Your darling daughter is growing up. She’s just turned 10 and is just a few years away from her teens. You decide that it’s time to have the talk, and why not? It’s better to be prepared when periods decide to finally introduce themselves to your daughter. Yes, it’ll be awkward, for you as well as for her. But having the talk is necessary. She will thank you for it.
So how should you go about it? First & foremost; you need not be awkward about it. You, as a woman, have gone through it and have been where your daughter is. But let us give you a few pointers of how to go about it.
- Prepare her well– Explain to her the whole process of why the menstrual cycle happens, why it’s a good thing that the vagina discharges blood once every month. Explain what happens when the blood starts flowing and why it hurts. She should also know what types of sanitary pads or tampons to use. No details about periods should be spared. It’s best that she knows what will happen rather than her finding out on her own and not knowing what to do.
- Explain Explain Explain!!– Tell her that her first few periods will most likely be light and fairly irregular. She should be aware of the duration of each period. ALWAYS let her know that asking questions is OK.
- Talking About Changes in Her Body– Your daughter will develop physically as her puberty hits. Her body becomes curvier. Hair starts growing on the body, etc. She will go through hormonal changes and you should be there for her when does go through it.
- Not Making It Awkward– Whether you’re watching TV and a commercial about tampons or sanitary pads starts airing or you hear some other people talking about periods in person in front of your daughter, don’t make it awkward. It’s perfectly alright for her to know about these things. She will eventually see and hear things on her own.
- Involve Other Family Members– Her dad, her brother should
be absolutely comfortable knowing what your daughter is going through. So in case you are not around for whatever reasons, there is always someone there to guide her and answer her queries. - A Handy Period Kit– Your daughter may get her first period when you might not be around. Maybe in a school or if she’s out somewhere. Ensure to have a period kit ready which she can carry around with her. Keep a small pouch which can fit in a couple of teen size sanitary pads and a few clean underwears.
- Talk About Tampons: While it’s ideal to wait for sometime before introducing tampons to your daughter, it is perfectly alright for them to know about them in advance so that they can at least try them out and see what is comfortable for them. Don’t block them from any sort of information. After
all she has the right to choose what product is best for her.
Your daughter is always going to look up to you when it comes to her periods. She would be scared and confused at first. You’re her support system so you have to
