h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

HELP! My daughter, Mair aged 12 has been afflicted by puberty! She's been a tomboy for years 'n' years and yesterday she bought some clear nail varnish with glitter in, raided my make-up and asked if she could have her ears pierced! Four days ago, Mair wanted to go down the local youth club, not knowing where it is but I had to stop her as it didn't open until 6.00 p.m. and it would have been dark by the time she walked home. Mair doesn't want me to meet her from the youth club, so I have promised to wait in the market square car park in the car with a paper bag over my head!

We're off to get her ears pierced this weekend and she has different coloured nails on each hand and foot and I'm panicking!!!! I want her to enjoy herself and I don't want to be Victorian, as my parents were with me .... wish me luck!

Good luck!

Is your apparently recent (recent in that you managed yesterday to write a fairly coherent paragraph, but today have lost it all) problem with cafiene and articulation related to this?

Yes, probably caused by sleepless nights, worry about my daughter and consuming lots of coffee to compensate for inarticcoufognoudne6 - oh cripes - lost it again -

Though I hope some day to be a father, I've never been able to decide whether I'd prefer ( or should that be "dread less") raising an adolecent female or an adolecent male! Good luck with your daugter!

Luck is something I'm going to need pleanty of. I daren't go to my parents for advice.... not only are they Victorian, narrow minded and still treat me like I'm a child (well....maybe they have grounds there) but I'm sure they'd issue lots of "What goes around, comes around." and "Now you know what you put us though..."! My mum-in-law only raised three boys so she can't offer much help and my close friends are sensible enough not to have had children!

Hmmm... and I always thought that daughters and mothers were supposed to have really close relationships! I'm sure you'll survive. Why not just think of what you actually DID put your parents through, and try seeing it from both perspectives before you make any judgements?

Thanks. I'm trying to do that but Mair has brains - at least more than I had at her age! At the moment I keep one step ahead in anticipating what she's up to but not for long!

She wants to have her ears pierced again as soon as the current ones have "healed" okay.

Today I found nail varnish on the carpet and the arm chair and she's got it on her bed covers too - that's not including the vampire's blood she's been larking around with! I didn't loose my temper though... just threatened with withdrawal of pocket money... (hit 'em where it hurts!).

I never will understand what it is with my generation and body peircing. I know a girl with five ear peircings -- five! Couldn't stop at four, couldn't go for six, had to have an odd number!

Ah! This is encouraging? Oh, help! Did I tell you she was after a tattoo also - that I did put my foot down about and told her I'd get some henna transfers for her to play with!

My daughter's mother and I separated when she (my daughter) was 11 years old. On her twelve birthday I took her to get her ears pierced.

She is now 22 and my 4-year-old grandson is a terrific young chap.

Her mother did a good job explaining/encouraging birth control methods

Now who's being encouraging?

Oh, don't mention grandchildren at the moment... It's bad enough coping with the onset of puberty! In addition to that, I'm incredibly broody at the moment which is ironic as I didn't even get broody over my own two children when they were born and I've never been the type to go "gaga" over babies until now. My doctor says its the start of my menopause which is even more ironic - Mair entering into reproductive cycle and me at the begining of the end...

Besides, I hope I've been as open and honest about sex and relationships with Mair as possible and that she remains sensible about "stuff". I try to talk to her as an equal as much as possible.

Puberty... it was bad enough going through it myself, without having to watch the children go through it! I've got a few years yet (I hope!), though my eight year old son is already good at acting like a tempestuous teenager at times! Did anyone see the Harry Enfield (?) thing where the boy reaches his teens, and suddenly turns into the 'teenager from hell'?! Oh happy day!

'sus

Open enough to announce to the world that your daughter is entering puberty it seems.

Does she know about this? I think she would probably not like to...

Yes she knows - wasn't amused but she's got over it. I'm sure it'll amuse her in 20 years time!

So... is she on h2g2?

You must be joking! She does hang out occasionally on the "Lexx" site but I'd have to share my computer with her! (We allegedly bought the thing to help the kids with their school work .... ahem!) John and I fight over it (nicely though) when he's not ill so Mair wouldn't get much of a look in. I am, however going to teach her how to type... It'll be easier for her to chat/post messages on-line then without taking ages to do it.

A twelve year old who types slower than her parnets? Amazing!

My mother can type faster than me, even though we can both touch type. It's the years of experience in her favour that does it. I doubt she uses her skills to post messages to the world about her childrens current state of growth though. Having said that I haven't really checked ...

Us mums are really sneaky you know! May I suggest you check up on her...

I've been typing for years now and I'd say its about the only useful thing I was taught at school. Well, I suppose there were a few other things like reading and writing..... I rather enjoy typing and could do it for hours unlike housework, cooking, shopping ....