A workshop on the role of parents in handling children experiencing precocious puberty has revealed that many mothers from well-off families are ignorant of the growing phenomenon and the risks it exposes their school-going daughters to.

The first-of-its-kind workshop, organised by St Augustine?s Day School last week, also shed light on the fact that the mothers are unaware of how to deal with the situation when their wards show signs of advanced adolescence.

?We were astonished to note that many of the mothers we met had daughters who had shown signs of puberty before the age of 10. But the mothers were unconcerned about the problems the daughters might face because of it,? said Keya Majumdar, one of the four doctors who had one-to-one interactions with mothers of more than 50 girl students of the school.

The doctors warned that advanced puberty can lead to many complex problems, including abuse, if not addressed by the guardians at the right time.

?Realising the risks involved when the girls are ignorant about the problems of precocious puberty, we asked mothers of students studying between Classes III and V to talk to the doctors,? said G. Vincent, headmistress of the primary section of the school.

?There were some mothers who didn?t even know that they should consult doctors if their wards do not experience puberty two years after developing secondary sex characteristics,? said Supreeta Das, a doctor at the workshop.

The doctors had some suggestions for the parents:

Children should be apprised about puberty before it begins

They should be reassured that it is part of the natural process of growing up

Children should be taught basic hygiene.

?We cannot deny that children do face the problem. The suggestions would help us bring up our children better,? said Sampa Das, one of the participants.