Lux Et Veritas Academy Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 What is your 11 year old like? Do boys go through the same emotions as teen girls? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 My ds turns 11yo this month and he is an emotional rollercoaster...loving and sweet one moment, surly and cranky the next. Huge growth spurts, always tired, always hungry...poor little guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasharowan Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 My ds turns 11yo this month and he is an emotional rollercoaster...loving and sweet one moment, surly and cranky the next. Huge growth spurts, always tired, always hungry...poor little guy. My oldest was like this at 11. Now at 13, he is taller than me but a lot more even emotionally. Extra sleep and food helped some. You're in for a bumpy ride. :auto: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaT Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 My fourth son turns 11 this year. He is a little immature, so he hasn't started with the emotional thing yet. I have found, since my oldest dd went through puberty, that boys and girls (at least mine) have very different ways of dealing with their emotions. My dd started talking back, being very sensitive and getting her feelings hurt easily. My sons were mouthy and angry without all the sensitivity. For some reason, my sons also talked a lot and acted like they knew more about everything than I (or anyone else for that matter) did. I guess you would say they got a little arrogant and full of themselves. At least after having gone through this a few times before, I know it will eventually pass.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 I wouldn't characterize it as exactly the *same*, but they certainly do go through emotional ups and downs as they hit puberty, LOL.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeatherLynn Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Well, my DD is 11 and started the emotional stuff a couple of years ago, and she has not even hit puberty yet. My boys were okay at 11. No big deal at all. Then, at 12-13 :scared: My 13 yo knows EVERYTHING and is smart mouthed. My 12yo is just moody and gets his feelings hurt very easily. So, a lot like his sister. There are many similarities and some difference. I am afraid it is a glimpse of things yet to come, but it's good to know it will pass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 I was raised in a family of all girls, so I just believed what my mother said, and she always said that girls are emotional and boys aren't. The thing is, she was from a family of all girls too, and she didn't necessarily have the correct information, lol. My oldest at 11 was very emotional. He could get angry very quickly, complained a lot, and everything seemed magnified. He was self absorbed at that age. My twins are 11 now and it's not the same. They are much more even. They do complain more than they used to and they test limits more than they used to, but they are still very pleasant and fun loving. They are still very curious and bright, and they are kind, pleasant little people. One is further into puberty physically than the other, but his personality hasn't changed more. They are tired a lot and ALWAYS hungry. I do think they are growing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Well, my DD is 11 and started the emotional stuff a couple of years ago, and she has not even hit puberty yet. My boys were okay at 11. No big deal at all. Then, at 12-13 :scared: My 13 yo knows EVERYTHING and is smart mouthed. My 12yo is just moody and gets his feelings hurt very easily. So, a lot like his sister. There are many similarities and some difference. I am afraid it is a glimpse of things yet to come, but it's good to know it will pass. She probably has hit puberty, just not menarche. If you google "Tanner Stages" you'll find that puberty is a lot longer than most people realize! And the hormones start raging before you see any changes. My 11 yo definitely is on the emotional roller coaster, along with her 14 yo sister. Can't say anything about my ds as he's only 8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelli in TN Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Well. I thought I would add some wisdom and experience here, but dang, everyone beat me to it. I've been through that age twice with boys and am on my third go around with a girl. My boys were mouthy, overly sensitive (but they responded with indignation instead of tears), hungry, insomniacs (my 14 year still has trouble sleeping, melatonin seems to be helping), hungry, tired a lot, hungry, restless, hungry.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpklehm Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 My 11 year old ds is similar to some of your comments but the thing I'm noticing the most is his sleeping patterns. He used to go to bed around 8:30 - 9:00 pm and go to sleep almost immediately, and sleep soundly. Now I'm lucky if he's asleep by 10:30! I hear him in his bed whispering to himself, or catch him with a flashlight or nightlight reading under his covers... And of course, he's a lot harder to get out of bed in the morning, too. Again, he used to be up on his own by 7:00 am-ish, but that has changed. His dr says he's in the second stage of puberty (whatever that means! lol) and he's around an inch shorter than me. His feet are bigger than mine (I'm 5'4" and wear a 7 1/2 shoe). We have to shop in the men's dept for shoes now! When did this happen? :confused: He's still a happy guy, always whistling or humming, and wanting to talk about anything and everything, but he's a bit moodier now and will get angry with me if I try to tell him what to do, so we're both having to make some adjustments. Certainly all part of life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelli in TN Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 My 11 year old ds is similar to some of your comments but the thing I'm noticing the most is his sleeping patterns. He used to go to bed around 8:30 - 9:00 pm and go to sleep almost immediately, and sleep soundly. Now I'm lucky if he's asleep by 10:30! I hear him in his bed whispering to himself, or catch him with a flashlight or nightlight reading under his covers... And of course, he's a lot harder to get out of bed in the morning, too. Again, he used to be up on his own by 7:00 am-ish, but that has changed. His dr says he's in the second stage of puberty (whatever that means! lol) and he's around an inch shorter than me. His feet are bigger than mine (I'm 5'4" and wear a 7 1/2 shoe). We have to shop in the men's dept for shoes now! When did this happen? :confused: He's still a happy guy, always whistling or humming, and wanting to talk about anything and everything, but he's a bit moodier now and will get angry with me if I try to tell him what to do, so we're both having to make some adjustments. Certainly all part of life. You might consider melatonin for that sleeplessness! It is helping my 14 year old so much. He falls asleep earlier (bedtime is 9:30 on school nights and he used to still be awake at 11 or so) and he sleeps in longer in the morning (he was waking up at 5 am, unable to go back to sleep). I knew it was not caffeine (he hates tea and coffee and I don't allow soft drinks but once ina blue moon) and he was still this way on days when he'd had plenty of physical activity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacie Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 You know, this thread has helped me soooo much. I get annoyed with the no sleep, lots of eat, know-it-all attitude, ginormous footed, emotional wreck that moved in and sent away my sweethearted little man when I looked away. Now that I know who he is I'll try harder to fill him up, and grin and bear the rest. :boxing_smiley: Thanks for the experience, ladies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camibami Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 I have an almost-11 DD, and she's a hot mess. She loves Harry Potter, and I find myself thinking a magical boarding school sounds pretty darn good right now! :001_huh: I will have to try the melatonin, my DD used to always fall asleep well, now she is up until almost midnight, and always tired. Also she complains a ton, everything is *huge* and life-ending, and cries at the drop of a hat. One night a few months ago after she burst into tears and ran wailing to her room over her sister watching a Barbie movie, DH turned to me in panic and said "What is wrong with her?!!" Poor DH. He doesn't like to hear about puberty and hormones, but I guess its better than thinking she'd gone stark raving mad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 My boys were mouthy, overly sensitive (but they responded with indignation instead of tears), hungry, insomniacs (my 14 year still has trouble sleeping, melatonin seems to be helping), hungry, tired a lot, hungry, restless, hungry.... :iagree:My ds 11 has become emotional, hungry, mouthy, restless, hungry, tired and still is a sweet and sensitive kid. Did I mention he's always hungry. Six months ago he had a hard time finishing a complete happy meal (always had light appetite) and now he has entered the grazing phase. My grocery bill has gone up in the last two months. I'm a pretty emotional person (my poor dh) and so I tend to roll with the punches with ds knowing it's just a swing of the pendulum. Today was a good day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpklehm Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 So funny, Stacie! :lol: One of those moved in with us, too! I will try the melatonin and see if that helps his sleeping (it's 11:00 pm here and he's still awake), but it's SO good to know this is normal and part of his growing up. <sniff> PAM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Calvin was really sweet at eleven. He's, so far, just carrying on being really rational. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelli in TN Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 You know, this thread has helped me soooo much. I get annoyed with the no sleep, lots of eat, know-it-all attitude, ginormous footed, emotional wreck that moved in and sent away my sweethearted little man when I looked away. Now that I know who he is I'll try harder to fill him up, and grin and bear the rest. :boxing_smiley: Thanks for the experience, ladies! You should probably submit this description to a professional journal somewhere, esp this part know-it-all attitude, ginormous footed, emotional wreck . I am sure psychiatrist can do no better in describing this phenomena. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 i have found girls and boys to respond to puberty very differently. I have 3 girls, they got moody, cried easily, stopped sleeping, and became just overly tempermental. The boy has been different. At 11 he started staying up late and eating vast quantities; just like the girls. But, he also started being smart mouthed, knows everything, and is angry. The anger surprised me, but seems to be a boy's hormonal reaction. All that testosterone causes it. :glare:I really wish I had some post holes that needed digging, or wood that needed chopping. Lots of exercise really helps! I'm afraid I dealt better with the girls' tears. I understood it completely.:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Calvin was really sweet at eleven. He's, so far, just carrying on being really rational. Laura 1. Hormones hit at different ages. 2. Some kids stay easy going all the way through it. One of my brothers did, although he was rather annoying to me as teen age brothers typically are to their sisters. However, emotionally, he stayed pleasant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 One word of caution: don't stay on melatonin for the long term. Your body makes it all by itself and you don't want to mess that up. It should be used for only a short time. My dad uses it when he travels to different time zones but only the first night. It's completely normal for the circadian rhythm to change during puberty, so if you use it, your technically messing with something very normal. A more natural way is to drag your kids out of bed in the mornings until they get used to a new schedule. I speak from experience. We're getting our 14 yo as it got too close to 8:30 (the other dc had managed to get themselves up--ds does that easily, but my 11 yo not so easily and she'd been in bed over 10 hours) to get up at 8, but are transitioning with an 8 am music & out of bed between 8:15-8:30. I had to remove the blanket & pillow for my 14 yo, she came downstairs telling me I was mean, that she was too sick to eat, etc. After a large breakfast (I told her to sit at the table and drink a cup of water, and after a while she realized she was hungry) a Bible read & a subject, she was awake. Not that she's convinced I was right, not by any stretch of the definition, but dh and I need her to be asleep well before midnight. She'll adjust--we're making her go back to the same sleep schedule she had last fall and give her a good 9/5-10 hours in bed, and she's welcome to go to bed earlier if her schoolwork is done. Other solutions are dim lights as you approach bedtime, a set bedtime routine, etc. The same kinds of things insomniacs use can help (not including medications.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rene Austen Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Wow! My 11yo DS sounds *exactly* like all of yours! And here I have always thought he was such a unique kid. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1bassoon Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 This is HIGHLY amusing for me to read. . . . . .since I'm relating All. Too. Well. One of my friends pulls her 9 yo to her, and says, "Promise me you won't grow up and be a big, hairy, smelly, man!" (She's teasing, of course!) Pretty funny. But I empathize. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 This is HIGHLY amusing for me to read. . . . . .since I'm relating All. Too. Well. One of my friends pulls her 9 yo to her, and says, "Promise me you won't grow up and be a big, hairy, smelly, man!" (She's teasing, of course!) Pretty funny. But I empathize. My 8 yo ds wants to remain a little boy; he has no desire to be a hairy, smelly man!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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