When to talk about periods to a little girl.

Lingua Franca

My daughter is 9, almost 10 years old.

I think my mother had the "the talk" with me when I was around 11, and I started having periods when I was nearly 14. But I know from other mothers and from working in a primary school that girls are starting to menstruate younger these days than in my generation.

I have a great relationship with my daughter and I would hate for her to be traumatised by thinking she's bleeding to death, but she's also quite the innocent and part of me is hesitant to lay this on her at this age.

Bah, i know what I have to do. Talk me into it, please?

hattoncracker

Tell her the basics now.

My mum said nothing and I got my periods just after my tenth birthday. I was terrified.

You don't have to tell her everything but the general stuff now.

eviltwin

I got my daughter a book when she was about 10. I knew she would be morto if I sat down and had a talk with her so I didn't want to make a big thing out of it. I gave her the book and told her that if she had any questions she could ask me. I also gave her a packet of towels to keep in her room from around the same age. She didn't start till she was 12 but I feel that she was prepared and it took the worst of the fear out of it.

Lingua Franca

Right after posting that I manned up and went and spoke to her. She said she knew some stuff already having heard it from her cousin, which helped. I showed her where the pantyliners are kept and how to use them and she said she would have come to me immediately anyway when it happens to her.

Much easier than expected! Thanks for the advice hattoncracker and eviltwin!

LadyMayBelle

Two excellent books imo:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0746069952/?tag=hydra0b-21&hvadid=9551160549&ref=asc_df_0746069952

and

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Have-You-Started-Yet-straight/dp/0230744907/ref=pd_sim_b_19

The latter got a huge thumbs up from my sister (10.5-11 at time of reading!). She dips into and I also gave her a little pack of pink post its and a pen so she could mark any pages where she had questions.

Normalising puberty and menstruation will help her realise she isnt bleeding to death (which many of us worried about!)

Lingua Franca

Thanks very much for those links, I just ordered the first one for her.

Morag

http://www.healthpromotion.ie/health/inner/busy_bodies

Busy Bodies Adolescent Development Programme provides information on the physical and emotional changes that children may experience during puberty, to reassure them that puberty is a normal part of growing up. Busy Bodies is a useful resource to help support both teachers and parents in providing information on puberty to children aged between 10 and 14.

Busy Bodies was developed to support the teaching of the 5th and 6th class component of Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) within the context of Social Personal and Health Education. It was produced by the Health Service Executive South working in partnership with the RSE Support Service, the National Parents Council (Primary) and the HSE Crisis Pregnancy Programme.

The programme includes an animated child friendly DVD, booklets in English and Irish and a user guide for teachers.
How do I order the DVD and Booklets?

Parents: To order a free copy of the DVD and booklet Free Text BUSY plus your name and address to 50444 or you can order here

There are links do download section of the book in pdf on the site and sections of the DVD are there for you to watch as well.