Menstruation

Some of DD's friends were just nine which I thought was a shame, still young children really. DD was twelve which surprised me as I was sixteen but underweight for my age.
I have been wondering about one of GDs because she is only nine but is tall and heavy, more like a fourteen year old.

Children do seem to be maturing physically earlier these days but back in the 1950s my twin sister started her periods before me, when we were 11. I was very jealous!

GS, who is a big lad, started to sprout pubic hair when he was 8. He was very proud of it and offered to show me

I started my period in 1964 at 11, more unusual then. My youngest daughter started hers 2 days before her 11th birthday but my older daughter was 12. Grandaughters will be 10 in May and are showing other signs of puberty, breast budding and tiny amounts of pubic hair but no periods yet, although I don’t think it will be long. One of them is very skinny her sister more rounded shape. I think weight had something to do with it so wonder what will happen if one starts much earlier than the other

My neighbours daughter started her periods when she was 9. She is now mid 40's
I think it did seem unusual then, but she coped alright according to her mum.

Oh yes. 10 years ago when I was teaching we had one or two girls in year 5 who had their periods. My eldest GD was 11, and her sister, not yet 10 is showing signs of puberty. They take it in their stride though. No fuss at all

My DD had only just turned 10 when hers started. Her daughter, my DGD is nearly 11, and hers started last month. She seemed to cope very well with it all, especially when she had only just gone back to school after the summer holidays.

When I was teaching I knew of several girls aged 9, 10, 11 who had started their periods in primary school. They were usually quite big girls for their age. That was around 2006/7 if I remember correctly though there were one or two I recall before that.

I was 11 when I started.
DD was at school with a girl who had periods at 7-8 I believe there is a name for it.

I had heard of instances of 9 yr olds menstruating but it seems awfully young. My GD is 14 and no sign yet but most of her friends have had periods for a while.

9 is quite "normal" these days.

I was aware but I did not realise it was happening quite so young. I also thought it was fairly uncommon at junior school but times have changed and not necessarily for the better.

My DGD started her periods when she was 11. My DD had spoken to her about it and prepared her, giving her a couple of packs of towels to keep until needed.
One day she asked her mum for more towels as she was running low! She had had her period for a couple of months, been flushing the towels ? and hadn't told her mum. When asked why, she said that she didn't think she needed to!!!
DD put her right on how to properly dispose of the used towels. ?