Last updated on December 24, 2020
Question:
Hello,
I’m sixteen years old but I look fourteen for some reason. I heard that mood swings come in puberty a lot and I think I have been experiencing them lately. For example, I like going on late-night walks alone but my mom keeps interfering and telling me it’s dangerous. Also, I don’t like hanging out with my family a lot, it’s not that I don’t like them. I just want to be alone oftentimes. My questions:
- Why do I look younger than I actually am?
- Why do I get angry at anything?
- At what stage do hormones increase?
- Why do I argue a lot with my parents all of a sudden?
Answer:
People judge age by several factors, such as height, shoulder width, facial shape, and skin texture. It can be small things, such as having not needing to shave much which people subconsciously notice and put you at a younger age. During the teenage years, it is not unusual for age guesses to be off since people develop at different times.
Some people are more sensitive to hormonal fluctuations than others. Generally, the hormones fluctuate the most during stages 3 and 4. The sudden changes can cause moodiness and shortness of temper. Knowing that you are likely to get angry easily, you need to train yourself to pause and think when you feel your temper flaring. Try to see the situation from the other person’s viewpoint and if you don’t know what it is, ask questions to better understand how he or she is seeing things.
I have no idea where you live or what your neighborhood is like, but generally, late-night walks are not safe. What is well-known is that teenagers, especially males, are not able to assess risk well. That is why teenage boys are notorious for impulsively doing dumb things and later realizing that it was not such a good idea. If your mother thinks it is unsafe, then I would suggest finding time in the daylight to take your walks.
You’ve reached the age when you want more independence. What you need to prove, to yourself and others, is that you able to make good decisions and be responsible for the results of your choices. That won’t happen as fast as your desire, so you’ll also need to have patience.
Question:
Thank you so much for the info!
But I do have another question. I don’t get acne a lot, but lately, I have been noticing acne on my chin and jaw area. It gets really irritating and itchy.
Answer:
The irritation and itchy is more likely due to your hairs beginning to change to terminal hairs. Short hair is really itchy and as the hairs get thicker, they push up the skin, which feels irritating. If you pick at them, you are likely to damage the skin which can allow bacteria to settle in and cause an infection (acne). Your swinging hormone levels also causes increased oils on your skin, which bacteria love to eat, and which can plug up the pores in your skin. These are some reasons why boys seen increased amount of acne in stage 4 of development.