Q1.
Have you also experienced some of these changes?
Answer
Most students of Grades 6, 7 and 8 will answer yes to at least a few of them — a sudden gain in height, a change in the voice, pimples on the face, or new hair growth.
If you have noticed such changes, it simply means that you are gradually reaching the stage called adolescence. This stage starts around 10 years of age and can continue up to the age of 19. It is the stage of development between childhood and adulthood, during which the body prepares for adulthood.
Why you may answer 'not yet': that is equally normal. Each person experiences adolescence at his or her own pace, and its duration also varies from one person to another. Some classmates start at 10, some at 13. Nobody is 'late' or 'ahead'.
Did you know? Until around 10–12 years of age, most changes in the body are only about height and weight. The other noticeable changes begin after that — and they mark the onset of adolescence.