When your teen daughter get's her period

My daughter is 13 almost 14 and for awhile all of her friends have been growing up super fast.  She cheers and I can remember from back when she was 10 her friends getting their periods.  I was amazed how young girls start now, when I was younger 13-15 was the average, now it seems as though 9-12 is average.  My daughter was the last of the group of girls she is friends with to start, she would be mad if she knew I was posting about this but wanted to provide some websites and helpful information for other mom's who are going thru this time.

I have always been super open with my daughters, even my five year old knows about getting your period and what it is some what, because she is always using the restroom with me and I had to explain what was up when I had mine.  I have always had an open door policy with my girls, we talk about everything, I never lock my door when I am in bathroom or showering.  My older daughter comes in when I shower and we talk about her day, they have always been raised to feel comfortable with themselves and with mom about everything.  I feel this is so important, my mom never talked to me about my period or anything about puberty, when I got my first period I was at school and went to the nurse to get a pad, I later was freaked out all day and almost embarrassed to go home and tell my mom, so I went home and when she left I stole pads, I did this for awhile before she busted me and asked, that is how I told her and this was months later.

My daughter and I have been talking about it on and off for a few years since her first friend got her period when my daughter was 10.  She had started to feel she was never going to get her period and I told her be happy, you don't want it lol, it isn't something fun, I remember because I was afraid of tampons up till I gave birth to my first daughter, I would miss the beach, pool days and water parks when I had my period.  I really wanted things to be different with my daughter, I didn't want her to feel awkward to talk about it or feel like anything really changes, it is a big deal, my little girl is growing up and changing before my eyes, but it is also just part of life, we all get it.  When she started hers this week she texted me from school, I had her carrying a little bag in her book bag with a change of underwear, pads and wipes that way she would not have to feel shy going to the school nurse or office to ask for anything.  We had started doing this in 5th grade when the health teacher had a class and the girls all talked about puberty, getting their periods and what to expect.  Over the years we changed the bag up, when we started it was a small ziploc bag that I lined with a paper towel so you could not see what was inside, we used products they gave them at school, samples that Kotex had provided the school with, these samples were amazing, they gave them a little started kit with informative little booklet, wipes and panty liners, then regular pads.

There are a few sites that offer samples, my favorite is the Kotex site, they have pads, liners and tampons, there little sample kit comes with a couple items and not just one sample.  They also have a great site the girls can sign up for and read about other girls experiences, along with reading reviews on products.  I think this is great for young girls who are unsure of what to do, think etc.  Some girls are super shy and won't want to talk to their friends or even maybe their family.  I made sure if I told anyone they knew not to bring it up in front of her, I picked her up from school that day and we went alone together to walmart to grab some essentials.  After our walmart trip we went to eat so we could talk and if she had any questions I could answer them, but because we are so open and talk often she didn't have to many questions or concerns.  So what did we get on our trip you may wonder, if you are going thru this yourself?  I was going to go with out her and grab several small packs of pads in different brands, sizes and absorbencies so she had a selection to try in the beginning, then some comfy cotton panties, snacks, and a magazine.  I ended up figuring this was something she should be a part of and that I would have loved to pick out what I wanted when I was her age so I would bring her with me.

When we got to the store I could see she was a little freaked, almost shy, like wow is my mom making this a special shopping trip, then felt like everyone was watching us.  I made a point to not talk about it and just pretend like we were there to grab what we needed, so I didn't make her feel uncomfortable.  We went to the aisle and I let her browse.  When we were alone on the aisle I asked her what she was drawn to and what she wanted to try, she grabbed the boxes that were bright and colorful, targeted towards teens.  We ended up trying the teen made ones by Kotex, Always regular, some wipes they make by Kotex, that way she can feel clean when she has to be at school all day or has cheer or basketball.  We also got some Motrin, chocolate, new cotton panties so she doesn't have to wear her favorites and also some aren't really made to be worn with pads, she opted against tampons or even trying anything like that, till she feels she is ready and when she needs to if she is going to the beach.  I had read online that you should be sure to make tampons an option for your daughter so she doesn't feel she has to miss out on swimming or beach with her friends.

I get Birchbox and they sent me these cute little Ziploc bags with prints on them awhile back, I used these to put together her latest bag she was carrying in her book bag up until she started, it had a change of panties, a small packet of wipes and 3 pads.  Now she carries change of panties, two wipe packets and three pads every day.  I think this is the first step as a mom you should take, is making sure around the time her friends start getting their periods, which is about 4th and 5th grade now, I know it sounds young but they are starting this time.  Make sure you talk to her about it and let her know it isn't anything to be freaked out about and explain everything you can think of.  You can even ask your pediatrician for information, I know my daughter's doctor had informative pamphlets in the office that she had read when we went for her year check up.  Then put together a little bag so she is ready, something that isn't big, is private and won't stand out if she needs to make a run to the restroom.  I used a plastic bag at first and lined it with a paper towel so you could not see what was inside.  I think it is important they have their own little kit so that way they don't have to feel embarrassed going to the school nurse or teacher to let them know they started, I had major anxiety when I had to let my schoool guidance counselor know when I started mine, I was so scared to say it, but I went to christian school and was raised in a home where stuff like that wasn't talked about and was almost taboo.

I have put together a couple of informative sites, sites that offer samples and more.  Please feel free to comment or contact me too, if you have any questions or anything I can add here for other moms.

Make sure to check out the Kotex site, they have lots of samples of their products as well as a lot of informative info for yourself and your tween/teen daughter.  I love this site and can't express how much info and samples we got that we loved.

Kotex Tween products

Kotex, Get the facts

Always Website

Will have more added sites and links to come.  Hope this was helpful and informative for all mom's of tweens/teens.  This is a time your daughter is really going to need her mom to talk to and it is also a great bonding time.