My mom gave me and my sister an awkward talk before it happened. Hardly worth it, really, since she told me things like "you probably won't even feel it if you're not paying attention" and stuff like that that turned out to be very untrue, and was very obviously uncomfortable. My sister cried when she got hers, maybe because of the way my mom made her feel about it, I don't know. I shook all over the place and felt weird and awkward.
My mother gave me a "maiden bracelet", I think she may have gotten it from the Chinaberry catalog (chinaberry.com ?). It had handmade beads, red to symbolize menstruation and womanhood, white to symbolize purity and "maidenhood" (read: virginity :P), and black to symbolize the wisdom of old age. I knew my mom didn't really want me to grow up though, so it didn't make me feel good about getting older or becoming a woman or any of that. I kind of liked it though, and if you give her something like that or talk about her getting older, make sure you do it in a positive, excited sense (this might seem obvious, I don't know, it really wasn't to my mother).
I really liked "The Period Book". I got it from the library, adn I thought it was great. It was written by a 15-year old girl, i think, and her aunt. Very chatty, playful, cartoony, but also period-positive.
Maybe offer to get her a set of cloth pads (I love the night ones most) or another type of protection of her choice after you've told her what all her options are. I would say a cup would be good, but when you're a 13-year-old virgin they might be difficult, i don't know. but yeah, that's something to think about.
you're awfully nice to do this for her. good for you. :) i hope it all goes well and she comes out of it feeling great about her period. :)
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Date: 2003-10-12 09:23 am (UTC)My mother gave me a "maiden bracelet", I think she may have gotten it from the Chinaberry catalog (chinaberry.com ?). It had handmade beads, red to symbolize menstruation and womanhood, white to symbolize purity and "maidenhood" (read: virginity :P), and black to symbolize the wisdom of old age. I knew my mom didn't really want me to grow up though, so it didn't make me feel good about getting older or becoming a woman or any of that. I kind of liked it though, and if you give her something like that or talk about her getting older, make sure you do it in a positive, excited sense (this might seem obvious, I don't know, it really wasn't to my mother).
I really liked "The Period Book". I got it from the library, adn I thought it was great. It was written by a 15-year old girl, i think, and her aunt. Very chatty, playful, cartoony, but also period-positive.
Maybe offer to get her a set of cloth pads (I love the night ones most) or another type of protection of her choice after you've told her what all her options are. I would say a cup would be good, but when you're a 13-year-old virgin they might be difficult, i don't know. but yeah, that's something to think about.
you're awfully nice to do this for her. good for you. :) i hope it all goes well and she comes out of it feeling great about her period. :)