I need to have THAT chat with my daughter

More than advice I'm sharing my own experience. My daughter is 7 and I've been telling her bits and pieces when I get my periods and/or she has questions, in an organic way. I simply don't hide facts from her. If I have period cramps I call them that way, and when she's asked for very active things to do while I'm on my heaviest days I've said I prefer to do it the next weekend because I'm on my period. Which has (obviously) led to questions. I find it easier that way, so I get to hear what she actually wants to know, and when she has enough info, she simply changes the topic, it's lead by her and not by me.  I answer practically and clearly, "Women bleed every month", "for some of us, it can hurt, but for others, it doesn't". I find it useful as a way to not build it into taboo, and also to make sure she doesn't just "find out" one day to the other, as if it's a secret to keep. 

I've been in absolute pain every month since I was 11, apart from pregnancy 🙂 - But I'm also making a big effort to not project the "pain" on her experience. She might experience painful periods, but she might not. I'm trying to be clear on that, so she sees it as the magical, positive, empowering thing it should be. 

Hope this helps!

I got my period when I was 8. My sister, who was a year older than me, didn't get hers until around 14, so there was about 6 years extra of me feeling all these new hormones that no one prepared me for!! Honestly, at that age, I can remember feeling like it was an embarrassing thing, it was always whispered about. If the women in my life talked out loud about their own and let me know that it was completely normal, or even opened pads loudly and proudly, this would've been a game changer for me.

@_lamaga omg wow I absolutely love this advice and approach! I will deffo be taking this approach! I really hadn’t thought of it like this! And was going to have a sit down chat but this seems so much more normal and non intimidating! You are also so right!! Maybe our daughters won’t have painful periods, so try and be realistic but also no need to go into too much detail about the pain. 
I have found this SO helpful 🙏🙏🙏🌷

@cmc that’s such a bad start to your experience. Thank you for sharing. I will be so mindful to be open with younger girls/women to help them not feel like this xx