metro >>
CINEMN
L.
'The Talk'
.ss,
Turning Teen helps moms, girls ease
into puberty knowledgeably.
THE RIVIERA CINEMA
located in Farmington Hills is your
neighborhood movie theatre where you
can enjoy all of Hollywood's great new
releases. Parking is convenient and easy.
Stacy Gittleman I Contributing Writer
H
Come relax in an overstuffed
recliner while enjoying a handcrafted
pizza, delicious hot buttered popcorn,
and a cocktail or soft drink.
GO¢ have yew
seats waiting
bee you!
For showtimes and tickets, please visit therivieracinema.com
Gift Card,
ILIA
While at the Riviera,
make sure to pick
up gift cards for
those movie-lovers
in your life.
Ask for them at
E
the box office.
ONE FREE
SMALL POPCORN
with this coupon
Expires 11/30/15
not valid with other offers
The Riviera Cinema
30170 Grand River Ave
(off of 9 mile, just West of Middlebelt)
Farmington Hills, MI 48336
248-476-0060
therivieracinema.com
2041
28 November 5 2015
ow do you start "the talk"
with an 8-year-old girl on the
cusp of puberty? Lisa Klein
and Carrie Leff, two local pediatricians
and the creators of Turning Teen, a
new business designed for moms and
their tween daughters, suggest asking
this matter-of-fact question: "Do you
know where your uterus is?"
Their first Turning Teen public
workshop — for moms and daughters
age 8 and up who have not yet reached
puberty — is scheduled for Saturday,
Nov. 14, in Birmingham. In addition,
Turning Teen offers group workshops
for mothers and daughters in the pri-
vacy of a home setting.
Workshop topics range from the
basics on female anatomy and hygiene,
to a moms-only class about talking to
daughters about puberty, to human
sexuality and reproduction for girls
age 10 and up and their mothers.
Klein is a pediatrician in private
practice with Child Health Associates
P.0 in Troy and Leff is a pediatri-
cian and internist with Novi Internal
Medicine and Pediatrics. The doctors
became friends and colleagues during
their pediatric residency at William
Beaumont Hospital.
As their careers progressed, they
realized they both shared a passion
for teaching their patients and their
parents about adolescent health. They
were particularly concerned with how
mothers should address puberty with
their daughters, who experience far
more drastic body changes than boys
do during puberty.
As doctors, we are very well versed
in talking about bodies, puberty and
sex:' Klein said. "In the office and
amongst friends, we hear moms hav-
ing difficulty using correct names for
body parts and explaining how babies
are made. We noticed that these amaz-
ing moms, out of fear for saying the
wrong thing, retreated to saying noth-
ing at all."
Leff said, "Let's face it: Girls have a
lot more to deal with during puberty
because they get their period:' She
emphasized that the onset of a girl's
menstrual cycle is the final, not the
first phase of her puberty. "They need
to understand that this is the natural
physiology of their bodies. The ear-
Drs. Lisa Klein and Carrie Leff help
moms and daughters discuss puberty
issues.
her a girl understands how her body
works, the less embarrassed she will be
and the more respect and self-confi-
dence she will have [for her body.]"
The two also agreed that sex edu-
cation classes offered in the public
schools were the same "dry and unen-
gaging" offerings they experienced
as kids in the 1980s. After months
of poring over medical journals, sex
education books and the Internet, they
culled the best of the best resources to
fuel their new business venture. They
pack each seminar with role-playing
activities, music, giveaways and
resources to continue the conversation
back home.
Turning Teen is a shared venture
independent of their affiliated medical
practices. In its pilot phase and only
aimed at girls and moms, the doctors
hope their new business model takes
off and expands to include classes for
boys. *
Details
Turning Teen offers a public workshop
for mothers and daughters age 8 and
up who have not yet reached puberty
from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, in
the Baldwin Public Library, 300 W.
Merrill St., Birmingham. Cost is $75. For
details, go to www. turningteen.com
or call (248) 791-2410.