I had a very similar experience with my period. I remember first, wondering where my period was? Was I weird since my friends all had their's? If only I'd know what an endless drain it would be. I had no clue how things worked and always got my flow during class in middle school. Teachers, including all the female ones were clueless and enforced the rules rigidly. I might have a coat wrapped around my waist and would be publicly humiliated to remove it. I was wearing that white faux leather coat with the bright red lining around my waist because my bottoms were stained. I never remember anyone giving a sh*t. I'm glad bathrooms have free access to whatever someone chooses (pad, cup or tampon) to manage their period with dignity. I hope they include info and a bit of humor.
Same experience with the cardboard applicator when my first period fell on the morning of a class trip to the water park! I still remember bouncing home for over an hour on the rigid bus seat with a water logged, swollen applicator wondering if this is how much it hurts every time...
Surely we're not the only ones.
My mom didn't use tampons because she thought they were immoral, so I was on my own to figure it out after my dad made an early morning Tampax run. The "sex ed" workbook they'd given me about chicken reproduction a year or two earlier wasn't much help.
I'm glad the kids have more menstruation product options now, and I've made it a point to talk with my girls about them since they were toddlers.
I wrote my MA thesis on menstruation and my sweet Minnesotan dad listened calmly as I told him I want a red hat with Tampon Tim on it hahahahaha
I had a very similar experience with my period. I remember first, wondering where my period was? Was I weird since my friends all had their's? If only I'd know what an endless drain it would be. I had no clue how things worked and always got my flow during class in middle school. Teachers, including all the female ones were clueless and enforced the rules rigidly. I might have a coat wrapped around my waist and would be publicly humiliated to remove it. I was wearing that white faux leather coat with the bright red lining around my waist because my bottoms were stained. I never remember anyone giving a sh*t. I'm glad bathrooms have free access to whatever someone chooses (pad, cup or tampon) to manage their period with dignity. I hope they include info and a bit of humor.
Same experience with the cardboard applicator when my first period fell on the morning of a class trip to the water park! I still remember bouncing home for over an hour on the rigid bus seat with a water logged, swollen applicator wondering if this is how much it hurts every time...
Surely we're not the only ones.
My mom didn't use tampons because she thought they were immoral, so I was on my own to figure it out after my dad made an early morning Tampax run. The "sex ed" workbook they'd given me about chicken reproduction a year or two earlier wasn't much help.
I'm glad the kids have more menstruation product options now, and I've made it a point to talk with my girls about them since they were toddlers.
Chicken reproduction workbook! Water park! Noooo!! I’m so sorry; this sounds awful
But good motivation to ensure my girls don't suffer the same fate!
As we used to say in the 60's, Right on!
Right on :)