Is this weird parenting?

Bit weird tbh. Most young girls don’t want to make a fuss about their first period. They usually find it all a bit gross and embarrassing. I would have wanted to turn inside out at the thought of of my mum buying me jewellery to celebrate.

The celebration is complete nonsense but I would find it weird if dad didn't know just as much as mum. It's no big deal for dad (or older brother) to go and buy tampax you need and so on.

It's not something that needs to be specially hidden. Nor should it publicly celebrated because that's just very weird

I think that’s a good compromise OP.

I didn’t give my DD anything because I didn’t think of it 😂🤦🏻‍♀️ It’s a big life event so marking its significance makes sense to me. It may not be common in western culture but I like it.

I didn’t really like the necklace you chose tbh, and I don’t think it needs to be so literal eg/red. Any necklace is fine and it will be nice for your DD to choose.

As an aside, I’m going to guess the necklace is trending because of your post here - it’s going to skew their marketing metrics 😂😂

Why are we not celebrating our boys first wet dream as well 🙄

Lovely OP
we had a pink party for my DD, great fun! She had a pink tiara 👑

again, stating the obvious is not being anti-female. We ARE female!

You are the one talking about it being shameful and the rest. I am just stating that periods are not something positive we want to celebrate. We are not defined by our periods either! Being negative about periods doesn't make us negative about being female, no one can be that restrictive!

I never found it horrible, negative or something to “panic” about, even with period pain and discomfort good for you. How are period pain not negative?

Teen girls around me do panic about periods and holidays, because for many of them, period and swimming pools don't go together. It's a simple fact.

Not weird at all, I think it’s sweet & thoughtful. I plan to have a little celebration with my daughter to welcome her into womanhood. Do you my love 🩷

I'm really surprised about all these celebrations, Mum's telling people and Dad's knowing. My Mum didn't tell anyone, not even my Dad and especially not my brother. She bought me pads and some new knickers.

Only if you think menstruation must be all about sex, rather than about a girl celebrating a significant, often inconvenient but unavoidable physical change to her life? Sounds like it’s your patriarchal assumptions that are showing!

It’s weird.

I think it’s your ideas that are nonsense. Where did I say it was all something to celebrate? Obviously girls know that having a period is inconvenient. That doesn’t mean it isn’t significant to them too.

I never found it horrible, negative or something to “panic” about, even with period pain and discomfort; and I don’t know why you would make being female into such a negative thing. Obviously girls need supplies, chocolate if they want it (I never liked chocolate myself!) and heat pads and whatever, but I for one would certainly not have minded a nice necklace as well alongside all of those things! But I was always very pro-women even as a 13 year old.

This whole thread is so negative and anti-female. No wonder periods are considered shameful or just “something to be got on with” in our culture.

Not weird at all. Weirder that we don’t really mark it in any significant way. People’s reactions show the massive internalised misogyny at play. Absolutely do it OP.

Wierd and inappropriate. I hate all that you're a woman shit when girls start their period. It's patriarchal bullshit.

That’s a hideous idea

she Will be mortified

I think it's a lovely idea, as long as you don't make a great big speech about it!

Plenty of different cultures celebrate childhood/puberty milestones across the world.

This. I would have loved a necklace, drop of blood symbolism and all! Obviously it really depends on the child: if a girl is starting her period at 9 or 10 years old a necklace would be a bit odd, but only because kids of that age aren’t interested in milestone jewellery. But from 12 or 13 I think it’s lovely.

What kind of fuckery is this?!

I think it’s sweet but personally would’ve preferred hot water bottle, chocolates and a ‘keep out’ sign for my door 😂

I think it’s nice, way back when I started my first period at school I told my mum on the walk home. My dad came in my room later in the evening and asked if he could do anything for me and if I wanted the next day off school.

Growing up working class with very little support from my parents, I remember fondly how much my dad cared and wanted to make me feel good, it was a very rare moment and made me feel really cared for by my dad in particular

a way of making getting her period a celebratory thing, even if there are negatives that we all know about menstruation. There’s no need for it to be all so doomy and requiring “care packages” - what a way to make being female negative, shameful and second-rate.

what a lot of nonsense.

Girls are not stupid for a start, they know by themselves what having periods mean. No need to turn it into being female negative, shameful and second-rate, but periods ARE a negative for most girls!
Girls know that periods are a negative when they have sleepover planned, when they are travelling, have a holiday near a beach or a pool planned, a school excursion, a sport competition. Teens panic about these things, and for obvious reasons.

It's so disingenuous to pretend it's all something to celebrate and that girls are so stupid providing them with needed supplies is the one thing that makes period a negative.

Sounds OK to me - starting periods IS a good thing, a sign that the kid is developing just as they should and is healthy etc. Lots of cultures have things they do to mark kids growing up and hitting certain milestones (although more often for boys). She doesn't have to tell all and sundry what it's for.

I think it’s a nice idea. But maybe give it a week or later (my mum wanted to celebrate with cake when I got my first period and I was much too grumpy at the time to tolerate that!). And don’t necessarily explicitly say why you’re giving it. Just a nice gesture to show your love.

It is bizarre and creepy to attribute this level of significance to menstruation. Reminds me, frankly, of the focus on virginity.

Buy her a hot water bottle if you want to low-key acknowledge the moment.

I got a big bar of dairy milk and a copy of smash hits gifted to me. Still remember it nearly 30 years later. Small actions mean more.