TALKING PERIODS WITH MY 8 YEAR OLD!

There was this time when we heard all little girls around us who were moving into this saga called menstruation. Having their first period and experiencing all that comes with it!

This must have been a year or so back when both my mom and I got a little worried that our little one at home (8 years old then) was not aware about the changes that she will go through when she hits puberty, how will she react if she knows there is going to be blood (she is petrified by the sight of blood) how will her body take it at such a tender age and if is she prepared enough. That’s when we along with the support from my husband decided that we should at least keep her informed and should not take her by surprise.

The best way I thought was to explain things using a book I found this very nice book called Books for Girls (I don’t recall the exact name) in the market and we stared reading it together. At first she was a little confused about the content of the book but then she agreed to stay with me and when we reached the stage where the blood came into picture, she was terrified! She was worried her panties and dress will stain, she wanted to know what if it did not stop and had a million more doubts.

I had to break it down to her saying this blood is good will make you more healthy, we can use the diapers that mommy uses and it will come in all sizes, and I guaranteed her that it will stop after 3-5 days depending on her body type. She went on to sleep with all this information and the next day comes back to me and asks me, “Mom is there anyway we can avoid the blood coming out?” and I comforted her and told her all women go through it and when she understood that it stops completely after a certain age she felt a bit better.

We forgot about the topic our discussion and recently a friend of hers missed dance classes for more than a week. When she came back, she was telling the teacher she couldn’t make it because she got her first period and my girl and another friend overheard that. They come home after the class and my daughter’s friend asked her mother what it was all about when I noticed that my girl stepped in confidently and explained the whole topic of menstruation in her own words. She talked about the popular brand Whisper and even sang the jingle from the advertisement. Both the mothers looked at each other with a huge sense of relief and felt like half the battle was won!

Of course, we had to spend time explaining how a girl’s body is different from a boy’s body and how each one has their phase of puberty. Today, she is 9 years old and while we are glad she is ready, we continue to comfort her and let it happen whenever it has to!

-SUKANYA RAJAN

 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Wonder Women World.