Ask Sam letter

Thanks for your letter. I can hear that you’re really aware of your body at the moment and about how it’s changing and becoming an adult body. I often get letters from young people who are worried that their bodies aren’t changing quickly enough. I understand that it can be really tough when friends change at a different speed.

The people who are the first to go through puberty can often feel really different and embarrassed. The difficult thing about puberty is that it’s not something that we have any control over and it can feel really difficult to have to put up with our bodies not doing what we want them to.

You’ve told me that you are 11 years old. This means that your body will continue to change until you’re around 17. You’ve told me about the frustration you feel but what I don’t know is how this is affecting your life. If this is something you’d like to talk about, you can talk to a ChildLine counsellor.

You can also check out our message boards about puberty for boys, where you can see what other young people are going through.

In the meantime it sounds like you would like an explanation of puberty and some more information. You can take a look at our page about puberty for boys. I hope you find it helpful.

Take care and thanks again for writing to me.
Sam