Remember when your little girl giggled, played with dolls, and loved to sit on your lap while you read to her? Have you looked at your little girl lately? Chances are she still giggles, but she's NOT playing with dolls or asking you to read to her—help with her homework, maybe.

Your little girl is growing up, becoming a young woman. This is a time of enormous physical, emotional, and mental change—a good time for you to help her understand and accept those changes.

You can help your daughter start this journey by making a wellness appointment for her with the UI Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology Clinic (319-356-2294). A wellness appointment sets the stage for your daughter to move from visits with her pediatrician to a setting where she interacts with care providers who specialize in working with young women.

Elizabeth Graf, MPAS, PA-C, a physician assistant in the clinic, says the clinic staff is trained to:

• Recognize what is normal and abnormal
• Examine young women in an age-appropriate, sensitive, and reassuring way
• Communicate with girls and their parents

A wellness visit for a girl between the ages of nine and 12 could include information about puberty—appearance of breasts, body hair, and menstruation. While a wellness visit for an older teen could include information about sexual activity, pregnancy prevention, and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

What's normal?

Every young girl (and parents, too) want to know "What's normal?" Here are some general guidelines for girls ages 13 to 17:

Physical development

• Complete puberty, physical transition to adulthood
• Reach adult height

Cognitive development

• Make decisions based on options, consequences
• Build skills to become self-sufficient
• Analyze, respond to media messages
• Seek power over her life
• Learn to drive, increase independence

Emotional development

• Develop healthy relationships
• Understand their feelings
• Value personality over appearance

Sexual development

• Understand they are sexual creatures
• Understand options and consequences
• Understand pregnancy, HIV, and STDs