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You're monthly Friend - AF

post #1 of 16
6/23/05 at 10:23pm
Thread Starter 
How did you explain this to your children?

I haven't been in the situation yet, but I can see it coming.
A few times now Kyler has walked into the bathroom and I've had AF. I tried to "hide" things the best I can. But I can see him looking, wondering what things are. (Meaning the pad or tampon).
I can see the questions... he hasn't asked yet... but I'm not sure what I'm going to say when he does ask!!

I want to make sure what I say is "ok to be repeated" because I know what I say has the chance of coming out at the most unopportune moment.

I think he's a little too young to understand the full "technical" verison. Ugh. I'm just not sure what to say.
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post #2 of 16
6/24/05 at 4:51pm
I have no clue and I am soooooo dreading this!! That is one of the main reasons I never wanted girls
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post #3 of 16
6/24/05 at 5:09pm
Somehow I've managed avoiding having to explain it to Jessi, and she's almost 9. BUT .. I was just telling Mike the other day that I was only 10 when I started, so we're going to have to start explaining soon!

Nicole - I hate to say, but I imagine you're going to have to explain it to a boy as well as a girl, so I don't think having all boys would let you off the hook!
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post #4 of 16
6/24/05 at 6:17pm
Thread Starter 
So true!
That's my problem now.

KYLER wants to know.
He even asked me this morning. I KNEW it was going to happen.
Basically he saw me grabbing a tampon and asked me what it was and why I needed it. AND if it was a toy he could play with.
I kind of brushed him off saying that he has to be a little older before he understands... and that sometimes girls needed them.

Ugh. I just don't know what to say!
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post #5 of 16
6/24/05 at 6:27pm
Amazingly, TJ has never asked. But he does have a fetish with tampons and loves to open the entire box up and disassemble them. Elaine can attest to that
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post #6 of 16
6/24/05 at 7:42pm
hey, it doesn't hurt to hope
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post #7 of 16
6/24/05 at 9:25pm
Just tell him that you have your period and you use them for it. Hopefully that satifies him.
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post #8 of 16
6/24/05 at 9:49pm
I've given my kids different info depending on their ages. When they were little (around preschool age) I gave them a simple explanation. Basically, I said women bleed every month, and it's perfectly normal and does not mean I have a boo-boo. Once they got in school, when the subject came up, I got a little more specific about uteruses, etc. I don't want my kids to grow up and be grossed out about a normal part of a woman's life.

When my dd turned ten, I bought her a book (can't remember the title right now) that explained things really well at a young girl level. I know that girls can sometimes be shy about asking questions, so I want her to have a source she can go to privately and get accurate info. AF first visited me when I was ten, and even though I had a basic idea about periods, I thought I was still too young for it and thought something was really wrong with me. It didn't help matters that my parents were divorced, and I lived with my dad and three brothers.
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post #9 of 16
6/24/05 at 10:47pm
Ooh .. if you happen to think of the name of that book, will you post it Jennifer? I think that would be a great starting point!
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post #10 of 16
6/27/05 at 12:46pm
Dawn!!! I came home last week to find several floating in the bathtub.
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post #11 of 16
6/28/05 at 11:44am
Jesse(2) calls pads my diapers...the other day we were in the grocery store and he grabbed a huge bag of depends and says "he wa mommy, I git you diapers!"...really loud....the 4 other people in the ilse all started laughing. I put them back on the shelf and grabbed some always and said" no mommy uses this kind!"...didn't want anyone to think I needed depends yet...LOL!

My older two I just told they were things women needed when they weren't having a baby, they never really ask much.
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post #12 of 16
6/28/05 at 11:59am
logan has destroyed my entire tampon supply... just loves to play with them

when you figure out a good answer let me know!
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post #13 of 16
6/28/05 at 12:48pm
Alexander has asked why I was bleeding (after Elizabeth was born) and if I had a boo-boo. I told him I didn't have one, that sometimes women bleed and that it was okay and didn't mean something was hurt or wrong. He's never asked again.
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post #14 of 16
6/29/05 at 3:48pm
I don't know but I had to physically remove both boys from the front of the toilet as I was attempting to put in a new tampon. I was like, get your heads out of my lap and give me 1 minute of peace!
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post #15 of 16
7/9/05 at 10:06pm
You should explain to your boys when they get old enough to understand. They will hear about it from someone and you want it to be from you. My oldest son came to me several years ago and wanted to know what "the curse" was because his step-sister had it and it had ruined plans to go boating that weekend. So I explained it to him.

For all of those that have kids destroying your stuff, why not put it in a different place so they can't get to them?

I remember being about 9 years old and seeing my older cousin bleed in the toilet. It totally terrified me. I did not have the courage to ask her what was wrong so I was scared of this for a long time. So please be aware that even if you do explain to your little one what is going on, that may not ease the fear. If my kids have to be in the bathroom with me, I just have them turn away from me while I go about my business.
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post #16 of 16
7/10/05 at 1:07am
Well all my kids know that mommy has her 'period' and that it is bleeding but they have never asked me why I have it. I guess they just figure it is a Mommy thing
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