Period: The Talk with Teens

 

Periods, The talk with teens about their periods. Every girl gets one. Talking to your daughters can be intimidating it doesn’t have to be.

 

Lets just say this was not one of my favorite talks I had or will have with my daughters, but it is one of the most important ones I will have. The average girl starts her period between the ages of 8-11. Yes, 8. Therefore, it was important for me to talk to them early so they could be ready emotionally and physically. This was a great time to also talk about sex and boys.

 

The first step was to tell them what a period was. I started them young as they were girls and they always asked me when they would bust through my bathroom door. I would answer to their knowledge level of understanding.

 

The second step when they got a little older was to talk about where babies came from. I did an open dialogue with them so they could ask me questions and add to the conversation.

 

Now that the time is here. These are steps I put in place so my children would hopefully not experience any embarrassing moments at school that they could not handle.

 

1. Keep Tylenol on hand. I bought menstrual cramp medicine. A  heating pad also works wonders to help with cramping.

2. Smart phones have really great apps that can help keep track of their periods. I use one as I don’t like to be blind sided. My daughter now added an app to her phone as well.

3. Buy a small makeup purse for them to stick in their backpacks. Small enough to be discrete but big enough to hold a few pads and lip gloss etc.

4. Buy period panties. I know we all have them, so don’t short change your daughters in this department.

5. Teach them proper hygiene, again this might seem odd that I’m even having to say this as a tip, But believe me when I say there are grown women out there that don’t know what proper hygiene is. That means shower everyday, keep it clean “downtown”, stack up on pads, and have flushable wipes. Teach them the proper way of disposing of pads at home and in public. You won’t believe the many women I have come across that think flushing a mattress down the toilet is okay.

6. Plan a gynecologist or physician appointment for your daughter after her first period. This is to make sure everything is in working order.

7. She might have her first period but a month or two might pass with no period at all. This is normal.

8. Take her with you to purchase pads or tampons which ever you choose for her. This well show her the different types and kinds that are available to her. There are plenty of pads and tampons designed just for teens with nice little wrappers.

When you start your first period you are now a woman. I want my daughters to feel comfortable and not have them think that having a period was a bad thing. So arranged a one on one with my oldest daughter. I took her to dinner and we got mani-pedis. This was also a great time for me to talk to her alone and give her a chance to ask any questions on her mind.

 

To say that the talk was easy it wasn’t, but in my opinion the longer you wait eventually she will hear it from someone else like a friend not quite fit for the job. The sad thing is when my daughter did start her period and a friend of hers did to her poor friend was clueless and so scared and embarrassed. I’m not an expert on any of this, but I know my children. I would not want them at school traumatized by a period.  There is great information out there on the internet if you need help. Ask the pediatrician as well. They can lead you in the right direction. I hope this helps all the mothers and fathers who have daughters. Until next time sweets xoxo.