To think 'first blood in your knickers' and a drawing of children's underwear with blood spots

[OneOfThoseOldFashionedWomen]

Is closer to red flags than it is to child safeguarding?

Oh I don't have a problem with discussing periods. I have a problem with this pile of chichéd codswallop being presented as something breathtaking and profound.

Thank you for the link. That’s really beautiful.

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Agree.
Whilst periods are not shameful or a subject of ridicule, etc. I equally don't understand why they're a cause for celebration.
Everything is becoming competitive- first steps, first period, first kiss, first to be married...for no reason.

I don't particularly like the poem but there's nothing offensive or disturbing in it.

Yes, that's a very good analysis.

That's because so many have become immune to child sexualization and the blurring of boundaries.

I don't think periods should be hidden. We can talk about periods in a much more meaningful and useful way than a line in a poem.

But is he even talking about periods?

But is he even talking about periods?

Of course it’s about periods. Look at the context. It’s in a section describing changes that come with puberty. The entire poem is chronological.

I've watched it twice on TV in ad breaks.

I don't like the blood / period reference and think there are much better ways to say "children going through puberty have experiences" without making it so very girl centric.

I don't know what it's aim is either.

The don't let go of my hand at the end, after the child has long gone away from holding a parents hand made me think of parents aging and getting dementia and needing their child's support.

I think it was a terrible advert.
It does not inspire confidence in their charity work.

As a mum, I find it strange that a man is writing about deeply personal female experiences. I know it relates to parenting and some of it I can relate to but I don't think the line about blood in your knickers (assuming its periods) helps to normalise periods at all. As a mum, I would not be talking about this aspect of my daughter's life - it is personal to her and I respect her privacy. It can also be a difficult and upsetting experience in a girl's life - no need to make a thing of it in a poem.

I both agree and disagree. I agree it’s weird that a man wrote it and I’m surprised that a man wrote it. I would have preferred it if the job had been given to a woman.

I disagree that it’s wrong for any mother to talk about her daughter getting a period because it’s deeply private and personal. My daughter started very young (as did a few of her peers in year 6) and, in the main, they were all quite open and matter of fact about it all.

The days of girls being embarrassed and desperate for no one to know are long gone, thankfully.

Sorry I haven't made myself clear; I have been very open with my daughters about periods etc. What I meant to say is, I wouldn't be talking about her experiences with other people unless for example medical support was needed. If she wanted to discuss it with friends that's up to her, if she felt comfortable with friends she could trust. She is autistic so there was a particular vulnerability there around friendships so it was not a case of opening up because of lack of embarrassment but how would that peer group react. So it was never straightforward for her - adolescence was challenging for her in many ways and it was not right for me to share private things against her wishes.

I just didn't get it. Is it a mum who lost a child and missed these things, a adult who was a child who missed these things with their mum . And blood in knickers made me think were they listing all the usual stuff but then SA happened, it can happen to anyone. Haven't heard the poem before so heard it as random statements.

I much prefer John Donne TBH.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46467/the-flea
We could probably complain about bits of that!

I like the poem.

I don't understand the relevance to NSPCC.

Forgetting the fact It's a terrible, mawkish poem, if the NSPCC had the desire to commission a poem about the experience of mothering a daughter, surely their first stop should have been one of the many accomplished female poets in this country.

The phrase ',first blood in your knickers' in a poem written by a man about a young adolescent female is troublesome to say the least.

I read the article that a previous poster shared the link. It explains the story behind the poem. If you read the whole thing, not just the title and listen to the poem, then it makes a little bit more sense.

It's a lovely poem, I don't think it's a red flag at all.

I expect some of us are rather sensitive to this stuff, after the last few years of Tampax's creepy, pervy marketing clearly aimed at a certain niche demographic.

I think there is often a sense of calm, practicality and dignity missing around this subject. We can talk about it without being gratuitous, without expecting women and girls to give up their personal privacy. Too many people confuse privacy with shame.

As an aside, how would people feel if the poem referenced boys' wet dreams? But marketing (because this IS marketing) never wants to get its greasy fingers on that stuff, does it?

DinaDernaDodo · Today 01:49
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Just revolting. Society has gone to the sewers”

What’s revolting about a natural process that happens to over 50% of the population?

There's absolutely nothing revolting about menstruation, I'm very open with my daughter and she's quite happy to ask her father to buy her tampons should the need arise.

What is revolting, and a little bit creepy', is a middle aged man lyricising 'first blood in your knickers', with the accompanying illustration.

Can you not see that?

What isrevolting, and a little bit creepy', is a middle aged man lyricising 'first blood in your knickers', with the accompanying illustration.

Yes, and I think a skilled female writer could have found more subtle, meaningful ways to express the nuances of how it actually feels to start your period. For me, it was a shock. Like, shit, I have to deal with this now. I felt like I'd been catapulted forward in life, I didn't feel ready. It wasn't about 'blood in my knickers'. It was about a whole lot more than that.

I work in advertising, and can tell you that much of this recent in-your-face, visceral 'bloody' stuff is purely about shock value and grabbing attention. It's lazy and unnecessarily prurient.

I can tell you don't have teenage boys if "skid marks" are what you jumped to when another poster mentioned stained boxers.
Boys aren't in the poem at all, are they?
The make up face was clearly exaggerated (clown) so I wonder why the period reference had such a literal image. And of course for some of the children the NSPCC works with, their period wont be the first time that happens for them ☹️

It got is talking didn't it? Which I suspect was the point.

On a personal note, as a mum, I really enjoyed the poem.