Your period starts. Or it doesn't, and everyone else's has.
You think you're too fat, or too thin.
You aren't quite sure about your emotions; they seem to be all over the
place, totally out of your control.
Maybe a friend is dating a boy who seems abusive. Or maybe you know people at school who have tried drugs, and want you to.
The mixed messages that our young girls receive -- from their parents, their peers and society -- are difficult to translate as adults, much less as teens. But there's a good website, girlshealth.gov, run by the federal government's Health and Human Services department, that does a pretty great job of it.
Here's the home page:
http://www.girlshealth.gov/index.cfm
The content is deep and wide. Categories include Body, Fitness, Nutrition, Illness & Disability, Drugs Alcohol & Smoking, Your Emotions, Relationships, Bullying, Safety and Your Future. Information is clearly written -- it doesn't talk down to teens, but it's not over their heads, either -- and resources are plentiful (How to help a friend with an eating disorder, for instance, or what to do if someone threatens harm to others).
The site wants girls to "Be Healthy. Be Happy. Be You. Beautiful." We couldn't agree more.
Take a peek. It's pretty cool.