Periods

So much of the stigma and anxiety is born of ignorance about women’s bodies.
Adolescent girls should not be forced to engage in sports activities if they don’t feel confident they won’t bleed everywhere.
It takes time to get used to all the bother and it is a bother -I mean one minute you’re 11 ish and just “coming into your own” and then menstruation happens.
Pain is another matter all together and so is mood and hormonal changes.
These aspects were barely acknowledged let alone spoken of until relatively recently.
Ridiculous isn’t it.

Nobody warned me. I didn't have a clue, so when I woke up one morning and found blood I completely panicked. Mum tore up an old sheet and tied a strip around my waist and then folded some up to make a pad which attached to the strip.
And then I rode my bike to school as usual, but fainted in morning assembly and got sent home in a taxi.
I used torn up sheets until I got a Saturday morning job which meant I could buy proper pads.

My mum explained the basic biology very clearly when I was nine, nearly ten. I think this was because I'd been staying with my grandma and had had a tummy ache and felt "bothered" (emotional?) so I suspect grandma dropped a hint to mum just in case.

As it happens my periods didn't start till I was nearly fourteen. I realised while we were having afternoon tea at the house of my dad's college principal. We'd gone to her house by car so I asked my dad for the car keys, got a load of tissues and made a pad for my knickers.

When we got home I told my mum and she gave me the necessaries. All very calm and straightforward. Then I went and played table-tennis with my brothers. My periods were calm and straightforward too. I was lucky.

My sister had a much harder time growing up. Throw of the die?

We were given a talk at school.

I wasn’t prepared , I was the oldest girl in the family , first term in grammar school , but not quite eleven , terrible crappy tummy , dragged myself home and scared the life out of myself in the bathroom
Mum just showed me the elastic belt and a cotton wool !!
Thought it was a one off ! The terrible truth wasn’t actually spelt out just given a pack of proper pads , and told to ask for more when I needed it
All I was told was , it’s your age , be careful
No idea of what I had to be careful of