Question: “My daughter doesn’t want to go to school. After some persuasion, she told me that people were touching her in class and she was embarrassed. What should I do?” Probably, we are talking about the daughter’s adolescence. This is the period of psychosexual development of a teenager, associated with puberty, the formation of sexual self-esteem, erotic feelings, sexual need, and increased interest in one’s appearance and body. A new image of the physical “I” is formed. The pace of puberty is different for each teenager. Boys and girls can, on the principle of self-exploration, touch themselves and others on all parts of the body, including intimate ones. This depends on the teenager’s development of healthy sexuality. Puberty is a natural part of growing up. But teenagers are impulsive, so they act first and think later. For them, intimate and personal communication with peers becomes the leading activity, and parents “fade into the background.” Teenagers get to know themselves, others, the world through the prism of communication, falling in love, receiving both positive and negative experiences. Conventionally, teenage girls can be divided into three types. Some people like it when boys fall in love with them and pester them. This is how they satisfy the need for men’s attention, they feel like “adults”, “stars”. On the one hand, this is early puberty, on the other, acceptance of one’s body and femininity. Other girls - the "touchy ones" - may experience fear, shame, and anxiety when boys touch them. This is a matter of self-acceptance of one's growing and changing body, acceptance by parents and peers. The third type - girls are “friends” of boys with whom you can play football, but you cannot fall in love with a Friend! In your situation, it is important to calmly talk about what happened so that the girl does not get the idea that touching the body is IMPOSSIBLE. With such an attitude, it will be difficult for her to build a sexual relationship with her husband. If girls are uncomfortable in class, talk to the teacher. There is a concept of sexual integrity; if your daughter’s physical and mental integrity is violated, think about moving to another school, consult a psychologist. The goal of sex education is to raise a boy to become a man, and a girl to become a happy and confident woman. Your family psychologist Irina Kilina 89618640530