by Sara McGinnis posted in Life

I think I hurt my mom's feelings when I got my first period. I was 13, and rather than go and tell her I helped myself to some of her pads when she wasn't looking.
"Why didn't you tell me"" she asked once she figured out why her stock was rapidly depleting.
If I recall correctly, I shrugged in reply. At the time I wasn't able to articulate what I was feeling, but 23 years (and many, too many if I'm being honest) periods later I've found the words: I didn't want anyone to know!
The very last thing I wanted to do with my newly arrived period was talk about it to anyone aside from maybe my best friend. Not with my mom, most certainly not with my dad, and absolutely not with anyone else.
Apparently I'm lucky I was born and raised in the United States. Members of the BuzzFeed Community have been sharing first period traditions from their various cultures, and wow. Seems I could have wound up with a whole lot less privacy (and possibly quite confused about what to eat or not eat).
"You have a party thrown to celebrate your transition into womanhood where you don't leave the house for three days, then get presents and a huge party (typically). You mustn't be around children or men during your first period."

?Nyiko, South Africa
"My mom rinsed my underwear (literally just with water) and smeared it all over my face because she said it would prevent pimples in the future. She made me jump three steps from the stairs bec...