5 Conversation Starters to Help Your Daughter Feel Safe Talking About Menstruation With You
Most of us remember when we got our first period. You might've been comfortable enough to talk to your mom or a woman figure in your life, or you might've been too embarrassed to bring up your questions or concerns. For those of you who have young daughters, she’s probably started thinking about her period, but how do you get her to talk about it? If you’re looking for a way to get her talking, check out these five conversation starters.
Bring Her Along When You’re Buying Your Products
When it comes to talking to your daughter about her period, you might just need the ideal location. The next time you need to pick up your own feminine hygiene products, ask your daughter if she wants to come along and mask it as a regular trip to the store. Once you’re in the aisle, all you’ll need to do is make an easy comment or ask a simple question. You could simply ask her opinion on which product to get and take it from there!
Leave Books Around the House
You could never be too educated on your menstrual cycle, right? If you’re looking for a way to get your daughter talking about her period, you can try with educational books. There are tons of books out there that will help educate you and her on menstruation and ovulation. If she catches the book lying around or sees you reading it, she’ll feel more comfortable to bring up the topic.
Listen for Keywords
When your daughter is talking to you or having an outside conversation, listen for keywords! She may mention something about her body, and this will allow you to bring up her period organically.
This could also work in the opposite way. Instead of waiting to hear if your daughter mentions anything, throw some keywords around that might make her feel ready to speak to you. This could range from the word “period” to pads or tampons.
Time It With Their Sex Education Class
Most school curriculums include a sex education class, and this might be just what you need to get the conversation flowing! You’ll more than likely know when this class is taking place and all you need to do is ask her how her classes went. If she doesn’t bring up anything particularly from her sex education class, you can “innocently” ask her about it. This can be a simple conversation starter such as, “You had sex ed. today, right? How did it go?” Even if she doesn’t speak about it immediately, it opens the door to talk about sex education and her period.
Use a Doctor’s Visit as an Excuse
When a girl starts pushing the age for puberty, her pediatrician begins asking her if she’s had her period yet. In order to start a conversation, all you really have to do is warn her of this. Before her next doctor’s visit, tell her that her doctor will probably ask her if she’s gotten her period. You can then use this as a way to facilitate a conversation about whether she has any questions about getting hers.
We can all probably attest to the fact that getting your period can be an awkward time. No one’s really sure how to feel or what to expect. If you have a young daughter, it might be a matter of years, months, or even weeks before she begins experiencing this. Instead of allowing her to have tons of questions after the fact, try these tips to get the conversation going now.
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