#FreeThePeriod: Had the Period Talk with Your Daughter and Son Yet? Here’s How You Can

Hide them in layers of black and brown. Whisper ‘can I borrow one’ to your colleagues so no one can hear. Skip work and tell them you’re under the weather. Say you’re ‘down’ or ‘on the rag’, but don’t say the word. Period.

Ask any woman, and she will tell you how confusing, embarrassing and scary it was to get her first period. Thanks to awkward parents and sub par education in schools, most girls never get the period talk before they start menstruating.

And the consequence? They hide it like it’s an abomination best left unuttered.

This is why there needs to be a straightforward, honest and respectful interaction between parents and children – both boys and girls – about menstruation.

And this should happen before the girls get their period.

An open conversation starts with explaining what periods are and what the girls should expect. Tell them you can be approached whenever their period starts, so they’re not left to deal with it alone. Make sure you’re the first one they come and talk to.

It’s also highly likely that your daughter will be in school when she gets her first period. Tell her not to panic and inform the teacher when that happens.

Keep it casual. They need to believe it’s normal to talk about it, especially the boys. Ask them what they already know, and explain further. Clear their doubts.

Introduce them to menstrual products. There are enough and more TV advertisements they’re exposed to. So, if they’re growing up thinking period blood is blue, now’s the time to tell them.

You could also talk to them about your first period. Tell them they’ll experience cramps too, and that it’s normal. Anything they go through that you didn’t, is also normal. Menstruation is different for everyone.

At the same time, don’t tell them to do what worked for you. Introduce them to all kinds of period products and let them choose what works best for them – cups, tampons, sanitary napkins or even contraceptive methods.

Most importantly, bust their myths. Tell boys it’s not okay to feel shy or embarrassed to talk about periods, even though they’ll never experience it. Tell them it’s a biological process, which can be sometimes uncomfortable and painful for girls who experience it. But it’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s not ‘dirty’ or ‘gross’.

Involve the dads. No reason they shouldn’t have the period talk with their daughter or son.

Kids will have doubts, but if they have parents who are approachable and whom they feel comfortable talking to, they will grow that much better.

So, get over the weirdness and have that talk.

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