Reality "What I as trying to say is that I think rather than saying that these teenage girls should just say absolutely no I don't HAVE to do that, it is good enough lesson to teach hem to look for solutions first. That doesn't mean that I think anyone should EVER do anything they don't want to do, but as in all parts of life, I do believe if we have a problem that we should search for possible solutions."
OK, thanks for clearing that up.
As I quoted that medication another poster mentioned it is really not recommended for children so my daughter would not be even considering it before she was 18.
"If the girls then decide nonthey don't want to use tamping, then that's fair enough ....they should be encouraged to explore the options first."
I guess I would really not want a teacher to be having that debate with my daughter. Especially just before a PE class where the pressure would be racked up!
Girls are socialised to play nice and do what they are told, by society. I am well aware many do not do that! I can see a girl may feel pushed into something by a teacher because she feels she is being troublesome by not exploring it. She may also just feel she wants the teacher to stop talking about her period!
Now to me this is not a very nice way to deal with young women who may well be later in life in situations where they are under pressure to do or allow things with their body that they are not comfortable with/not ready for etc.
If she had decided at home she did not want to use tampons then deciding she was willing to so she could do a PE class (to help others out) would be wrong, IMHO. It would basically be saying to the child actually your needs matter less than the teacher or the class. And if it comes to a thing like an exam where the stakes are higher, where she was being faced with losing out because she did not want to use a tampon, then that decision really would clearly be not what she would want to do under normal circumstances. To me it is kind of coercive to do that to girls.
By all means suggest that, suggest it at the start of the school year/term/swim classes... suggest it in a letter home "girls on their period can still swim if they are able/willing to use tampons."
But no need to debate it poolside or in the changing room or in front of others if the girl says I can't swim today.
Exams should be prepared for this. It is not too much to ask! And if men bled monthly it would not be too much to ask at all.
Totally agree with Bettersleepoutdoors. I think there was something they put in squaddies tea, wasn't there! Nowadays it would be (rightly) against their human rights!