Puberty in Boys
Puberty begins for boys as early as the age of eight or as late as age thirteen; it usually takes a boy four to six years to pass through all five stages of pubertal development.
Stage One Internally, male hormones are beginning to flow. Outwardly, you may not notice any growth in height yet.
Stage Two Your son's body shape begins to change as new layers of muscle tissue and fat are formed. His physique starts to become that of a young man, rather than a child. Some boys may gain weight before they grow taller, which might cause them embarrassment. Let your son know that midline plumpness at this age is normal for lots of boys.
Another source of concern and embarrassment may be breast development. Let your son know that men have mammary tissue, too, and that about one-third of boys can expect some swelling under their nipples. This swelling will disappear spontaneously. Some boys worry that they're growing breasts or that they have breast cancer. The areolae of their breasts will also darken and increase in size.
Pubic hair first appears at this stage. A boy's testicles and scrotum begin to grow, and they grow to full size in about three years. His penis begins to grow later and takes several years to reach full adult size. Let your son know about the time difference so that he doesn't worry that his penis will never grow.
Stage Three The penis begins growing, more in length than in width, during this stage. His pubic hair becomes thicker and coarser. His testicles and scrotum continue to develop. Sometimes one testicle grows faster than the other. Assure your son that the difference in growth is normal. Because his testicles produce sperm and his prostate produces semen, your son may experience wet dreams (erotic dreams accompanied by ejaculation). Some boys may be frightened when they first awaken to feel the wet, sticky fluid in their bed, and most keep the news of their nocturnal emissions a secret. During this stage, too, your son will experience spontaneous erections more frequently, not all of them for sexual reasons. He may awake with an erection every morning, but they can also happen at other times, which may cause him embarrassment.
Some boys may begin to show a light sprinkling of facial hair on their upper lip. As his larynx enlarges, a boy's voice also begins to change. His muscle tissue increases, his shoulders broaden, and he becomes taller and stronger. He has his most significant growth in height during this period.
Stage Four During Stage Four, a boy's penis begins to broaden, and the testicles and scrotum may continue to grow. Underarm and facial hair increase, and a boy's skin may become oilier. His sweat glands will increase their production of sweat, and body odor may begin to increase.
Stage Five Your son's testicles and penis will have grown to their full size. For most boys, physical growth in height slows, then stops. Some boys develop more body hair, and many begin shaving off facial hair at this stage.
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