1st Period and further on prep
Dear parent,
Your teen has reached, or is about to reach, a glorious new season of life, and so are you! We understand that it is daunting, that you might be unsure of how to communicate the details and that you probably could have waited a bit longer for your darling to grow up.
That being said, whatever you do and say, please remember: periods are not terrible of frightening; it is beautiful and should be treated that way. Your teen will need you as a mentor with an attitude of reassurance and understanding. For her to manifest acceptance of this new natural biological process of the female human body, your role is to serve as an information medium and soundboard as she learns.
Most girls get their period around the age of 12. But getting it anytime between the ages of 10 and 15 is okay too! Remember everybody is different and every girl’s body has its own schedule.
The first menstrual period is called “menarche”.
· Rule of thumb is that a period will start about 2 years after breasts start to show development.
· 6 months to a 1 year before it starts vaginal discharge fluid (sort of like mucus) will be visible on underwear.
How parents can prep
When you start to noticing physical changes indicating onset of puberty, discharge on underwear when doing laundry or maybe just when she starts asking questions, it’s a good time to start preparing your tween girl for the big P.
You might want to gradually start conversations around the period topic with her and see how much information she already has and how much she needs.
Create an engaging way to create a mini period readiness kit for her to carry with her.
Show her how tampons and pads are used.
Help her learn what a cycle is, how to monitor her cycle and discuss how she might feel when her period shows.
Reassure her that is a normal biological function that woman has, that it should not be feared and is nothing to be ashamed of.
Make sure she has the tools
Period tracker
Teach your daughter to keep a record of when her period starts and ends. Becoming familiar with her cycle will help predict on which day of the month she might start.
Period Box - Have a period box ready for her. This box might include pads, tampons, period underwear, a disposable bag, a period diary, warm water bottle and her favorite treat.
You are your daughters greatest teacher, above all teach her that womanhood is wonderful!
And if you too, do not have all the answers – ask Aunt Flo ;)
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