Girlology in Spartanburg
This week’s blog is written by Dr. Melissa Holmes, Co-Founder, Girlology
Children today are facing puberty at younger ages while they’re also being exposed to sexualized images and messages earlier due to media and the internet. Now more than ever, parents and children need to have honest, timely and confident conversations about puberty and growing up, but many parents just don’t know how or when to start.
Girlology Can Help
A great way to start these important conversations (or continue the ones you’ve had) is by attending a Girlology program which provides age-appropriate, medically accurate, and cringe-free parent-child programs on puberty and other topics related to sexual development. These programs were started by two physicians and moms in South Carolina, but now, Girlology (& Guyology) are offered to thousands of families each year in over 20 states across the country. The Mary Black Foundation’s adolescent health initiative Connect is excited to offer the Girlology puberty program in Spartanburg this Spring in partnership with Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System.
The program is for children ages 8-11 and a caring adult. It will cover everything about puberty but nothing about sex. Topics will include normal body changes and growth, breast development and bra shopping, hygiene, healthy eating and exercise, anatomy, menstruation, period products, dealing with new moods and attitudes, healthy friendships, privacy, and safe places to get more information.
After attending a Girlology program, parents report feeling more comfortable having conversations about sexual development, and young people report feeling less anxious and more confident about their body changes. That’s important, because parent-child communication about tough topics has been proven to set the stage for a lifetime of open dialogue, stronger relationships, and healthier choices.
The Upcoming Program
Please join us for our upcoming program:
Girlology “There’s Something New About You”
Sunday April 28 from 2:00-4:00 pm
at Spartanburg Medical Center, Heart Center Auditorium
380 Serpentine Drive, Spartanburg, SC 29303
Pre-Registration is strongly encouraged. To register for either program, visit https://www.girlology.com/pages/events or to learn more about the Girlology programs, visit www.girlology.com.
The cost for each program is $9 per parent-child pair for Spartanburg County residents (Non-Spartanburg residents pay the usual fee of $50 per pair.). Each child will receive the Girlology book (retail $12.95).
