5 Things You Shouldn’t Do or Say When Your Daughter Gets Her Period

 

5 Things You Shouldn’t Do or Say When Your Daughter Gets Her Period

There are a ton of firsts in life. Your first day of school, your first missing tooth, your first car. What about the first that many women don’t talk about. What about your first period.

I can remember exactly where I was, what I was wearing and those terrifying first words my Mom said to me – “welcome to womanhood.”  UGHHH… What does that even mean anyway?! I had no idea what to expect. Sure, we discussed a menstruation cycle in some creepy sex-ed class in 6th grade, but does anyone actually take that stuff seriously?

I have always been very open with my kids. Part of it because I have zero privacy, and the other part because I want to be the one who informs them about the important pieces of life. The last thing I want is for them to hear about what to expect from their period from some girl at school. Of course, kids are going to talk, but I want my girls to be fully educated the proper way. Maybe then they will be the ones educating their friends since I know there are plenty of parents out there who don’t feel comfortable enough talking to their kids about personal matters. I am not one of those Moms.

Ladies, please educate your daughters. Celebrate their first cycle. It’s going to be something they remember forever so make it worth remembering. Here are a few ways to make the best of it:

• Tell her all about your experience with your first period – the good, the bad and the ugly. Be real, she will be thankful you were.

 

• Get her a period starter kit to make sure she is prepared – I found a few good ones on Amazon.

 

• Watch this video for a good laugh. It will be completely worth it:

 

 

• When the day finally comes, stock up on ice cream, chocolate and all of the best chick-flicks you can find. A day in bed with her Mom is exactly what she needs.

 

• Download a period tracker app on her phone or get her a small pocket planner and teach her how to track her cycles. Being prepared is half the battle.

 

• Give her a book about dealing with periods and puberty and let her read it by herself if she chooses. Don’t forget to talk about related hygiene, and health matters, including dealing with cramps and periods in general. BLAH!

Here are a couple of my favorites:

1. The Care and Keeping of You from the American Girl library (available at major booksellers). The book talks about how to care for your body as a girl and has a great section about tampons, pads etc.
2. The Period Book is a simple yet very informative book with a little more than the basics for everything relating to pre- and post-first period. You may want to give this to your daughter before her first period, so she knows what to expect.

Here’s a list of 5 things that you should NOT say or do when your daughter gets her first period:

1. Do not say – “I just called the family in for a meeting. It’s time to tell them what happened.”
2. Do not say – “That’s why you’re so moody!”
3. Do not slap her across the face. While I’ve heard this is or was actually a tradition, I would stay clear of this one. Besides, isn’t getting your period enough of a shock?
4. Do not hand her pads in public. Everything we do as parents are embarrassing at this age as it is, let’s not add to the pot.
5. Do not say – “Guess what! Nevaeh is now a woman”! Ever. To anyone.

And last but not least, let your daughter’s mood and personality determine what is best. Talk to her about why she does or doesn’t want to celebrate, and use this as a chance to pass on your own wisdom about having a female body. It’s important for girls to feel positive about their bodies so they can grow up feeling comfortable in their own skin.