The primary care pediatric nurse practitioner is performing…
The primary care pediatric nurse practitioner is performing a well child exam on a 12-year-old female who has achieved early sexual maturation. The mother reports that she spends more time with her older sister’s friends instead of her own classmates. What will the nurse practitioner tell this parent? Early-maturing girls need to identify with older adolescents to feel a sense of belonging. Girls who join an older group of peers may become sexually active at an earlier age. Spending time with older adolescents indicates a healthy adjustment to her maturing body. The association with older adolescents will help her daughter to gain social maturity.