Kids

Moms to their daughters: “We need to talk PERIOD”

by Kevyn Gohu
June 10, 2021

#RedTalks is here to bring up the squeamish topic of period and menstrual pain to help everyone be more aware of menstrual health.

We usually avoid talking about periods because we end up feeling squeamish. All that blood pouring out of our vagina (or vajayjay as Dr. Miranda Bailey from Grey’s Anatomy says) isn’t exactly what many would call good dinner conversation. But it’s something we need to bring up with our girls. As in, no drama, normal tone of voice, controlled expression — periods are normal. All women will experience it and no amount of freaking out is going to change that.

Periods are NORMAL!

We know that our daughters are about to get their period at some point. So the best thing we can do is talk about it in the open. While we’re tempted to just info-dump everything right there and then, there’s a lot more to be learned when there are conversations. Yes, you can have these talks multiple times because no two menstrual experiences are the same. Some girls have cramps sometimes, others don’t but crave boxes of chocolate instead. Some get their periods at 12, others get it at 8 years old.

While the timing as to when she gets it will be different, it doesn’t change the fact that as a woman — your daughters are going to get their period. Period.

Giving tips to your daughter about her Period

Before we give our tips, we have to make sure the environment screams “periods are normal!”. So, that can mean us having our daughters grab Sanitary Napkins from the supermarket for you while we handle the rest of the grocery list, exposing your packs of a sanitary napkin in the bathroom for her to see and/or, stocking all your bathrooms with feminine wash. All these will serve as cues to help set up the floor to talk about periods.

And once it becomes normal then, we can get into the specifics like how cleaning up during your period doesn’t mean you can just slap on soap and call it a day. It’s why we have feminine wash. Feminine washes like GynePro are designed to deal with all the issues that might come with a heavy period flow.

“There are specific needs during the red days that we need a special product for. During the red period, a woman is more susceptible to itching, odor, and infection because of the higher presence of bacteria during red days,” says Dra. Marie Dado.

Removing the stigma starts at home!

When it comes to shame about certain topics, kids never had that shame until they see it in grown-ups. As the adult, you’re the one in complete control on how your kids will see certain topics like sex, periods, drugs, and other things. We don’t mean having to dump everything on your daughters right there and then. It can also be a gradual introduction so that come the day she gets it, she knows she can run to you for help.