The Physical

Out of all of these, the easiest to explore is the physical aspects of puberty. Of course, they also lead to the most confusing aspects of the situation. Because they are the most obvious, they are also the most likely to get you into trouble as, well, boys compare what they have to what others have. The first to go through this process are usually the guys that scare you the most, so you're most likely to complain that bullies just keep getting stronger. The last will be made fun of, of course, even though they have little control of what happens. You hope that you are among the first half to undergo the fun process we call puberty.

Teenage Werewolves

Okay, so let's deal with the fun parts first. Over the next few years you are going to get more muscles and hair than you have ever had in your life. Accompanying this will be growing pains; as the muscles and bones stretch and grow you will occasionally experience a twinge of pain; just grin and bear as it will be over soon enough. You will also be a bit clumsier; you are adjusting to your new body, which means every so often you won't quite calculate things right. This means that you will be bumping your head (being taller than you were used to), tripping every so often (longer legs will do that), and even missing grabs you would have normally caught (longer arms sorta suck). It sucks to be you.

At the same time, you will love exercise even more as it gives you a way to exercise your new muscles. Few teenage boys willingly confine themselves indoors, and it's because biking and running are good for you. You will be wrestling more; the testosterone in your system has made you more aggressive, and wrestling takes the edge off that. You will also start really appreciating crafts, cars, and, well, anything that lets you build; it's not because you have a gene that makes you want to build something, but because it's not only a mental challenge, but because it helps get your out of control reflexes into focus. Video games provide the same sort of challenge/focus, so of course you love them. You may even take up body-building, as it's a way to deal with growing pains and testosterone, and make you look you better.

So no matter how much you hate gym class, and all of your gym clothing, odds are you are going to love the exercise. That's not a bad thing; enjoy it! It's good for you.

The Hair

You're going to notice the hair. You used to have some hair, but now it's going to become more obvious. Like every male before you, you are going to ask one question: WHY? Unfortunately, no scientist in the world can tell you. All we know for sure is that for some reason women like flowing hair, gorgeous beards and mustaches, and chest hair is a sign of manliness, so we have a good idea why head, facial, and chest hair are still part of the equation. However, the rest of it has scientists stumped, and it can actually be fun to track down some of the theories they have. So I'll be up front with you now: It's just a sign of all that testosterone in your system, and let's leave it at that, okay? Good.