Menstrual cycle

[dupsy03]

How do I effectively teach my 8yr old dd about the menstrual cycle?

Why does she need to know at eight? Has she asked?

you can tell her the body prepares to have a baby by building up the lining in the womb and when it doesnt have a baby then the lining comes away away with blood that you use tampons/sanitary towels to collect. What else would she need to know?

Although I distinctly remember being told that at nine and couldn't fathom for the life of me why you'd need tampons/towels - why don't you just wee it out? It comes out of the same place, right?

except it doesnt!

Babydolls- there are three separate openings, in order (front to back) the urethra, the vagina and the anus. So the wee comes out of a separate opening, equipped with its own sphincter muscle which is what stops wee leaking. The vagina doesn't have that sort of muscle control (presumably because it has to allow for a penis to get in and babies to get out, otherwise the human race would grind to a halt).

Dupka - Voddie's post is what I've told DS when he's asked about blood in the toilet. He seems happy with that explanation.

Haha! Lurcio Obviously I know that now, what with, you know, having given birth and all. I meant I didn't understand that when I was NINE...

Sorry, Baby, thought I'd err on the side of caution, and just give a factual response (thought you were probably joking, but didn't want to assume). I had a friend who made it to university being confused about this one (actually anus and vagina, in her case)! When her confusion became apparent over breakfast one day, one of our other friends said in tones of amazement "but surely you've noticed the blood stains and shit stains on your knickers are in different places?" Other friend is now a vicar, obviously of the straight-talking variety.

NO! Hahaha

Anyway, my point (perhaps badly made) is that a child's interpretation of info can be wildly off the mark and we shouldn't assume they've 'got it' in our adult logic as perhaps dupsy is concerned about.