When I asked my seven years old niece about periods, she fled. I got concerned thinking of how to console her. To my surprise, she came back immediately with a bag showing me the sanitary pads in it. She said, “My mother has told me, if we get periods, we must place the pad in our panties.” Just out of curiosity, to know her awareness, I asked her what she knows about periods?
With a naughty smile, she told me, “Girls lose a little blood every month when they don’t have a baby in their tummy. There is no need to panic, place the sanitary napkin, and then everything will be okay.” I was happy that she knew what to do and was not concerned at all about it. When I was her age, I didn’t even know what a period is.
How To Start Talking About Periods?
The menstrual cycle usually starts around the age of twelve. Periods are considered as right on time, even at age eight. That is the reason it’s critical to talk about this point early. Kids should understand about periods before they have one or find out about their companions having one.
The earlier you start discussing with the kid about menstruation, the better. Kids may start asking questions when they see their mom or siblings using period products. That’s the perfect time to start the conversation with your kid about periods.
The Do’s And Don’ts While Talking About Menstruation
Do’s
- The first thing is to make the conversation simple.
- Understand their knowledge by asking what they already know about the topic.
- Spend time with them to watch animated videos on Youtube related to puberty.
- Use pictorial representations to make it easier for them to understand.
- Introduce kids to the different sanitary protection products available in the market.
- It’s good to make them follow the practice of keeping a couple of pads handy wherever they go. This is to make sure that they have one for themselves and to help any friend in need.
- Also, make them practice to keep track of their periods in an app or on a calendar. This will help to understand if your child’s menstrual cycle is exceptionally irregular.
- Give them the impression that their parents are available at any time to have these discussions.
- Plan for a series of conversations
- Do follow-ups and keep them updated.
Don’ts
- Don’t use substitutes for essential words. Talk to them straightforwardly.
- Don’t explain so in-depth in a way that they can’t follow you.
- Avoid single long lecturing.
- Even if your child is hesitant to discuss it openly, don’t give up,
Only by communicating with your kid, you can help wipe out tension or anxiety in them. You need not worry about not knowing all the facts to discuss with kids. You can always access trusted resources to get medically, accurate answers to share with them.
A Father Too Can Talk About Menstruation
Not only mothers, fathers too can talk about it. Still, the father is often an absent figure in the discussions on menstruation. Every girl child should feel comfortable to discuss any problems, including menstruation with her father. During our childhood days, our fathers would buy chocolates, dolls and whatever we needed. So why not sanitary pads too?
Most of the fathers in India dodge away from topics related to menstruation. Only a few girls have had understanding fathers who know the problems their daughters face during menstruation. Most fathers think it’s their mother’s responsibility. It’s high time we break this misconception. Both parents should be ready to discuss this with their kids.
Period Awareness Beyond Gender
I remember when my nine-year-old cousin asked about whisper ads on the television, my aunt told him that it’s a cotton material girls attach on their stomach for stomach ache. Even today, menstruation is widely considered as a ‘girl’s only’ thing.
Our society doesn’t give importance to the fact that boys should also be made aware of periods. In our education system, there are no such proper awareness classes on menstruation. Even in biology class, ‘reproduction’ chapter is given to students to study on their own. Some teachers explain it to girls after sending boys on break.
Boys should also learn about girls’ bodies and how they work. They should understand and accept the fact that girls have mood swings and other physical uneasiness during their period days. This makes boys more supportive and compassionate companions.
But the shame and stigma around menstruation hold the boys back from discussing or learning about it. Both genders should be able to talk and learn about each other’s bodies and how they work.
Nowadays, kids are exposed to a lot of information on television and the internet. When they attain puberty, they may be familiarized with a lot of information. Still, it is an essential task for parents to discuss with the kids because some of the kid’s information does not come from reliable sources.
The author is a part of the current batch of the #PeriodParGyan Writer’s Training Program