Teens and periods/hygiene

[tooposh2push]

Hi - I'm a working mum of twin girls aged 13, who've had their periods for coming up to a year now. I'm absolutely in despair at their disregard for hygiene and in particular at their habit of just discarding their sanitary towels about their rooms, where I or far worse the cleaner discovers them. I've supplied those nice lilac disposal bags, begged them repeatedly, asked them what their friends would think about this behaviour etc. I just don't know how to get through to them. They also tend to leave unwashed mugs, plates etc around their rooms which is also not nice but on a different level of acceptability.

I don't want to come home from work and spend the time going through their rooms looking for gunk, not least because I feel part of becoming an adult is learning to look after yourself - and also I want to be able to trust them to do this...but maybe that's what it will come to.

Has anyone else come across this and has any advice? Is it some sort of cry for help or more attention? I feel like the world's worst mother.

as nasty as it is, I have heard that this is not uncommon

it is just an extension of the almost terminal laziness that teenage dd's seem to display around this time

my dd is 14 and she is infuriatingly slobbish and treats this house like a hotel (yes, I know I sound like my mother...)

she is pretty good on the sanitary hygiene though and has always takne my example of wwrapping stuff well in toilet roll and putting in bed

bloodstained knickers thrown in corner of rroom, yes, actual sanitary towels, no

do your dd's invite friends up to their room? Perhaps peer pressure of a mate stepping on summat nasty would jolt them out of their indolence

if not, I really suggest you try not to get too annoyed and keep nagging (infuriating, I know)

this too shall pass

putting in bed ????

jesus, I meant putting in bin

It's funny isn't it because most teens seem to spend ages on their hair and make up / whatever and then gross out on other things. My DD isn't yet a teen, but does have those lilac bags! From friends experience I think the plates, mugs etc is par for the course, but I think the sanitary pads is way unacceptable! What about sanctions if they don't comply?

I was one of those grotty teens. What cured me was when we got a new dog. The dog would retrieve anything that wasn't in the outside bin and proceed to chew them up, all over the stairs. I was paranoid that my brothers or father would find a shredded ST!

Thanks so much for all this advice and please keep it coming - it's so good to know I / the dds are not complete freaks.

You're so right about the obsession with hair and slap vs unconcern re hygiene. And terminal laziness, oh yes...

Thanks mumsnetters xx

Yes, yes and yes! my youngest did exactly the same thing and I was horrified. (Older dd was quite different)
Keep on plugging away with the nagging. When they discover boys in a big way things will improve!

Could you perhaps get little lidded bins for their rooms?

I agree that this behaviour is quite common in young teenagers.

Could you suggest that they use a mooncup? (www.mooncup.co.uk/) I'm not sure if they might be too young, but if they were keen on the idea this would solve the problem.