Best Kept Secret Read online

  I am gaining weight, my boobs are growing, and my clothes don’t fit. I know everyone says this is normal.Some of my friends say they’re jealous, but I don’t like my new, bigger body. What do I do?

  Growing Girl

  Dear Growing Girl,

  First, you need to know that it’s normal to gain some weight and for your body to change, like hips getting wider. Anything new feels weird, but you’re still you. You don’t have to become a grown-up overnight just because you look older. Take your time and learn to like your growing, changing body. We’d recommend a supportive bra that fits. And maybe talk to a parent about getting clothes in a larger size, if yours are too tight. Last but not least, find a way to be active: play sports or exercise. That helps you feel good in both body and mind. Think pink!

  Dear PLS,

  My mom REFUSES to let me shave my legs—and I have hairy ape legs. Help!

  Anonymous

  Dear Anonymous,

  This is a common problem. The best thing to do is talk to your mom and CALMLY explain your position. Are you being made fun of at school? Do you dislike the way you look in skirts or shorts? Explain why you’d like to shave your legs. If your mom still says no, negotiate an age when she will be comfortable with you shaving. If she says yes right now, be careful! Be sure to get some lessons from your mom or another girl who knows how to do it safely. Think pink!

  Dear PLS,

  My crush is acting strange. He is usually happy and funny, but today he yelled at me.

  What am I supposed to do?

  Confused

  Dear Confused,

  Crushes can be stressful. It’s all so new and strange. Who knows what to expect? But here’s one thing we do know: It’s not okay for someone—even someone you like—to yell at you and make you feel bad. We hope it doesn’t happen again or we’d find a new crush. Think pink!

  Girls Can Do It!

  Learn more about girls’ sports

  Best Kept Secret includes a real-life incident that happened in 1976 at Yale University. It was inspired by women athletes who wanted something simple—a locker room to change in after practice.

  Title IX is a U.S. law that passed in 1972 requiring that boys and girls get the same access to stuff at school, including sports. It started a welcome change: Today about one in three girls plays high school varsity sports. In 1970, it was one in twenty-seven.

  Feel your girl power and learn more about women’s sports!

  Visit the Women’s Sports Foundation Web site:

  www.womenssportsfoundation.org

  Learn more about the Yale incident by watching the film A Hero for Daisy.

  www.aherofordaisy.com

  Go for a run with Girls on the Run International!

  www.girlsontherun.org

  Every year more than 150 million families, educators, health professionals, and media turn to KidsHealth.org for expert answers, making it the #1 Web site devoted to children’s health and development. KidsHealth is physician-led, providing doctor-approved health information about the physical, emotional, and behavioral health of children, from before birth through adolescence. KidsHealth.org features three distinct sections—for parents, for kids, and for teens—each with its own tone and age-appropriate topics.

  KidsHealth is known for its engaging, family-friendly information and has been honored as one of the 30 Best Web sites by U.S. News & World Report, one of the 50 Coolest Web Sites by Time magazine, and the Best Family Health Site For Moms by Good Housekeeping. KidsHealth also created KidsHealth in the Classroom, a free Web site for educators featuring standards-based health curricula, activities, and handouts.

  KidsHealth comes from Nemours, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit pediatric health systems and a founding member of the Partnership for a Healthier America, a national movement led by First Lady Michelle Obama to solve the childhood obesity challenge. For more information about KidsHealth, please visit KidsHealth.org.

  About the Author

  Debra Moffitt lives in a house full of boys—with three sons and one husband. She was a newspaper reporter for more than ten years and is now the kids’ editor of KidsHealth.org. That means she gets paid to write about stuff kids care about, like pimples, crushes, and puberty. She’d like to thank all the girls who visit www.pinklockersociety.org. You’ve asked more than 25,000 questions about growing up and have given tons of kind, thoughtful advice to one another. That’s thinking pink!

  Also by Debra Moffitt

  Only Girls Allowed

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  BEST KEPT SECRET. Copyright © 2010 by Debra Moffitt. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

  www.stmartins.com

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  ISBN 978-0-312-64503-8

  First Edition: January 2011

  eISBN 978-1-4299-7665-7

  First St. Martin’s Griffin eBook Edition: January 2011