10 Truths About Periods I Want To Tell You, My Daughter

In this open letter to her daughter, a mother normalises talking around menstruation, and destigmatises the stereotypes about it.

My dearest daughter, I want to tell you something today.  I wish to pen down a few things every little girl needs to hear before she gets her first period.

Things that I wish someone had told my generation when it was our turn all those years back.

Periods do not make you impure 

Menstruation is a normal hormone dependent body function. It has no role in determining anyone’s purity; which in itself is an outdated archaic concept of this patriarchal society.

Getting your periods does not mean that you are a grown woman

…who shouldn’t play with her friends or brothers or cousins.

Why is there any need to mix up periods and maturity? Getting your periods does not magically transform you overnight to anybody else. Do not let anyone take your childhood away from you because of this. Be silly, be goofy, be funny, be you!

Periods don’t have to mean confinement

Your first period does not mean you have to forego everything else and be confined to your house for the whole week                               

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Your period day is just like any other normal day and if you feel good enough to go out, please do that, because I am here to make sure that no one stops you from being you.

You can touch the pickles jar and water the plants                                

You want pickles? You take the jar out and eat as much as you want. And trust me, the plants are going to die only if you don’t water them.

You don’t have to sleep on the floor when you get your periods 

You need to be at your most comfortable when you’re on your periods, and do not give up your bed for anyone’s sake. As for sleeping on the floor, well that’s what camping trips are for!

Periods are different for each person                                                 

There is no single universal method to this. Everyone is different; and so is menstruation. It is a spectrum ranging from vomiting and cramps at one end, to barely even feel a muscle twitch at the other end. You know your body better than anyone else. If you feel like crawling under the covers and having ice cream, go ahead and do that. If you feel like horse riding, you can do that too. Just remember to do what makes you feels right.

Getting your periods does not mean no more guy friends     

It’s one of the rarest and most beautiful things in life to find a circle of friends whom you can hold close. Don’t let something as normal as periods put a strain on your friendships and the way you see people.

Periods is not a conversation that needs to be hidden from the male species

The more we talk about it, the more we normalised it. Encourage period conversations both inside and outside the house.

Even  if somebody doesn’t get periods ever, that’s also okay.

The human body is mind-blowingly unique in that there are people who may not get their periods ever and that’s okay too. You are not defined by just this one body part. You are so much more.

Don’t let any of these conventions stop you from the person you truly deserve to be.  

With love,
Mom

Image source: From Rodnae through Pexels

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