“Mom, I think my period just started.” Here are some tips for when your daughter reaches this milestone.
- You’ll want to celebrate with her. However, refrain. She wants you to be calm and not make a big deal out of it.
- She might cry. It’s likely she’s heard girls talking about it and she doesn’t want her period yet, she’s emotional, she’s scared, she doesn’t want her childhood to leave her (the average age of a girl when she gets her first period is 12).
- You’ll need to go to Target by yourself to get supplies.
- There are teen pads now! Buy a selection: teen pads, Always size 1, panty liners, and a thicker pad for nighttime.
- Buy her flowers. This is a very special milestone in a girl’s life.
- Talk about flow, and how often she should change her pad.
- She’ll be nervous about the pad’s wrapper making noise in the school’s bathroom stall. Let her know she can flush or cough.
- The pad will feel strange. Let her know the size is correct.
- Prepare her that her period will be irregular for the first year.
- Talk about how her body might feel right before and during her period (cramps, breast tenderness).
- Suggest she track her period – start date, daily flow, and end date (use a notebook or an app).
- Talk, talk, talk…and listen. Ask her what her friends are saying about periods. See what questions she has. Discuss how her body works. Talk about sex.
- Make sure your daughter packs extra pads and has them in the backpack at all times. Perhaps create a baggie with a spare pair of underwear.
- Most doctors agree girls will still grow 2”-4” after their first period.
- We haven’t gotten to tampons yet. Some of my friends’ daughters went straight to tampons, others waited.
Not there yet? Here’s a great article about preparing your daughter for her first period. Another great resource is AMAZE, a site that filters information (videos and articles) by age to show child and adolescent sexual development as natural and healthy.
Photography: Jessica Rockowitz Photography + Film
