a protrusion of the cartilage in your neck; the Adam's apple.
    • You may also have more trouble controlling your voice. The sound of your voice goes up and down, instead of sounding fine and even.
    • Your voice usually starts to skip when your penis starts to grow.

Method 2 of 2: Look for emotional signs

1. See if you are more attracted to other people. If you didn't seem to have much of an interest in girls before, but are suddenly intrigued or even fascinated by them, then this could indicate a massive emotional change from puberty. If you find yourself more attracted to or even aroused by girls you previously ignored, it indicates that your body is developing.
   • Every boy is different. If you already fell in love with girls before you were pubescent, then that is of course no objection. Or if you don't show too much interest in the opposite sex in the throes of puberty, don't worry. It will come naturally.
   • If you are gay, your feelings of attraction and arousal will of course be directed towards other guys or men.
2. Check if you are experiencing mood swings. Were you fairly balanced before, or did people describe you as "chill" before? Throw these ideas out when you hit puberty. The screeching hormones in your body can make it difficult to control emotions. In the blink of an eye, your mood can change from intensely happy, to apathetic, to extremely evil.
   • If you are over the moon out of nowhere, then you can experience a positive mood shift.
     
     
   • If you felt good at first but suddenly choke everyone or feel intense anger, then you experience a negative mood shift.
     
     
3. See if you experience things more intensely. Before, you may have thought everything was "fine", "okay", or, at most, "pretty cool." But now every event, like eating a pizza or hanging out with your friends, feels like the best thing that ever happened to you. On the other hand, any less enjoyable event, no matter how small, makes you feel extremely upset or "totally depressed".
   • This also testifies to the fact that your body is adapting to the new hormone level.
4. See if you're more concerned. Think of that unpleasant feeling in your stomach, chest, or hands. That bad feeling comes into play when you are nervous or worried about something. You may be worried right now about things that didn't really matter before. This could be your performance in your last soccer game, how you did your math test, or what the girls in your class will think of your new haircut.
   • This feeling can make you feel uncomfortable, but it's a sign that you actually care. Everything can take on a new, more intense meaning when you are in puberty.
5. Notice if you withdraw more from your parents. You keep withdrawing yourself from your parents more and more, even though you used to love hanging out with your parents all weekend or going out to dinner with them. During puberty, you want to take more control over your life and actions. This is because you can exercise less control over your own body. It's only natural to want to spend less time with your parents, as they are probably the most dominant force in your life. Here are some signs that you are withdrawing from your parents:
   • If you used to always leave the room door open and let your parents come in without a murmur, but now have the urge to always close or even lock the door.
   • If you place a greater importance on your privacy, when you previously didn't care if your parents were around.
   • If you spend more time with friends, or are more and more out of the house.
   • If you talk to your friends online more than you talk to your parents in person.
   • If you feel like you have less and less to tell your parents; if you don't feel like telling them about your day; and if you don't feel like dining too long.
6. See if you are experiencing unfamiliar emotions. This one is a bit more vague, but it is an important step in finding out if you are experiencing the emotional changes that puberty brings. What feeling is unknown differs from person to person. You may feel a bit more concerned than before, or feel a bit more frivolous than before, or experience more complex feelings about your friends, parents, or people of the opposite sex.
7. Notice if you care more about your appearance. If you didn't care so much about what you looked like before, but now keep thinking about your hair, clothes, and the like, it indicates that you are becoming more self-aware. You become more aware of how you are perceived by the opposite sex. This is completely natural and reflects an evolving mind.

Tips

• You will suddenly become very aware of your own body, that is completely normal!
• Maybe you've always had erections, that doesn't mean anything is wrong.
• You will develop facial hair and may choose to shave.
• You like privacy, and you probably care more about your appearance than before.