Why Me? Why Now?
Spin, spin, spin. If you are a preteen or teen girl, we bet that's
what your head is doing right now!
You are probably whirling in a sea of mysterious body changes, relationship
blowups and confusing information. At school and with
friends, you hear chatter about periods, gossip about boyfriends and
whispers about sex.
And you are probably bursting with questions. What is all this hair in
weird places? Exactly how does sex happen, and why would anyone want
to do that? Do I use the nasty words I see on the bathroom wall to talk
about sex? What's this stuff in my underwear? What's up with my
friends? Why do we fight and then make up all the time now? How doyou tell the difference between a "boyfriend" and a friend who's a boy?
How about love and lust? And why don't my parents get it anymore?
Guess what? There's nothing wrong with having questions or wanting
to know more—especially when it comes to your body, sex and
relationships. All those crazy and confusing questions . . . they're normal!
And you probably are, too! (Do we hear a big sigh of relief?)
Girlhood Is a Gift!
You're a girl. And you are made in an amazing and wonderful way.
Because you are a girl, some things are going to happen to you: breasts,
hips, pimples, periods, crushes on guys, fights with girlfriends, parents
who don't get it. You have no choice; they will happen! You are turning
into a young woman, and your body and your brain are making these
changes because you are developing sexually. So doesn't it make sense
that this is the time in your life to learn about these things?
Some things are guaranteed to happen. But there are other girl things
you can make choices about—how you take care of your "new" body, how
you use your newfound sex appeal, when you will kiss a guy or how you
talk about sex to your parents. Even though there are a lot of things
happening to you that are out of your control, it's good to know that
there are a lot of other things that you can control.
Girlology is going to help you open up your girlhood like a gift. We'll
rip off the wrapping paper, explore the mysteries inside, learn facts about
"all things girl" and help you gain the confidence you need to decide
what kind of girl you want to be.
So, What Is Girlology?
Before we dive in, let's first tell you what Girlology is not:
• Girlology is not a sex talk like you get at school.
• It's not a science lesson.
• It's not like a lecture from your parents.
All those things can be good, but they are not Girlology. Girlology is
different.
Girlology was written by two female doctors who also happen to be
mothers of daughters; one of us is a pediatrician (a doctor for children
and teenagers up to about 18 years old) and the other is an obstetrician/
gynecologist (fancy words for a doctor who specializes in delivering babies
and taking care of girls' and women's body parts that are involved in
making babies). Both of us take care of lots of teens who are developing
sexually. That means every day we talk to girls thinking about sex . . . avoiding
sex . . . having sex . . . confused about sex . . . scared to death about consequences
of sex. . . . You name it, we've seen it and talked about it.
We think girls are smart, unique, brave and strong, and we want you
to have information that will let all that good stuff shine through!
As doctors, we see girls every day who have the same questions you
do. And we see lots of girls and even women who have gotten some really
wrong answers! No, your period will not stop when you go swimming.
Yes, you can get pregnant the first time you have sex. No, you are not
gay if you look at a naked girl in the locker room. Girlology is about giving
you the straight, true facts about your body.
We also treat patients who have made healthy decisions
about sex and relationships and others who aren't
so happy with the decisions they've made. We want
you to be happy with the decisions you make! Girlology
is about helping you figure out what's important to you so that you can
make decisions you will be pleased with for a long, long, long time.
Girlology is about helping you figure out a lot of things that matter—
your body, your relationships and sex. It may sound scary but it's not.
Girlology is about periods and body parts "down there." It will help you
decide how you feel about sex and sexual things. It will help you understand
guys and learn how to speak up for yourself. It will
help you talk to parents and other adults and gain their
trust. Girlology will also teach you how to understand
your friends' and family's values and decide what is
important to you. All in all, it's about gaining the confidence
you need to develop a special type of "Girl Power!"
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