When Krista Leclerc?s* 10-year-old daughter, Hannah, told her she?d gotten her first period, Leclerc was surprised?she hadn?t expected it to happen for a few years yet. But she was also relieved they?d already been discussing menstruation since Hannah was nine. ?I?d kept it all very matter-of-fact and open, and tried to keep a sense of humour too,? says Leclerc.
Leclerc answered questions that Hannah and her sister, Daphne, now eight, had as they learned about puberty in school. They did things like opening pad and tampon packages together so Leclerc could demystify feminine hygiene products and show them how to use them. She made sure they talked about how to cope with period pain and how to deal when you?re just feeling So. Freakin?. Emotional. What to tell kids about periods
In Canada, most girls get their first period between age 12 and 13, but around 15 percent get it earlier, as young as eight or nine. However, ?no age is too young to start the conversation,? says Saleema Noon, a sexual health educator in Vancouver. Just keep it positive and age-appropriate, she says, ?so it?s not a scary thing.?
When Noon talks to school groups about periods, the boys and girls in the audience are in grades two and three. (Yes, boys should learn the basics too, both to prevent bullying or teasing, and to clear up any misinformation they may have come across.) She lets them know that periods are a healthy and normal part of female adulthood and they start during puberty, a time when b...