Is there such a thing as pre-puberty?

amother

Tue, Jun 16 2020, 4:36 pm

I have a 9 year old son who lately has been very...moody. Some of it is definitely due to the whole pandemic situation, but it was also starting even a bit before then so it's not all because of that. I don't think he's quite starting puberty though he is going through a definite growth spurt (he's been eating and sleeping a lot more than usual and has grown visibly in the last few months). His moodiness is very...well if he was a girl, I'd be calling it PMS. I do have reason to believe he will probably hit puberty on the earlier side. He's tall for his age, and both me and dh developed early.

But I don't think he's actually going through changes yet, though maybe his hormones are starting to get into gear? He doesn't smell too funky yet (he's my oldest, I heard we're in for some rough olfactory experiences in the coming years, though that hasn't started yet.) Anyway, the moods just seem very teenager-y and pubertal and I was wondering, current events aside, if this is a stage that happens at around this age. Is there a sort of pre-puberty shift that happens before the real thing kicks in?