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How did you learn about the facts of life?
Do you remember?
I’ll bet you do!
And, if you’re a woman, who explained to you the wonderful way your body functions?
Was it your Mom? Did someone explain it to you in a class at school? Or did a girlfriend give you the lowdown on the down-low?
Every generation is different, am I right?
While our physiological makeup remains the same, each generation develops its own comfort level with the things they are comfortable talking about. The things we talk about in public today might have made my Mom blush. But I’m all for having frank, open discussions with both my kids about the facts of life, and that’s how my husband and I decided we would handle things.
I figure my kids are DEFINITELY going to hear about it some place, and frankly, I’d prefer they hear the facts from me, and not pick up some whacked-out misconception from one of their friends. While I handled talking about the basics with my son up until the time he turned 10 or so, I let my husband take the wheel when Puberty reared its moody head. And with my daughter, when Puberty came knocking on her door a couple of years ago, I decided I’d not do to her what my Mom did to me.
Are you curious WHAT my Mom did to me? I was the youngest of four. She never talked to me about sex, or my period. I sneaked and read the book in my sisters’ chest of drawers that was titled, “You’re A Young Lady Now”, talked about it with my girlfriends and used my older sisters’ supplies. When, at age 22, I mentioned to my Mom that she’d never talked to me about the facts of life, her response was a quizzical furrowing of the brow and a tilt of the head, followed by a slightly puzzled, “I didn’t?”. Poor woman was plum tired out from the other three who came before me! I hold her guiltless.
Today’s generation is a lot more open, a lot more forthcoming, and a lot more comfortable discussing these things than the way things were done back in the day.
Check out this great video with Aimee Teagarden about having “the talk” with your daughter. I recognized her (despite her darker hair color) as being one of the stars of one of my favorite TV shows, Friday Night Lights. Aimee’s perspective is worth hearing by any Mom of a ‘tween or teenaged girl:
I wholeheartedly agree with Amy’s suggestions on how to have “the talk”. My daughter and I have had “the talk”, but it didn’t just happen once. In an age appropriate way, I’ve been leading up to it for years, as we talked about human growth, and as I answered any questions she might have. In order to explain a woman’s monthly cycle, because my sweet girl is very private with her heart, I decided to plan a very special overnight trip for us in honor of her twelfth birthday. I booked a room for just the two of us at a local hotel that I knew she would love because it had a swimming pool, and during part of our time there, we read a great book together on the topic, called “The Care and Keeping of You”. We went to a really nice gourmet market, and picked out her favorite foods for an in-room picnic, and chose her favorite movie to watch there in the room that night. I still cherish that memory. She felt special, and I loved having that one on one time with her.
Kotex has some great information available for both you and your teen. Their site is a great reference to help you prepare for your talk with your daughter It has helpful tools, such as a calendar with facts about puberty, questions your daughter may ask, ways to start the conversation, and more. Check it out!: www.kotex.com/tween
The U by Kotex page for period questions might be helpful for tweens and teens themselves: www.ubykotex.com/helloperiod
I have some news that I’m pretty excited about to share with you. I was selected to participate as an Ambassador Mom in the U by KotexTween Ambassador Program. What this means is that from time to time over the next 6 months, I’ll be sharing my own thoughts and feelings, as well as helpful information in regard to this topic that affects women worldwide.
I wrote this review while participating in a Brand Ambassador Campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of U by KotexTween and received products to facilitate my post and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.
So what about you? Have you had “the talk” with your daughter, or is that yet to come for you? What are your thoughts on this subject?