Feb 23 2007
Someone Says Hi - a Teenage Guy’s Guide to Normal Penile Behavior
Girls normally start puberty just a bit before boys. When boys start puberty, it is not always so easy to tell. You may notice a difference in your height. The defining of your muscles begins. Your voice may have deepened. You may even have a bit of facial or body hair making an appearance. These are some of the obvious signs you are entering puberty. Some boys may even experience acne in various degrees.
The penis and testicles begin to grow to adult-like proportions and pubic hair begins to grow. Boys may begin to experiment with masturbation and experience wet dreams. Girls have a pronounced mood change, this is not so strong in boys, but this varies from individual to individual. There are several stages to sexual development:
Age: less than 10 years old
Prepubertal, small penis and testes
No pubic hair growth
Age: 9 - 13 years
Testes grow
Scrotal skin becomes redder and coarser
Sparse, fine hair develops at the base of the penis
Age: 12 - 14 years
Penis lengthens, with small increase in diameter
Scrotum and testes continue to grow
Pubic hair changes in amount, color, and increase
Age: 12 - 15 years
Penis and testes continue to grow
Pubic hair increases in amount and becomes darker, coarser, and curly
Age: 14 - 18 years, Penis is at its full adult size.
Pubic hair is at its adult color, texture. Erections are very normal and may decrease on their own or after an ejaculation. Guys have several erections during a REM cycle – this is where dreams occur. Many erections are caused by sexual arousal, such as watching a sexy television show or fantasizing. However, many erections seem to happen for no particular reason. Guys may also get an erection at a time that makes absolutely no sense to them and this can be quite embarrassing. There is nothing to worry about – this is a very normal activity for a guy going through puberty.
How can a guy tell if he is getting too many erections? Everyone is different so normal is difficult to identify. You may experience several erections during the day and then again, you may only experience one or two, or nothing. Do not be concerned about this. Hormones fluctuate with age, sexual maturity, level of activity, and the amount of rest you get can affect whether-or-not you experience erections and the number of erections you do experience. You have nothing to be concerned about unless they are causing you pain. If you are still concerned, you can talk to your parents or if that is not an option, you can make an appointment to talk to your doctor.
Is there anything you can do to make the erections stop? Not really, time is your best bet in having them go away. Do not be embarrassed though, all boys go through puberty and they all experience erections and the inconvenient times they occur. The penis can be stimulated enough to ejaculate that will help. As you continue to grow in your teenage years and the hormones begin to subside the frequency of unexpected erections and wet dreams should decrease.
If you are wondering how your penis measures up compared to your friends or anyone else is for that matter you are not alone. This is a frequent question among guys. As with every other part of your body, the penis changes and grows throughout a guy’s lifetime. Penises come in all shapes, sizes, and colors and genetics plays a role in this development just as it does with eye and hair color, or your foot size. If a guy were to look at his feet they would appear small to him – his perspective is off. The same is true when he is looking at his penis – looking down it appears smaller than it is. If your penis is relaxed, it will not look as long as it does when you have an erection.
Guys are also concerned about other areas of their penises. Some guys have foreskin still attached, while others do not. Whether or not you like it that was not your decision – your parents made that choice for you when you were a baby. If you have concerns about the size or shape of your penis, you can talk to your doctor who will answer your questions.

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