As a mom of a teenage girl, I know how important it is to spend quality “girl time” with her.  As I have said before me and my kids have great relationships. We have always been a very open family and talk about topics most people seem to not like having.  However, there are certain topics that call for one-on-one. Like Periods!  When I decided it was time to talk to my daughter about periods for the first time, I wanted to make it a fun event.  So I decided to do a “girls day out’. This also allowed us time to spend time alone. I didn’t really know if she was actually ready to have this talk yet. So, I went about it SLOW!  I decided that I just happened to forget I needed to pick up tampons! So off to Walmart we went.  Right there in the female section with just casual talking in a way that allowed her to either give me signs she wasn’t ready or to open the conversation so she could actually lead it. Luckily, she started taking the lead and asking me questions!  I was actually happy with this because I really didn’t want to press on it and have her shut down on me.

Little did I know she was more aware of it then I thought! I found out that she has been having these talks with her cousin that had already started! I knew then that we had to have the full talk. Because, I remember how scared my friends had me when they was sharing their experiences for the first time at that age. With this being my first time dealing with this as a mom, I was actually shocked how well it went.  So shocked, I don’t see why so many moms try to avoid it till THE LAST MINUTE. (yes I can say that now LOL)

Later that night after we got home I told her dad about our talk. Come to find out he was already thinking the same thing! He had ordered her a special “period pack gift set” for teens a few days earlier! I had no clue he was even thinking about it!  When the package arrived he actually wanted to be the one that gave it to her. She loved it! It came with a book called “Period. A Girls guide”, pads, and other little goodies in a pretty pink box. (You can read his post on the product and experience as a dad having that talk here)

So my advice is don’t stress it! Make it something fun. This week Mom Central sent a little makeup bag with a few goodies to give to my daughter. Since she started back to school Friday it was perfect timing! I filled it with all her “personal needs” and a few extras so she will always have them at school.

However, the bag idea is also a great way to break the ice if you haven’t actually had the talk yet! You can fill it with your own  special items, pads, books about periods, etc and give it to your daughter to start the conversation,

If you still need ideas be sure to check out www.kotex.com/tween  this site is a great reference to prepare for your talk with your daughter. And don’t forget www.ubykotex.com/helloperiod  it has period questions that could be helpful for tweens and teens! Just make sure you are prepared as a parent! You might be shocked how many questions or how willing your daughter is for actually talking!

So now tell me how you brought up the period topic for the first time!? If you haven’t had the talk yet, How do you plan to bring it up?

 

 

*I wrote this while participating in a Brand Ambassador Campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of U by Kotex Tween and received products to facilitate my post and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate

Last week I shared with you about outmywindowTM, a new photo sharing site that allows you to store your pictures online while also allowing only the people you want to see them! With Out My Window, members can easily create curated lists (groups) and delegate exactly who gets to view their photos.

As a parent I shared with you my reasons why I loved the new site.  After thinking more about it not only is this service great for adults it’s also great for kids who like to share pictures online. My teens love sites like instagram and facebook to share pictures but I always make sure they are only sharing with friends. Even with the privacy settings I still try to limit what they post.

With outmywindowTM they can set up an album and share it with only people they want to. This makes me feel better. Because, I don’t have to worry about someone trying to copying the link to the picture and sending it to others. Users do have to be 13 or over to sign up for this service. However, you can always create your kids a personal album on your account and invite family and friends to view the pictures.

I admit my kids are very active in social media; however I still make sure I monitor everything they do. They understand the dangers that come with sharing to much information. That’s why I try to also lead by example.  It’s not that I don’t trust my kids, its I just don’t put to much trust in people.

So make sure you check out outmywindowTM today!

Out My Window: http://bit.ly/A7JGm7

Out My Window App on iTunes:

“I have been hired by Warner Bros WBWord division to raise awareness for ‘outmywindow™.'”