If you’re a parent in the Seattle area, chances are you’ve been to, heard about, or will soon learn about the puberty classes that Julie Metzger created almost three decades ago.
Metzger makes what is often a painful conversation actually kind of enjoyable. Strutting around the class with pads stuck to her shirt, she happily says out loud all of the awkward things kids and parents are thinking about puberty.
Metzger came up with the idea for the class when she was getting a masters in nursing at the University of Washington. She was helping out on a study that asked adult women how they learned about puberty and where they got that information. What was “the talk” like for them? Metzger realized that the answers varied so much and that she wanted to create a space where that conversation about growing up could be safe and fun.
Sound Effect's Jennifer Wing sat down with Metzger to talk about how she makes this class about the birds and the bees so much fun for tweens and parents alike.
