Does the word period make you cringe?

It is ok that you are uncomfortable with the word when it is used in relation to a female's body. What is NOT okay is allowing that discomfort to hinder you from necessary conversations with your daughter about her period.

By the end of this blog, all you will want to do is come up with creative ideas to prepare your daughter for her period.

#1 Don’t make it weird!

• Have casual conversations about the subject. This is not “The Talk”.

• We all know moms get absolutely no privacy in the bathroom. So if she happens to walk in and has questions…Answer Them!

• Ask if her friends are talking about periods and ask what they are saying. This is your opportunity to correct any incorrect information she may be getting from friends that they got from God knows where!

• Walk around the house with a pad on your forehead! Build a pad snowman. LOL!

• Do whatever you need to do to decrease the shame and make it not weird.

PERIODS ARE NORMAL!

PERIODS ARE NORMAL!

PERIODS ARE NORMAL!

#2 Don’t Assume They Know What You Know!

Don’t assume that they know the things that are simple to us.

• Teach her how to remove the paper on the back of the pad.

• Show her where to place the pad on the panty. (Believe it or not some adults still don’t get that right.)

• Show them how to properly discard a pad.

They have clean slates and a mind full of ideas that they may think is the right way.

#3 Spend Extra Time on Hygiene

Companies try to confuse our young girls with their fruity-scented vagina washes and their flowery sprays. But we know this is a huge no-no. That is a one-way ticket to Yeast Infection Utopia.

True story: a young girl started her cycle and immediately set her alarm for 10hrs. I asked her, “What are you doing?” She replied, “The package says up to 10 hours.” It was cute and horrifying at the same time.

• Show her how often to change her pad.

• Explain that most times when you are on your cycle it could require extra shower time.

After practice, after running errands, or just on those heavy days when your feeling icky. You may need to freshen up with a mid-day shower.

#4 Be Prepared

Ever heard of the saying, “if you stay ready you don’t have to get ready”? Well here is where it applies.

Prepare your daughter for the moment her cycle may come on. We all know Aunt Flow does not call before she comes, so it is important to keep your daughter prepared.

• Prepare your daughter for the moment her cycle may come on.

Find a discreet medium-sized pouch. Place wipes, a variety of pads, spare panties, some type of storage for soiled clothing, and black tights in the pouch.

I know this seems like a lot but all of these things can be flattened and placed in a medium-sized pouch. I made pouches out of candy bags to help young girls store their sanitary napkins and period emergency kit.

Kids are more confident when they are prepared. Even if she is at school and has an “accident” she can still walk confidently in her spare black tights to the nurse’s office to call you. Because she IS GOING TO CALL!

• Teach her how to track her cycle.

I know a lot of you think tracking your cycle is more for people trying to conceive but this is so far from the truth. You can track your cycle to be prepared for when it will come on again.

• Encourage her to write down anything that may seem unusual to her.

This way if she has questions you can have accurate information about the symptoms she’s experiencing. This information can also be taken to an OBGYN for more serious abnormalities.

#5 Normalize Self-Soothing

Acknowledge the fact that this crap hurts! No female’s body is the same. Not to mention that we have been dealing with menstrual pains much longer and have more than likely built a stronger tolerance for it.

• Teach her that it is ok to take a moment or a day to yourself to take care of yourself.

We literally bleed for 5 or more days and don’t die. She deserves to know that even though we have to keep going about our day like our uterus isn’t shedding, sometimes it is ok to say NOPE NOT TODAY!

• Introduce her to heating pads.

Heating pads help ease the pain of menstrual cramps. Here is a video on how you can make your own.

• Lavender tea is a personal soothing agent of mine. Lavender is a great relaxing agent.

• My all-time favorite self soother is Chocolate!! Dark chocolate is not always a favorite but it contains serotonin which is an antidepressant that helps with pain relief.

You've Got This!

No matter how uncomfortable the subject is to you, give your daughter a fighting chance to have one less thing to feel weird about during her adolescence. Allow her to feel self-assured about the changes her body is making.

Leave a comment on some strategies you used to prepare your daughter for her period.