Childhood is the time for children to be in school and at play, to grow strong and confident with the love and encouragement of their family and an extended community of caring adults. It refers to the state and condition of a child’s life, to the quality of those years.

There is no universal definition of childhood. Yet many assumptions exist about what childhood is, how children develop, and the presumed capabilities and capacities of children. In other words, everything a child does is basically a preparation for adulthood.

Childhood as an age status is not fixed or universal. The experience and meaning of childhood differs across societies, time periods and between different groups. This means having a childhood is not a natural or inevitable period in a person’s life but a socially constructed episode.

Biologically, a child is a person between birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child defines child as “a human being below the age of 18 years unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier”.

A human being is considered to be a child from birth till the onset of puberty, that is, the age span from birth to 13 years, in the average child. Childhood in this age span ranges from birth to puberty. In India, this would mean that till 18 years of age one is a child.

Yes, you are most certainly still a child. Some people of that age prefer to be known as a young person, but legally you are still a child. You’re a teen/teenager/young person. A child is pre puberty.

Once you hit the age of 20, you are no longer a teenager. By definition, teenagers are those whose ages are the teen numbers, 13-19.

Your son won’t technically be a teenager for another year, but 12 is when the big transitions begin. That’s why kids this age are called preteens or tweens. Their world is getting bigger on every level: physical, mental, emotional and social.

No, 11 is not a teenager. 11 is preeteen and preadolescent. Those very very early in puberty can appear as a teenager though even voice drop (with initial start of puberty at 9). Opinions of the transition from ‘kid’ or ‘preteen’ or ‘per-adolescent’ to ‘teenager’ or ‘adolescent’ vary.

A: You can allow your child to shower alone as soon as he expresses an interest in having some privacy and you’re certain that he can get himself thoroughly clean, which includes washing and rinsing his hair and cleaning his private parts. You also have to be sure that he’ll be safe.