Your 13-year-old boy is officially a teenager. During these early teenage years, he is going through huge changes physically, emotionally, and mentally, which can be challenging for both of you.
Boys at mid-adolescence are experiencing increased sexual maturity, increased complexity in group interactions, and heightened awareness in other people.
Here is a closer look at what is happening in your son at this age.
Developmental milestones for a 13-year-old boy
Physical growth and development
- Puberty begins for many boys at this stage of adolescence.
- Boys may experience rapid growth in height and weight.
- Muscles fill out and strength increases dramatically.
- Body changes may include developing hair under the arms and groin as well as testicular growth.
- Vocal cords grow longer, and larynxes or voice boxes grow larger. This causes deeper voice tones.
Mental and emotional development
- Boys begin to assert more independence at this age. They may rebel, especially when parents enforce rules and limits.
- They often have an increased need for privacy, another sign of wanting more independence and less supervision.
- They may also require more privacy to deal with feelings of curiosity and anxiety that come with body changes and new emotions.
- It’s common for this age group to become more self-involved. Their thoughts and feelings are centered on themselves, making them self-conscious.
- Evaluating other people and processing emotions in others may be associated with increased attention to things that are socially important, such as physical appearance.
- They begin to understand and use sarcasm.
Cognitive development
- Boys at this age develop logical thought, deductive reasoning abilities, and improved memory and executive function skills.
- They may display logical thinking, can seriate (arrange in a series) without trial and error, conserve number, mass, and volume, and demonstrate a more strategic and methodical approach to problems.
- Young teenage boys become more egocentric and self-conscious. They may feel invincible or uniquely powerful.
- Memory gets better at this age as they gain experience with particular skills.
Social development
- As they desire increased independence from their parents, 13-year-old boys rely more on friendships. They confide in their peers more and want to spend more time with friends than family.
- One of the key changes during middle adolescence involves a renegotiation of parent-child relationships. Since they are striving for more autonomy during this time, different aspects of parenting become more important to them.
- Boys at this age become aware of their sexuality and are interested in dating and social gatherings.
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Medically Reviewed on 7/2/2021
References
WebMD. Your Son at 13: Milestones. https://www.webmd.com/parenting/guide/son-13-milestones#1
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