The Naked Teenager

One of the fun parts about being a guy is that when you get a new car, you want to show it off. You want others to see it, to give you a few compliments on it, and to basically show it off a little. You have spent time setting things up to get the car, and so want to enjoy it; part of enjoying it is fishing for compliments on it. There is nothing wrong with this, as long as you aren’t too much of a douche about it.

Well, the same thing applies a teenager’s body. It may sound a little weird, but the adolescent body is an improvement over the pre-teen’s body; it runs longer, is stronger and more agile, and is capable of so much more than the body of the pre-teen. It is hardly that of Greek god, admittedly, but it is so much better than the previous body. There is also a normalization issue; you want to make sure that there is nothing wrong with it, and nothing beats comparing it to other guys of your same age. There is also that new interest in girls, and nothing says that you are on the market like showing off what you have.

In short, between pride, lust, and good old-fashioned wanting to make sure that you aren’t a freak, most adolescent boys develop an exhibitionistic streak. There is a simultaneous modesty issue, as the boy is unsure about the changes and fears he may be a freak, so gym showers all of a sudden are a special dislike of the kid, but it’s just a part of being a boy.

There is a reason that rites of passage have a nudity component. Besides the symbolic rebirth aspect, there is also that it helps the kid recognize that others are going through the same process; they maybe going through it faster or slower than the kid in question, but seeing where others are in the process helps establish that the kid is not a freak. As the first step to accepting your new body is knowing that you are not that different, this is not a bad thing.

At the same time, stripping down is seen as the cost for seeing someone else without clothes. Specifically, we’re referring to girls. Pool parties are seen as the perfect compromise; the water hides what he has while at the same time allowing him to see what the girl has. He can also show off some of his skills while not having to show everything he has. It also provides access to a large amount of cold water, which can be a relief for certain uncontrollable aspects of being a boy. A hot tub also works as it hides what the boy would prefer to remain hidden. At least, until it develops a little more of its potential.

There is a also some temperature control. A teenage boy is more likely to feel the effects of heat, especially at night. This just means that he’s unlikely to want to sleep in his pajamas as much as a smaller kid, and more likely to want to sleep with as few clothes as possible at night. As such, this is the time to make sure that the boys have a separate room, and knocking before entering needs to really be enforced on all sides to prevent embarrassing episodes. The whole “I’m your mother and I’ve seen it before” will not help anyone’s case.

So be advised that a little exhibitionism is par for the course, and should be seen as normal. It should still be punished when it is inappropriate, but try to keep an open mind.

The Mind Changes

As puberty hits, there are going to be a number of mental changes as well. Although you have already been shifting your thoughts somewhat, the mental changes are going to hit like a tsunami, and you never know what will trigger them. A lot of these changes will be emotional, and are due in part to hormone issues. You are also going to start looking beyond yourself a bit; a few years ago you supported the team because you could get an award or because snitching could get you beaten up, but now you act as a team for mutual survival or because you support the team in general.

In short, you are thinking on entirely different levels than you used to.

This means that you are thinking about medium range plans rather than just short term, and this needs to be noted. A nine-year-old's planning asks three questions: "Does it hurt?", "Can I get away with it?", and "Will it be fun?" He is looking for the first to be "no" and the others to be "yes." An adolescent starts asking, "Will the consequences will be worth it?" In other words, if you get a broken arm, will it be worth falling off a building? Thoughts of glory and girls no doubt makes it worth it, and so it's acceptable. Threats of death or confinement, however, are more useful; even as immortal as you may feel, you want to be able to do things, and they both put definite restrictions on what you can do.

You are also starting to think about life after school and what you want to do. Skateboarding is fun, but there is a debate over how good you really are. There are a number of issues under debate, especially as the reality of some childhood dreams begin to sink in, and you begin to start training for some future job.

As a young kid you wanted things NOW. You are now willing to accept THEN, and that's a major shift. So, now we get to explore your altered perceptions.