Periods & puberty

My daughter is 3.5 so not there yet but she already knows what a period is, pads etc (no privacy haha)

An idea I've seen floating around that I like is creating a period kit to have in their bags from the age of about 8/9 just in case that includes a change of clothes plus a note that says I got my period today that they can give to a parent when they arrive home.

Unfortunately, i have experienced this as a child from my step mom. I got my first period whenever i was 10 and instead of teaching me how to take care of it, she would shame me for not knowing how to take care of it. It's horrible that it's a common thing.

My mom taught me about periods a few years before she passed away when I was 12. By the time my period came (14) I'd completely forgotten about it all and went to my stepmom crying about thinking I'm dying and she briefed me on it and got me some products. After she explained I connected the dots and remembered what my mom had once explained. Not the best situation but not the worst. I had to teach my little sister because she didn't want to speak to my stepmom about it. I did end up calling in my Stepmom to help me explain it to my sister though because I'd only just started mine myself I hardly knew how to explain it to her. She was earlier than I was.

I was raised to basically be embarrassed about it and to cover any proof of it under the bathroom trash (leave the trash full on purpose to use it to hide menstrual products) so that my dad and brother wouldn’t see it - no understanding as to why I should’ve been ashamed but definitely had to break that thought process on my own so I can do better for my baby one day!

I did have a negative experience. No one explained puberty to me. I literally thought I was dying when I got my first period.

Yes! It was always a very hush-hush topic. My parents even tried to get the schools i went to to let me skip health class so that we wouldn’t learn about it and other stuff anywhere else either but they were told I couldn’t pass highschool without taking it. Obv took the classes but parents were very upset about it!

This makes me so unbelievably sad, and really appreciative of my experience with puberty. When I started my period, my mum was out… my dad went to the shop and got me my first pack of pads. He used to make sure I had ibuprofen and water by my bed to ease my cramps, and used to keep a track of my ‘due days’ so I was never caught out not having pads and things when I needed them. So did my mum, but I was shocked by how involved my dad was as I never expected it. I just thought it would be awkward but it never ever was

To this day, I can’t talk about my period to my mom. It was always such a taboo thing that we never talked about. School kind of taught about it and that was it. I didn’t even tell her when I got my period.

I have two girls and am making sure to be more open with it all.

I was a late bloomer I guess. 6th grade toward the end of the year. We had a class on it in 5th grade so knew what it was. I started at school and went to the nurses office. Told my mom amd she got me some products. Only negative experience i had was that summer and my mom forced tampons on me. I was struggling to insert amd it was painful. Didn't want them and she yelled at me and told me I had to use them. Idk why she wanted me to use them over pads but as an adult I literally can't wear them anymore as I have a reaction to them.

Personally I prefer pads and find them more comfortable and will never force my daughters to one menstruation product.

My mom was excited for us. I remember when my sister got hers and my mom was cheering and so happy for my sister LOL I got mine while on a cruise with my grandma but my mom was also equally excited. It wasn’t shameful or something to be hidden and secret. Our bodies did what it was suppose to do and we entered a new stage and journey in life and she showed us it was natural and okay and very normal.