As a mom of four daughters there is a lot to talk about concerning the passage of womanhood. It’s funny because my mom never really had “the talk” with me about the “birds and the bees” she gave me a book that our community health nurse provided parents and teens. Yet at the same time she has asked me why I didn’t ask her certain things when she finds out there were things I really didn’t know. I think there was a gap between the book she gave me, health education and the bits I picked up from friends. This has helped me as a mother because I never wanted my girls to learn stuff from other people. I wanted them to hear the truth from me so I answered any questions with as little or as much information they needed for their age at the time they asked the questions and provided them with more as they got older. It has really helped my two older girls. I think my third daughter asks her older sisters questions more than she does me, but they always try to defer her to me as they know and understand the information should come from me. So far we haven’t talked too much to my 6 year old about a girl’s monthly cycle nor has she asked many questions. I am assuming she will pick up some things just by living with me and her three older sisters, but other things I will probably have to talk to her about.
I desire to have open and direct conversations with all of my children about the facts of life. I want them to be able to come to me with anything. For those of you desiring the same thing, U by Kotex is a great resource that I will be talking about in the coming months.
U by Kotex Ambassador Program Kick Off
I was recently chosen to participate in the U by Kotex Ambassador Campaign, which I consider a great privilege. One resource is Aimee Teegarden Gets Real Video by Kotex & Nickelodeon ParentsConnect that launched this month. After watching it I can say that I have really tried to be like Aimee’s mom. My girls feel like they can talk to me about anything (just asked them to confirm! ;))
When the girls were little I found myself nervous about talking about the subject of menstruation, which is a gateway to the sex talk too. But I found it easier to answer questions as they naturally occurred or to simply talk about topics as they found their way into our conversations rather than staging the whole thing.
I have already had numerous talks with my two older girls and we continue to talk as issues come up. One issue that seems to be lacking right now is them keeping track of their cycle, which I think is an important habit to get into. U by Kotex has a period tracker/planner that might help:
With my two younger daughters it hasn’t been as nerve wracking because I have done it before, but they are different and receive information differently so the key is to explain things in a way that they will retain and understand it for when their periods do start. That’s why I am interested in finding new resources.
I like the Kotex brand and have used their pads, but was not even aware of U by Kotex until I received the opportunity to apply for an Ambassadorship. I am hoping to learn some new ways to discuss menstruation with my younger girls as well as find new resources for my older girls. The U by Kotex website has videos, articles, Q&As (including a place to post questions), resources, coupons, period planners and of course, products just for our young girls – they can even design their own pad!
Teaching our daughters about menstruation shouldn’t be stressful but as natural as the sun rising and setting.
To learn more about U by Kotex:
Vist their website: www.ubykotex.com
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“I wrote this review while participating in a Brand Ambassador Campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of U by Kotex Tween and received products to facilitate my post and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”