For a 12-year-old boy or girl in Belgium in 1991, puberty was a private shame.
: There is a growing emphasis on providing teachers with professional development opportunities to enhance their skills and confidence in delivering sexual education. This includes training on inclusive language, dealing with questions sensitively, and fostering a safe classroom environment. From "Biology & Blushing" to "Consent & Clicks":
For both boys and girls, lessons were often segregated, reinforcing a sense that puberty was a shameful, separate experience. Girls learned about menstruation, typically in a sterile, hygienic context focused on managing a "curse" or a "problem." The mechanics of ovulation and the menstrual cycle were taught, but rarely linked to pleasure, agency, or the emotional reality of premenstrual syndrome. Boys, on the other hand, received instruction on wet dreams, voice changes, and the production of sperm. The language was that of a biology textbook: fallopian tubes, vas deferens, and hormonal feedback loops. The lived, embodied experience—the acne, the mood swings, the sudden, confusing surge of desire—was largely absent from formal education. Inclusive approach: For a 12-year-old boy or girl
Navigating the "New Normal": Puberty and the Rise of Romantic Storylines Navigating the "New Normal": Puberty and the Rise