First period suggestions?

[GenLovesDen4ever]

I was wondering if you guys would help me with some ideas about special things a mom can do when her dd gets her first period. My girls are 12 and havent started yet but Im anticipating it happening any time now! Im wondering if there were any special gifts or a gift basket set I could put together and apart from the obvious I was wondering what else I could do to make them feel special? Also, with them going to school in a few weeks I really pray they dont have their first period in school. However, Id like them to be ready if they do! What can we do to discreetly hide some protection in their school bags. I gave them some pads to take to school if they needed it but they refused to carry them around for fear of someone finding them.

Now, this is kinda ... how do I put this? When I started my period and all thru my teen years, if anyone mentioned periods in my house, Id go running to my room crying. I was so embarrassed to talk about it. It was SO hard for me and its all coming back to me with my girls coming to this age. Im having to overcome some anxiety addressing this with my girls, but I want to make my girls feel special without embarrassing them whatsoever.

Any suggestions would be so very helpful! Thanks!!

[jen1981]

I don't have any suggestions, but if you search the old posts, I know Joylynn had one from when one of her daughters started. As I recall, it had some good ideas in it.

[Tammyn4As]

Abbey got hers when she was 10 so we went out to a nice dinner just the two of us and went shopping together for some kind of special big girl present to "celebrate". I think the only thing either one really remembers was her reaction to the chocolate cake at dinner! lol Sort of like George of the Jungle on coffee if you've ever seen that movie! She had always wanted to order that paticular cake but I had never let her because it is expensive (well to me it is anyway).

[momofweewerfs]

Kwynn got hers 2 months before turning 11. She just took it in very nonchalantly..so we did not make a big deal about it..it was almost the way she wanted it..BUT she is a competitive swimmer and it came the weekend of a huge qualifying meet,where if she got certain time standards she could compete at a western ontario level( not many girls from her age group on her team qualified). at first she wanted to skip the meet, so her and I went to the beach and walked the pier and talked about things and i said you still CAN swim even though you have your period, and that she had worked so hard all year long but the decision was hers..so she decided to swim and had a crash course on tampon use..and she ended up qualifying for 2 out of the 3 events she swam that weekend. Now 3 months later it is no big deal..she has not missed a day of swim practice...I think that it depends on the child as to what you do and you have to follow their lead..

[Madre]

We didn't make a big deal out of it either, but I would really encourage your girls to be as prepared as they can for surprises. Maybe they could carry supplies in a little zippered cosmetic bag.

[melinda]

I was kind of like you, I would of been upset if my parents celebrated it or even done any special treatment that my sisters, brother or even my dad would know or find out, I was very embarrassed of my period and didnt want anybody to know, I wasnt ashamed I knew it was a part of growing up but being a very private person I didnt want anybody to know, so I think it depends on their personalities, they make cosmetic looking bags specifically for pads or tampons(located by the pads and tampons), if she carries a purse then they normally have a zipper on the inside she could hide one in, if she doesnt carry a purse then maybe she would like to go shopping and pick out a purse, I never feared of anybody seeing a pad or tampon because I kept it in a little zipper so if my purse fell open no one would see it and I never let anybody dig through my purse even my best friend because I am a very private person, so imo if its something that might embarrass her then do a gift or whatever privately without anybody knowing (such as siblings or dad-which he can know just dont let her know he knows lol) until *she* is ready for others to find out BUT I am only going by how I felt as a little girl and since I dont have a daughter I really dont know what I am talking about lmbo GL

[GenLovesDen4ever]

Yeah, I dont plan any sort of 'celebration', just a little something special. Thanks for the suggestions so far tho. They are helpful. I couldnt do something where we were ALL to celebrate and make a big deal about it. One of my girls is like me, she blocks her ears up whenever I mention anything about puberty or sex or periods, bless her. The other one cant seem to talk about it enough sometimes. She likes to ask all the awkward questions. I think she likes to try to make me squirm... but Im better at playing that game (hehe)... thats off the subject, I would never do anything to intentionally embarrass them about this sort of thing, especially in front of anyone else, including their dad or brother.

[Kristyau]

Annie is 11 and hasn't got her period yet. However, when I sat down and told her about periods I handed her a special small bag (like a toiletry bag) with a couple pads in it, a clean pair of undies, and a plastic bag to put her dirty undies in). She carries it in a handbag EVERYWHERE, quite proudly, and just in case. Hadn't thought of any type of 'celebration'.

[jen1981]

I didn't mean the "whole family celebration" thing. That would be a bit much for me too, lol. I meant more the special dinner and/or shopping for maybe some more "grown-up" things, or getting their hair or nails done. I don't know about there, but here at WalMart in the feminine hygene section they sell really cute little pouches that are just the right size for pads and tampons. They don't look really wierd or obvious, just like a pocketbook. My oldest dd is only 7, so I still have a little while.

[ChamomileFriend]

I think getting them something small and cute to hide their things is a good idea and might help them relax about having to have pads or whatever in their bags. You might end up doing something different with each girl - maybe one would want more talking about about it and a mom-daughter dinner/other girls only event when it happens whereas the other would just like a book about it instead of talking about it and the event part could be optional for her if it makes her too uncomfortable?