Merciful 1/Merciful - Disc 1.iso/software/b/birds_&_bees/bird&bee's.dms/bird&bee's.adf/develop2.fem

Text File | 1986-06-21 | 11KB | 333 lines

    1You may remember that everybody
grows at different rates.] Girls often
grow faster than boys, but the boys
catch up later on. Some people are
"early bloomers" and some are "late
bloomers." You will grow when your body
receives the message from the genes
that it is time to grow. There is
nothing you can do to change your own
body's plan.
    Sometimes you may wish you would
grow faster, or slower, or maybe even
not at all. But your body knows the
best way for you to grow up, even
though 2you will sometimes feel funny
about the changes which happen. It is
OK to feel funny.] Just remember that
everyone feels this way when they are
going through puberty. The next two
lessons will talk about your genes and
their influence on how you develop.
Following that will be two lessons des-
cribing more of the changes you will
experience as you start to mature.

*
2Does everyone develop at the same
rate?
$
1Can puberty be a tough time?
$
@
    This lesson is about your genes and
how they carry the plans or blueprint
for your own unique development. You
may have learned that every single
snowflake is different. Well, every
single person is different, too. The
reason for this is our genes.
    You remember that a baby is started
when a sperm and an egg get together.
Every sperm carries information from
the father, and every egg carries in-
formation from the mother. When the
sperm and egg combine to make a new
life, they also join information from
the mother and the father. 1This is why
you may look like or take after your
mother in some ways, and your father in
other ways.]
    The information we are talking
about is everything from hair color, to
how tall you will be, to what kind of
voice you will have. It is organized in
very, very tiny parts called genes.
Since you are such a wonderful and
complex human being, 2it takes millions
of genes to carry your own special plan
(blueprint).]
    3The genes are organized in a
special way for the body to understand
them. They are divided up into twenty-
three pairs of chromosomes.] It is
helpful to think of a pine tree with
branches on each side. Along each one
of the branches are many different
genes, telling the body what to do.
Every cell in your body carries your
blueprint in the form of these
chromosomes --with one very important
exception.
    Remember that each sperm and each
egg carry genes from the parents. Not
only are the genes in every sperm and
every egg different, but each sperm and
each egg carry only one of each pair of
the forty-six chromosomes. That is,
instead of carrying pairs of chromo-
somes like every other cell in your
body, the sperm and egg each carry
twenty-three chromosomes. Then, when
the sperm and egg meet, they join their
single chromosomes to make pairs of
chromosomes. This makes a new and
unique person!
    It is important to remember that
every sperm and every egg carry dif-
ferent combinations of genes. This is
why children who have the same parents
can be so different from each other.
But since the genes have come from the
same parents, brothers and sisters also
have many similarities.

*
2Is it normal for boys to take after
their fathers, and girls to take after
their mothers?
$
2Is how one develops totally determined
by a few genes?
$
1Do males and females of all ages have
23 pairs of chromosomes?
$
@
    You may be wondering how the genes
decided to make you a boy or a girl.
This important set of instructions is
decided by the genes which come from
the father. There is a special chromo-
some which determines sex. If it is a
female chromosome, we call it the "X"
chromosome. If it is a male chrom-
osome, we call it the "Y" chromosome.
    1All eggs in a mother have female
(X) chromosomes.] But the sperm in the
father can either have a female or a
male chromosome. When a sperm joins an
egg, and the sperm has a female chromo-
some, the resulting embryo will be
"XX," or female. If the sperm has a
male chromosome, the resulting embryo
will be "XY," or male. This is how you
became a boy or a girl.
    You may remember that most of the
time, women produce one egg per month.
If that egg is fertilized by a sperm,
it starts a baby. If it does not join a
sperm, which is what usually happens,
it is cleaned away with the menstrual
flow. Now also remember that men are
always making sperm, and that in every
ejaculation there are millions of
sperm. Only one sperm is needed to join
with an egg to start a baby.
    2Sometimes, a woman may make more
than one egg per month.] When this
happens, it is possible for two differ-
ent eggs to be fertilized at the same
time. But since the eggs are different
and the sperm are different, the two
babies will also be different. One
could be a boy and one could be a girl.
Maybe they will both be boys but will
look different. Since they have two
completely different sets of instruc-
tions (genes), anything could happen.
These are called fraternal or non-
identical twins. 3Fraternal twins
aren't any more likely to look like
each other than any other brother or
sister because they have their own set
of genes.]
    Identical twins, however, are a
different story. In this case, only one
egg and one sperm join to start a baby.
But soon after they join (fertiliza-
tion), the newly formed embryo splits,
making two embryos which have the very
same genes. This is why identical twins
look exactly alike: they have the same
blueprint. But it is important to re-
member that identical twins are two
people, who have different experiences.
Just because they have the same ins-
tructions for their bodies does not
mean that they will live the exact same
lives. 4They are two individuals who
just happen to have the same genes.]

*
2Can females have a "Y" chromosome?
$
1Can women produce more than one egg
each month?
$
1Must a set of boy-girl twins be
fraternal?
$
1Even though twins may look alike, are
they two different people who deserve
to be treated as individuals?
$
@
    As you already know, girls go
through some very obvious changes
during puberty. First, 1their breasts
start to grow, and may become tender.]
If this happens earlier than your
friends, you may feel embarrassed about
having breasts so soon. If it happens
late, you may feel embarrassed about
not having breasts. This is natural.
Your body knows what is best for you,
even if you sometimes feel uncomfort-
able with the changes. Remember that
nothing can change the program for you
that is in your genes. You will even-
tually learn to like your new grown-up
body, and will see that it is formed
just right for you.
    2After your breasts start to grow,
you may notice straight hair between
your legs.] This is the pubic area, and
the hair there is called pubic hair.
After a while it will get thick and
curly, just as it does for boys.
    Just as boys do, you may want to
explore your genitals. Masturbation is
a way of getting to know your own body
-- what feels good and how it works. If
done in private, it is normal and
healthy to "play with yourself." Mas-
turbation may or may not result in
orgasm. Most grown women continue to
masturbate in the privacy of their own
bed.
    At about this time, you may get
your first period. Periods are also
called menstruation. 3This happens when
the soft lining of the uterus gets
cleaned out.] The body is just prac-
ticing for growing a baby. The men-
strual fluid comes out the vagina,
which is the same opening from which
the baby is born.
    As you are expecting your first
period, you may want to have some pads
ready so you won't be caught unpre-
pared. There are many light pads avail-
able which stick to the panties with
their own tape. Most girls find these
to be the most comfortable. Heavier
pads are also available, which stick to
the panties or fit into a sanitary
belt. Tampons (which are placed inside
the vagina) are made in different
sizes, too. 4But for the first few
periods, a light pad is probably best.]
Talk to your parents and use whatever
is most comfortable and convenient for
you.

*
2If my breasts feel tender, should I
see my doctor right away?
$
1Does pubic hair start growing at
around this time?
$
1Does monthly menstruation have a
cleansing purpose?
$
2Is it best to start out wearing the
heaviest absorbent pads to be safe?
$
@
    You have already learned that
during puberty, boys will notice hair
starting to grow around the penis and
scrotum area. This area is called the
pubic area. 1At first the hair will be
straight and soft, but later on it will
get curly and thick.] At about this
time, boys notice their voices starting
to change. Sometimes their voices will
be high and squeaky, sometimes they
will be low, and sometimes there will
be no change at all. This gets confus-
ing, and sometimes embarrassing, but
the body will eventually get used to
making the lower voice all the time.
    Boys will also notice that their
penis and 2testes are starting to grow.
This is because the body is practicing
making and storing seeds. These seeds,
which can someday start a baby, are
called sperm] and are in a fluid called
semen. The semen is what comes out of
the penis during ejaculation.
    Boys will begin to ejaculate at
about this time. Ejaculation is the
discharge of semen from the penis, so
new sperm can grow and be stored in the
testes. 3Sometimes the semen comes out
at night while the boy is asleep. This
is called a wet dream or a nocturnal
emission. This is normal], but is some-
times pretty surprising to the boy.
Very often boys don't know what is hap-
pening and they feel scared or ashamed.
But they can talk this over with their
parents, who will reassure them that it
is normal.
    Boys will also notice their penises
getting hard, or erect, at different
times during the day. Sometimes this is
embarrassing, because it happens all by
itself. 3There is nothing bad or wrong
about getting an erection.] This is
normal, and will eventually become more
predictable as the boy's body gets used
to being mature.
    With all of this happening, many
boys become curious about how their
penis works sexually. They may experi-
ment by touching it and finding out
what feels good. This is called mastur-
bation. By "playing with themselves"
they may ejaculate. People don't talk
much about it (or do it in public)
because it is a private, personal acti-
vity. 4However, it is perfectly normal
to explore one's body; people of all
sexes and ages masturbate.]

*
2Does pubic hair grow in the same way
as the hair on our heads?
$
1Are the testes where sperm is
produced?
$
1Do all boys have erections and "wet
dreams"?
$
2Are boys who masturbate (play with
themselves) perverted and nasty?
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@
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