Think back to when you first got your period. Did anyone throw you a party? Congratulate you? Were there presents and hugs? We're all so liberated about everything else now — why isn't getting your first period treated as a major rite of passage for girls to celebrate? I know it involves vaginas and fluids and… okay, no one wants to dwell on those aspects too much. But I think it's still an occasion worth marking.
People have been trying to make menarche a THING for years, mostly in a super-granola, earnest kind of way. Hippie packaging, use of the words MOON and WISDOM and the like — gee, I wonder why the first period gift back concept hasn't hit main stream?!? But it's getting better. Here's a few more modern gift boxes and ideas that might actually appeal to girls in the year 2013.
Period Packs: These are gift boxes for the special girl in your life who just met her Aunt Flow got her first period. (I promise not to load this post with cheesy euphemisms.) They're super-girly in the right way, tossing together tampons and The Period Book with goodies like chocolate and nail polish. I would have loved it when I was that age.
More from The Stir: Little Girls Are Hitting Puberty Scary Fast and Even Earlier Than We Feared
Funky Goddess: These gift boxes include a mini hot water bottle with sweet cozy, the book What's Happening to Me?, a "pencil case" where girls can stow their pads and tampons, an eye mask, and a bracelet which they may or may not like, depending on their taste. The whole presentation is beautiful, though I think the name might be a little too hokey. Also, this is an Irish company, so shipping is probably expensive.
Dot Girl: Forget all that red and pink. Dot Girl First Period Kits are non-nonsense kits for more serious-minded girls. It includes a 20-page question and answer booklet, a period diary, a heating gel pack, pads, disposal bags, and hand wipes. It's as if Eleanor Roosevelt designed this pack.
Make your own pack: Wikihow.com has a list of items you could include in your First Period Kit. (I say, avoid anything scented.) You may be able to find some free samples for your kit. And then throw in a few treats — fun items you know your daughter will love. I don't think your kit should be all serious.
Special dinner: I think the idea of throwing a period party… I don't know, could be fun, if your daughter likes the idea. But a more low-key idea is just to have a special dinner. Maybe she brings along her BFF, and you eat out or fix her favorite meal.
TALK: Tell your daughter about your own first experience — even if it was awful. Have a laugh. Explain to her how her cycle works and show her how she can use a calendar. She may not be regular at first, but it's a good habit to start. Tell her how often to change her things. Make sure she knows this his healthy and not gross or shameful. And please, resist the temptation to tell her she's a "woman" now because no she is not, and that just makes girls feel wierd. (Says my younger self.)
Did you do anything special to celebrate your daughter's first period?
Image via Funky Goddess
