How we cite our quotes: (Chapter. Paragraph)
Quote #1
I don't use deodorant yet. I don't think people start to smell bad until they're at least twelve. So I've still got a few months to go. (1.2)
Ah, if only puberty were really that simple.
Quote #2
That's another thing. My mother's always talking about when I'm a teenager. Stand up straight, Margaret! Good posture now makes for a good figure later. Wash your face with soap, Margaret! Then you won't get pimples when you're a teenager. If you ask me, being a teenager is pretty rotten—between pimples and worrying about how you smell! (4.10)
One of the great things about childhood is having a pretty easy relationship with your body. And then the teen years come along and mess everything up. Don't worry though, Shmoopsters—it's tricky for everyone, and your body eventually chills out a bit.
Quote #3
All through supper I thought about how I was going to tell my mother I wanted to wear a bra. I wondered why she hadn't ever asked me if I wanted one, since she knew so much about being a girl. (5.81)
Perhaps because she knows enough about being a girl to recognize that you don't have any boobs yet, Margaret? One of the trickiest things about growing up is that social expectations don't always (or often) sync up with how our bodies are changing.