‘Teaching’ 6 year old about periods

🤣 Mouse up the bum made me chuckle!

That's what I thought I'd do. I wouldn't want to miss any of the holiday.

This lol. My sister's boys 5 and 3 at the time would fight over who would go grab a lady stick or lady pad if my sister called needed supplies from the bathroom that didn't have.

My kids including my son all knew about periods from as soon they could ask about why I was bleeding at like 3. I think your friend is being the weird one here and doing her mid a disservice.

I’ve initiated conversations by talking about how big they are getting, how amazing it is they were once a tiny egg inside me, how my body made a cosy nest for them to grow, how it makes a nest every month then washes it away if it isn’t needed.

My son saw some blood in the toilet and came to let me know. Said I’m on my period and he said “ah makes sense.” No offer of chocolate but it was still nice to know I’d taught him well. He’s 12.

I think the sooner the better you explain it. Has he had any kind of sex ed/ anatomy lessons yet at school? There must be some good books for kids that age about this stuff. I could not believe it when my Mum said nobody told her about periods and even when she had them she didn't understand that they were to do with reproduction, I think she was about 18 when she fully found out. Total crazy stuff.

I was forced into 'the conversation' with my son. Round at my SIL house before Christmas when he was 5, he went to the bathroom by himself (I should have been suspicious as he was taking a long time in there). He had opened the cabinet and found his 12 year old cousin's 'invisible' sanitary towels. He had opened about 6 of them, stuck them all over his body, then run back into the living room shouting TADAAAAAA I'M INVISIBLE.

I was mortified but it was so so so funny. Son is now 15 and still ever the joker.
Oh and I did replace the sanitary towels and apologised to my niece hahahaha

Ha, dd was an early reader and I have had to explain periods repeatedly in public toilets when she asked about sanitary bins, charity posters about period poverty, God knows what else from the age of 3 or so.

No harm in telling him. Entirely your preference re swimming, tho these days a menstrual cup and period swimsuit can do a much better job than our old friend madame tampon.

Absolutely fine to explain it to him in an age appropriate way so he understands. It's a completely normal bodily function and nothing to be embarrassed about 😊 your friend needs to broach the subject with her 8 year old daughter soon as she really does need to prepare her!

Please talk to your daughters asap about them. The Samaritans began after a girl committed suicide because she didn't know what her period was.

Yeah, just be matter of fact about it.

Your friend is being odd. Girls can start their period from around 9 so it’s silly for her not to have talked about it yet. TBH she probably already knows from school/friends. My DDs school talked to them about it in PHSE.

She knew already as others have said - privacy was never really a thing when she was younger! I just explained in an age appropriate way. As she’s got older she’s asked more questions. I always just answer honestly.

Are you aware you can buy pills to delay your period?
I bought some from Superdrug online pharmacy when I was going on holiday.

My 9 yo son has always known about periods.
Now he's a little older he will even ask me if I need a hot water bottle/chocolate/cup of tea when it's the time of the month 💔🥲
Honestly, the sooner they know about what our bodies do, the better and earlier they'll understand.

Oh definitely be frank about it.
much better that way

My boys knew about periods as toddlers as they thought I was going to die (I could never ever go to bathroom alone). I was just matter of fact explained very simply then when they asked questions as they got older answered them.
It's how a body works so kids should know. Don't have to mention sex or babies

Si, you should tell him. Only don’t do a “This is the story of Eve’s curse” as my abuela did when she told me about periods. 🙄

Why the need to be careful about how its worded? Periods can be very life limiting. Some women's lives are literally on hold for a week at a time because their periods make them so unwell. Issues relating to menstrual issues are so under researched and their impact so often brushed under the carpet. Why perpetuate the notion that periods don't sometimes make things very difficult, if not impossible? My mum had a rule that if I wasn't feeling well, I could stay off school, except if it was because of my period, because women just have to manage.

I hate this attitude. Op isn't swimming because she has her period. In the spirit of normalising periods, surely we should be bringing the reality of them into the open. I certainly won't be acting like a bodyform add, skating along in my cycling shorts when it's time to tell my kids about my period, because that's not my reality.

My sons are 6 and 4 and know once a month I get my "blood" which means I don't have a baby in my tummy. They know I use tampons and a moon up so I don't make a mess of my clothes and sheets.

I’m going to go against the grain here, my 6 year old daughter doesn’t know about periods. I don’t have them (am on the pill and run them back to back) so it’s never come up. I may have to get a book now to explain!

Thanks all, in complete honesty I think I have maybe been a bit less forthcoming as he has a huge fear of blood (after witnessing a very bad accident age 2)

My ds hates blood (head injury necessitating many hours in a busy A&E) but he's always been fine with knowing I bleed for so many days once a month so he may surprise you.

My daughter has known for years (she's 5) because I was that girl who found about periods when one hot summers day at a squadron barbecue I went to the toilet and got rather a shock.

Will he even understand what you’re saying without freaking out? I don’t see why you have to go into details, honestly. Just tell him you’re not up for a swim ?

I used the words 'found out' just describing my situation because unfortunately my son got a bit of a shock walking in on me, but I reassured him and explained instantly. If he had asked me what a tampon was at the age of 4/5/6 I would have told him but it never came up. I always just awnser questions honestly as they arise. He wanted to know at 6 how babies 'come out of a tummy' for example so I had already explained bits and pieces like that.

Also I didn't mean I wouldn't tell a daughter until the age of 8, just that I would make sure I'd said something by the age of 8 if that makes sense. Some girls can start as young as 8 so I think with a daughter I'd have it in my head that she'd need to know by then whether it came up naturally or not.

Both of my kids (8 and 6) know about periods, they've seen tampons and we've discussed how women bleed every month in a very basic way. They weren't particularly interested but they are boys so they probably don't care knowing it won't be happening to them.

DM never told me, obviously I knew from school friends but to this day why she hid it I’ll never know.
It’s a normal bodily function and I’ve never hidden it. I’m not afforded any privacy by DD anyway!