Mom and Intro to Periods

My very first period, I was hanging out with a friend and when i went to the bathroom, I noticed discoloration in my underware. I kept going into the bathroom to keep checking because I suspected what it was but just kept hoping it wasn't. I ended up stuffing my underware in the trash. When my friend left, I told my mom I thought I had my period and she made me get my underware out of the trash so she could look at them and see if it really was my period!! Even without my friend knowing, I was mortified.

Well, I suppose I'm kinda unlucky. My mum died years before I started my period, and needless to say, my dad didn't do a very good job of telling me. In fact, he didn't mention it at all. Luckily , schools nowadays prepare you really well, and I got everything I needed to know from school, including free pads! My friends did a really good job of helping me too.Even after this I REALLY wished that I had my mum to talk about periods with, and I would advise any mother to make sure her daughter is comfortable with menstruation.

Waiting until the event occurs to talk to your daughter is the worst thing you can do. I had no idea what was happening to me, I was completely unprepared, terrified and upset. When I told my Mom I was bleeding she just turned back to the computer and said "There are pads under the sink in the bathroom. Now you can get pregnant." I didn't even know how to use a pad. Luckily my best friend was much more helpful. The only explanation I can think of is that she thought one of my sisters or the school had gone over everything, but that wasn't the case. Even if I had some idea of what was going on prior, I absolutely wanted my Mom to help - with the emotional part of the event that education alone can never cover. If I have a daughter I will have a talk with her as soon as she enters puberty, and teach her how it's a beautiful, life changing transition. Hopefully she will continue to trust me and let me help her after she crosses over into adulthood.

My mom had bought a supply of pads to keep in storage till I needed them. Then when I finally got it in 7th grade, I was too embarrassed to tell her, but I did a few days later. I called her on the phone. She was so excited, and wanted to make sure I wasn't in any pain or anything. Then when she got home she gave me flowers and a treat because I was now a 'woman.' Thanks mom! :)

My mom did pretty well. When I was about 12 years old she gave a box of pads and said to carry them with me in my school bag. Then when I actually started (when I was 13) she was really happy and really supportive. She wasn't too OTT about it, but I'm glad about that. When my daughter starts her periods I'm going to take her on a shopping spree and buy her new clothes and maybe a new cell phone.

My mum did an aweful job. Everything I knew about it was learned in school, and through my own research, I'm thankful I enjoy research and biology, or I wouldn't have known anything. Luckily I didn't start until I was almost 14.5, so I had plenty of time to learn before it came. I kept it a secret for about 2.5 years, until my mum asked one day if I had started, because if I hadn't there was a problem. Anything related to reproduction is kept silent in my family, no one tells anyone anything. I wish someone (preferably not my mum, as we are not close at all) would have explained puberty,sex and menstration to me when I was younger, rather than me finding out through my own efforts.

I hope that when I have girls that are begining puberty I will be a better mum and explain things to them, so that they are not uniformed or worse yet misinformed.