You're Growing Up (1955)

[Music] Growing up is a strange and exciting experience full of pleasure, pain and wonder. And everyone asks himself, "How will I turn out? What will I have to go through? What will it be like?" Well, the most important thing to know is that each person is different and so he grows differently. But each of us will at some time or other go through four major periods of growing up. The first period lasts about 3 or 4 years and is the fastest period of growth. During this period, size increases, but the body is out of proportion. Head large, legs small. The baby is almost completely helpless and depends on mother to take care of her, to wash, dress, and feed her. Because she's growing fast, her appetite is tremendous, and she needs a lot of sleep. The baby is self-centered. She feels the whole world revolves around her desires. In the beginning, the baby is awkward and she tries hard to control her muscles and limbs. She does not know what will hurt her because she has little knowledge to guide her. Each new experience, however, adds to the store of facts in her mind. And though the experience may hurt, it helps to avoid pain the next time. The baby also looks outside herself for a guide, learns to read the signs and understand the value of obedience. It helps to keep her safe. The baby resents anything or anyone that apparently robs her of her mother's attention and love. During the second period, which lasts from about age 4 to age 10, growth slows down. The rhythm is calm and even. Here, Dotty is not as awkward as the baby was. She does many things for herself now and depends less on her mother. At this age, a girl likes to play at being mother, a boy at being father. This is her way of saying she's not a baby anymore. She's growing up. And she learns to shift some of her love for her parents and her desire for their attention to others. She discovers that beside herself and her family, there are other children in the world and playing with them can be great fun. Billy uses the same belt hole because during the second period, size and weight change slowly. And because Billy is growing slowly, he has good coordination. He is used to his arms and legs and is a good climber. He's growing in another way. He learns to read and his mind climbs too from one idea to another. Billy has also developed a conscience. He knows when he's doing right or wrong. and when he does something wrong. Now he feels guilty. In the third period, from about age 11 to 16, growth speeds up again, marked by many changes. These changes sometimes cause worry. Jill is worried about the size of her feet. She need have no fear. In this period, feet frequently grow to full size before the rest of the body. She simply has to learn to get used to them. Jill's body is changing radically. She's becoming a young lady and she's very much interested now in how she looks to her parents, friends, and of course to herself. If Jill gets tired at night, she's not lazy. Because she's growing fast, her body needs more sleep. And at this age, Jill develops deep interests and friends. This is part of learning to get along with others. And here, Johnny is going through a fat stage. Some children grow first in weight before in height. So, Johnny will be fat for a while until he begins to grow tall. And here Gary's voice is changing because the vocal cords and voice box are growing. The desire to do more and more things for oneself becomes stronger. With Gary, it's picking out his own clothes. This gradual desire for independence is one of the most interesting parts of growing up. Controlling anger becomes a problem. There are frequent clashes of desire between Gary and his father. When he can't have his way, he gets angry and horrible thoughts of revenge creep into his mind. He should not be afraid of these thoughts. They are a natural outgrowth of his anger. Just remember, thoughts will never hurt anyone, but actions might. One of the shest signs that Gary's learning to control his feelings is his being able to wait his turn. By the end of the third period, Dave is very anxious to become an adult. His body begins to look like a man, but he's still growing fast, and so he's hungry all the time. Dave can't understand why the coach, who's no bigger than he is, always wins. The answer is simple. Muscles are among the last parts of the body to grow up. Bones and weight come first. In a few years, when his muscles have developed completely, Dave may be able to beat the coach. Here, Lee is wondering about being tall and gangly. She grew in height before in weight. Though she may never get fat, it's a good idea to develop the posture now that will keep her looking good when her weight does come. Sometimes excess oil forms under the skin and causes blemishes. The best thing for them is a mild soap and water. And like most cases, leaves will probably disappear by the time she finishes growing. In the fourth period between the ages of 17 and 20, the body growth slows down and stops. Then you are full grown. A girl is usually somewhat taller than her mother. A boy somewhat taller than his father. Emotionally, you should have achieved a healthy measure of independence. You should know your own mind and at the same time be able to accept help gracefully from others. You should know your own desires and be able to wait and work for their satisfaction. You should know who you are and what you want to be and be thinking about the future, a career and family. This is the story of growing up. [Music]