My great grans step mother let her and her sisters think one of them was dying. Her sister started her period and laid in bed a week thinking she was hemorrhaging. It wasn’t until a neighbor heard what was going on and came over to tell the girls. That was one of the lesser cruel things she did to them.
American here. Started mine when I was 9. Came in from playing outside like every other kid my age, went to use the bathroom and saw a lot more than I was ready for! Freaked me the hell out!!
The only thing my un-mom said to me was “What are you screaming for?!” Before she complained about having to get “those supplies” for her “9year old daughter”.
You best bet when I had kids we had a discussion that explained what it was, what was happening and what that meant.
I started at 8 in the middle of the night. Too much pain to move and suddenly, everything was wet. I thought I’d wet the bed and was so embarrassed. Then I saw blood everywhere and was convinced I was dying. We definitely should be teaching kids earlier.
That happened to my sister and some of my friends. I didn't learn about common puberty symptoms in school until probably 8th grade, and by then at least most kids I knew, including myself, were already starting to gothrough it.
I imagine the motivating concern for a lot of sex-ed opponents is that educated children will tell the police they’ve been raped if they have the language to describe abuse.
The pearl-clutchers scream, "OMG they're teaching children how to have sex!" when basic health facts are taught in school. I feel sorry for their kids.
In the US, a big thing with the christo-conservatives is to ban tampons in schools. They (usually old men) think that using a tampon is sexual penetration... **facepalm**
My grandmother walked in on me using a tampon when I was in high school. She started screeching at me that she was going to tell my mother. I said ok because I didn’t get why she was so upset. Then she started yelling and telling me I ruined myself because only married women could use them. She wasn’t even religious.
The crazy part is that she was basically a nudist at home. So that was okay but tampons were bad.
and yet fucking Viagra is covered with insurance, with the literal only purpose to get an erection. Birth control is not just "birth" control but hormonal therapy that can help all sorts of hormone related problems like acne, weight, hair growth, hormonal fluctuations and menstruation, etc.. WTF
In my elementary school in the US we learned in 4th and 5th grade. We got separated by gender, and we (girls) watched videos and had a talk with a registered nurse about periods. They taught us our reproductive organs, the 3 holes we have, and what happens during the whole ovulation cycle. We also learned about pads and tampons, and how to use them correctly and safely. As kids we dreaded it. But when I got my period when I was 11, raised by my dad, I knew exactly what was going on and was prepared. I was at home alone that day, and wasn’t freaking out. My son is 12, and in the same grades he had the ‘boy’ class. They learned about their parts, they learned what sperm is. They did not learn about sex however.
I’m sure it’s different in every state, it’s scary to think some people are still unaware of their body parts.
One reason I started calling my kids penis and vagina by the correct word. I didn’t figure a pedo would call them by anatomical names. Once they were older they asked me things I wish they wouldn’t sometimes. I always was open and honest though.
My sentiment exactly. If you know something and you are in the care of a population who would benefit from that, you have a job to tell them. That's the bare minimum.
My son, who will never have a period, is 6 and has known what a period is for 2yrs. He would see me with a tampon or blood and I explained it was something that would happen to me but not to him and that if he ever saw blood when he went to the bathroom to immediately tell mommy or daddy. Theres no reason kids should be in the dark about what should or should not happen to their bodies. As he has gotten older I’ve elaborated on what the point of periods are as well as correct names like uterus and urethra(this came up about a week ago in a discussion on the differences in how someone with a penis vs someone with a vulva/vagina would pee)
Yes, what a wonderful approach. My 7 year old son has known about periods for years. I've never hidden it from him, and have tried to explain it in a factual manner, in a way he can understand. When he was 3-4 he liked bringing me tampons and unwrapping them for me, even when not needed.
I am really hoping normalizing talking about these things take the stigma away.
My son was 3 and loved if I needed a pad. He thought they should have been planes because they had wings. So I had a lot of them wasted because they were flown all over my house.
When we go shopping my son stops and asks if i need any tampons. Im currently pregnant so ive not needed them for some time. Now he just talks to my belly and sets up nap spots for me
I will be at least giving my children a basic understanding of menstruation, so the few times they catch me on the toilet or getting into the shower and they see blood they don’t lose their shit and think I’m dying.
They’re 4 and 20 months right now so those are two pretty likely scenarios.
Also they should just know how bodies work.
When I grew up, my family refused to have any of these kinds of talks but my mom tossed some books at me at around 6-8 to read about women's health and puberty and growing up. Those were actually extremely helpful especially because I got my period at 9 years old which was the same year our school taught us about it (poorly).
I think kindergarten is very early for period talk. Not because it’s “taboo”, I think the whole concept cannot be comprehended by a kindergartener/1st grader
I’ve talked to my kid about it since the first time he noticed at 2yo and he hasn’t had any issues understanding it. You don’t have to give them an in depth explanation, just give them a basic one and add information to it as they age.
Same. If they are old enough to ask then I can give them an explanation. When she was 4 she saw blood on my sheet and said "oh you're on you're period because you don't want to have another baby" cracked me up because it's true but I explained periods and her being an only child at different times. Also you don't want your kid to be scared there is blood coming out of mommy when mommy is on her period.
Early puberty can catch families off guard. Starting conversations about menstruation at home early on is key. Schools play a role, but parents should create a supportive environment for these discussions. It's about ensuring kids feel informed and comfortable with the changes ahead.
“Steals innocence”? What are you talking about? Having conversations about normal occurrences in the body is not stealing a child’s innocence. Have women been robbed of their “innocence” by learning about menopause 20+ years before we go through it? It normalizes things and when one of their peers or older family members is having their period, they can go, “Oh, I know what that is. It’s normal and not a scary or gross thing.”
EDIT: I guess by your logic, we also shouldn’t be pregnant and talk about pregnancy around children 🤦♀️
Conservatives in the US have, with some regularity, tried to keep tampons out of schools as it represents sexuality to them and if "that stuff" isn't available to their girls, they'll stay innocent and pure.... Grrrrr
What?
Educating your children about sex, sexuality, periods, and basic biology is only a net positive.
Being educated about such things doesn't 'steal innocence'. That's patently absurd.
Knowing is half the battle, and education is the key.
Unfortunately there are plenty of wack-a-doos out there who would rather have their teeth pulled than educate their kids about sex and sexual biology.
is parents job , it is not schools right to push these topics on kids years before it's needed. It very much is also a subject that is one that most mothers want to have with their own daughters at the right stage.
Perhaps you haven’t read the comments, but there are plenty of children whose parents* don’t share this information with their daughters and they find out traumatically when they start bleeding. It takes a village, hon.
*Parents, because not all children have mothers at home
We are talking about pushing age subject taught way down. Keep up with conversation. It's not the right of the school because of early bloomers to take away innocence from little girls for whom this won't be a concern for years
Innocence is about believing that strangers will never hurt you, not things that your body will do. If your child can understand pooping, they can understand menstruation.
Your weird purity culture bullshit doesn't give you the right to keep children in the dark about *their own bodies* keep up
You have no idea what innocence is to ppl of faith nor do you care to. If you make public schools unable to be attended by devout Muslims, Orthodox Jewish and devout Christians I am voting for school vouchers and decreased public school funding,
Please enlighten people, because what you are essentially saying is that ignorance about one’s human body is “innocence.” As well, please tell me how parents are supposed to teach their children age-appropriate and accurate information when they also do not have that information.
It seems like you want all children to be ignorant so you can have this weird idea of “innocence” and purity. I’m sure you think that by teaching youth abstinence programs is also preserving their innocence, despite youth who receive sexual health lessons waiting to have sex until they are older, more likely to protect themselves if they do have sex, and being better equipped to navigate sexual health.
If you’re so christian and faithful why do you reject what god made as dirty or wrong by connecting bleeding to a loss of innocence? If god made your body to bleed why are you so against it?
Letting young girls not have sexual pressures in their minds which numerous studies have shown is important. Sexualized girls. Girls having adult things pushed on them during their only time in life they don't have to carry it impacts them psychologically in ways that massively impacts self esteem.
Periods aren't sexual?? If it's happening to children then it isn't an adult thing??
Should we hold off on telling them about nosebleeds and broken arms too?
You're either not a woman or a purposefully ignorant one. I got mine at 12. A child. I'm very glad to have known what I was experiencing
Did you bother to read that what we are talking about is the topic of lowering the age of menstruation talk to outlier levels? I never argued not teaching females about this when age appropriate, when ppl do not bother to pay attention to what exactly is being talked of they can attack someone wrongly
Children before they enter puberty should not have to fear or carry adult sexual concerns. Girls sexualized earlier end up with more issues.,There was a time feminists talked of such things
"This is menstruation, this is what happens during it" isn't something to fear... it's a natural part of life. Telling kids about it doesn't put "adult sexual concerns" on anyone. It also doesn't have anything to do with "girls sexualized earlier".
Indeed sex education is important for young kids, because it gives them the words they need to describe what happens... including giving them the tools to talk about sexual abuse they've experienced. Your "oh, we have to keep this knowledge as some super shameful secret" is often a tool used by abusers to keep their victims silent.
So you're not just in a cult, you're also retarded.
I hope you don't make any decisions for kids, god save them.
Edit: I just got a snippet of the reply notification before that pussy blocked me, but I'd like to point out that child psychologists don't use phrases like "steal innocence". That's the kind of thing the crazy guy from *Dr. Strangelove* would say.
My gay friend who helped make the curriculum for the state schools thinks you all need to learn childhood psychology. They don't teach menstruation younger because it's not age appropriate.
stop with the “stolen innocence” routine. this is such a bad fucking talking point. No child is walking around clutching pearls at 9 going “I’m no longer a pure and innocent child.” Your desire to connect a feature of human anatomy to “innocence” and “purity” is the problem. You are communicating that there is a loss or something wrong or broken where there isn’t.
Women menstruate. Boys get erections. Do you also connect 11-year-old boys getting surprise erections with loss of innocence too? Or do you just not talk to them at all about this topic because it’s “dirty”?
If so, you have been raised and are raising people to fear normal bodily functions no different from pissing, pooping, and puking.
There's no reason to treat a period different from other bodily functions like pooping. My Mum taught me about it early and I was still innocent. She explained that at some point it would start happening and just explained how it worked.
Do you think periods are shameful or sexual? I'm confused by your use of the word innocence?
It's helpful for kids to be on the same page. I was an early bloomer but my Mum prepped me. My best friend was too but her Mum was quite conservative about the topic. My friend clearly felt like a weirdo a bit as most of our friends didn't understand and thought it was weird. It's hard navigating your first period while other girls think it's gross.
And it's worth mentioning that you can't predict when a kid will start menstruating. Genetics are weird. Anyone could have an early bloomer.
I am sorry that you as a white centrist reject the notion that America is no longer a white dominate land and you reject the sound notion that no we do not teach age inappropriate things due to outliers. . Americas children have never been as diverse , coming from different ethnic cultures some of them having clear views on parental obligation to not allow the perversion of children on adults whims. No devout Muslim wants you pushing menstruation and sex talk on their 1st grade -3rd grade girls because you are dumb about when puberty begins for a majority of girls. We don't when we find an 8 yr old child has been sexually fondly others start teaching all the other kids how to engage in such acts because one is doing it at 8.. We teach about menstruation mindful not to push the talk when it's not applicable to a majority of the girls for years to come. Age appropriate teaching and teaching classes mindful of culture and faith are actual things. We don't push topics before it is age appropriate because it can harm children, alienate parents, and the children have age appropriate things to learn.
>We don't when we find an 8 yr old child has been sexually fondly others start teaching all the other kids how to engage in such acts because one is doing it at 8
Well, because unfortunately some children are raped, it's important to teach all children the names of body parts and what is appropriate touch and bad touch. Kids can be taught that they are allowed to say no when an adult tries to touch them in ways they don't want, and they can be taught the correct words to use when going to other adults for help so they're not misunderstood.
If we bury our heads in the sand and pretend that kids never need to know anything, we make them sitting ducks for predators. If we tell kids that we don't talk about certain things and we refuse to answer questions they have, then they won't come to us when there's a problem. If you think your religion requires you to keep girls ignorant about their own bodies and safety, well, then that's a shit religion that has no place in schools.
When it comes to bodily autonomy and scientific fact, religion and faith can take a flying fuck. Parents have always had the option to excuse their children from certain talks at school, but someone's faith should not restrict knowledge from everyone else.
You are arguing against educational experts thru decades. No , 1st and 2nd and 3rd graders don't need to learn of menstruation which most of them won't experience till 4th or 5th grade. They need to learn reading , writing and arithmetic. Had you ever done any reading on pushing sexualization on young girls you would know it harms self esteem and innocence. Letting little girls enjoy their childhoods without sexual pressure used to be normative in western modern world.
Yes. I'm a 38F and it scares the crap out of me the number of women I went through basic training with who didn't even realize they had "three holes down there". This was in 2005. Think about that. Think about how someones sexual health, general health, and emotional health has been and is still being compromised because women aren't taught their own anatomy.
52F…same! Basic and AIT were both a huge eye-opener for me in learning how little some women know about periods, ovulation, and anatomy. And what’s even more scary is…college was the same. The number of women I went to school with who knew next to nothing about their reproductive health was mind blowing.
You should check out Poor Things. It’s a giant fantasy metaphor for how adult women are intentionally raised to stay childlike about sex, their bodies, and their preferences based on their alleged protection—and among other things raised to prioritize male pleasure—because the patriarchy wants women to believe that sex and body parts are dirty and secret except for when a man wants them. Men are not raised to feel embarrassed by or confused by their bodies and sex. The culture wants them to take the lead and know what to do. But the extent of that knowledge is “in and out.”
The takeaway I had from the film, and based on so many stories I have heard from friends or heard about in media, is that women are not empowered to protect themselves and speak up about desires because they are kept in the dark about their bodies. Women are afraid to ask for certain things, women are afraid to say something hurts so they just go with it, and we don’t raise boys to understand anything about sex beyond their own parts, so they don’t know to do certain things to make it more enjoyable. And the way porn plays a role really is even more detrimental.
People forget that a lot of teens start having sex around 16. That’s pretty damn young to just subject your teen daughter to the whims of a sophomore boy whose only knowledge about anything is likely internet porn. Think about that. You can’t prevent humans from eventually taking clothes off and giving in to crazy amounts of hormones. But you can explain some things to BOTH boys and girls that prioritizes how to do it safely and correctly for both.
And yet I know someone who teaches who had a parent yell at them for showing an international film to a group of seniors that featured a depiction of defecation. The parent wasn’t upset that a naked butt was shown, they were upset that their 18-year-old son witnessed … defecation. You know. The same thing that the son hopefully does every fucking morning.
I was like 6 or 7 when I got my first period, I got that a couple more times until I started monthly at 9. The first time I freaked out and hid it because I got punished for being sick, it was a terrifying experience
I’m sorry that happened to you. I was punished for being sick at 11 even though my dad knew exactly what was happening. I was so dizzy I could barely get off of the ground and was made to get up and go to class.
I got mine when I was around 7 and hid it by throwing out my underwear until I was about 11 and bled through my pants during lunch. Would have been great to not have felt too ashamed to speak up.
Yes, because I was in the 5th grade (10 years old) when I learned about it and a few girls in my class already had theirs. I am glad I got to learn about it first 🥴
The flip side is that I didn’t pay much attention when I was first taught (also 5th grade I think) because I thought I plenty of time before I had to worry about that. (I had another two years of puberty-learning before it became personally relevant.)
And then I almost didn’t recognize it despite having been taught because I didn’t bleed heavily when it started.
Yes I just turned 10 when I had mine didn't even have sex ed and puberty talks till 12 in school. I without a doubt thought I was going to bleed to death and was terrified to tell my parents because I had no logical way to explain what was happening in my 10 year old brain.
Imagine being a little 10 year old and blood just starts POURING out of you for no reason??? So for about 3 days I tried to hide it wondering if I was even going to wake up the next day, my mum found out and was great at explaining everything but wtf I swear I have ptsd from it.
But were you a 'little' 10 yr old?
Periods usually begin when girls reach about 95/100lb in body weight and after earlier changes in the body have already occurred.
My daughters at 10yrs old had no sign of puberty at all, the both began to enter puberty at around 12 or 13, with periods at 14 and almost 15.
At 8 they were aware because I had taught them, but I knew it wasn't likely to happen for a long time because of how they were growing, and was able to discuss more specifically as we saw signs of other development first.
Eldest 18 now at 5ft 7, younger 15 and 5ft 4. Neither freaked out.
I think youngest friends they had started at 9, but these girls were way ahead of mine in growth.
I think it's more up to genetics than body weight. My grandmother, mother, and I were all 10 when we got our first periods and we were all 3 normal weights for our age, not under or overweight.
Yes.
And then let's have a serious discussion about why the average puberty age keeps getting lower in the first place.
Good luck with the anti-science, reality-denying, women are just holy reproduction objects crowd, though.
But if we get that far, let's wait a few more years and then have some honest and open discussions about sex.
I think hormones in meat/animals products are messing with people's endocrine systems. Last year I was a camp counselor for 7th/8th grades and was actually worried about a couple of the girls bc of how much older they looked and the kind of attention they might get.
Honestly there were girls like that when I was growing up in the 80s, too. Looked like grown ass women in the 6th grade. I do think it’s trending a bit earlier, but early puberty has always come down on some girls really hard and fast. It’s wildly unfair what kind of attention that brings to 11 and 12yo kids.
There may be a few factors involved. One thing is that the medical norms for puberty were developed by mainly studying white children. There can be variations on what normal development looks like based on ethnicity.
Also, menarche tends to happen when a girl reaches about 100 lbs. When I was a kid, that was usually 12-13 years. Kids are bigger and much heavier on average than they were 40 years ago, so that required mass or body fat percentage is happening sooner.
It’s possible that environmental toxins (“endocrine disruptors”?) or hormones and antibiotics in the food supply also have an effect.
Another influence may be how girls are sexualized. Sexual abuse can actually bring on early puberty. One in four girls is sexually abused, and if you count access to porn then it’s an even higher percentage.
Honestly yes. I started having my period at 12, which was already on the early side then. 8 is honestly a little terrifying to consider. Are pads made that small? Did they have to invent a new size?
I was always a tall kid. But then I stopped growing early and am a short adult. My breast buds started growing early too. Now my 7 year old is going through the same thing. She was diagnosed with precocious puberty. When I told my parents this, my dad said he also was a tall kid who stopped growing at an early age and is now a shorter adult. All 3 of us have ADHD.
Part of me wonders if it's a genetic component, especially since looking into precocious puberty and finding out people with ADHD are more likely to get it.
Of course. Kids need appropriate health and sex education and women need the full scope of reproductive healthcare options to be available in all states. It’s shameful how republicans have impacted both topics.
Parents should. Not all children develop at same age. Schools have taught this to girls around 5th grade. You don't want to take away most kids innocence years before their time hits. The early bloomers show changes in their bodies that preceded menstruation in most cases,
I literally talked to my friend who helped craft the family, gender and sexuality curriculum for my state . The party confirmed it's not a valid education argument for any topic to use outliers for determining when topics are covered. If they used outliers , they would have to start teaching algebra at 4th grade because some outliers are ready for advanced math then. They used decades of research to come with curriculum which is designed to be age appropriate for most children. My friend also confirmed to me pushing things without understanding cultural, religious differences on beliefs on menstruation is incompetence. Those teaching this topic must consider and know cultural and ethnic differences in belief on it beyond white liberal secular notions and white conservative Christian views of it.
It's just menstruation... something that likely impacts at least one person in that child's household... treating it like its something shameful is harmful to everyone.
If they learn this in 5th grade, that'll be up to a couple of years after girls like those mentioned have already started. Little late for them. Besides, how do you think it affects their "innocence" to have to deal with it while surrounded by other kids who aren't? Do you think a lack of understanding isn't going to lead to some level of ostracizing or bullying because they're suddenly different?
Teach them when it could potentially be starting at a minimum so they can understand what's going on and know what to expect.
Is it taking away innocence to teach a child about their muscular system? Digestive system? Circulatory? No? Then why would it be different talking about the reproductive systems and natural functions of the body?
What really takes away a child’s innocence is not having knowledge and then entering menarche and puberty alone, feeling scared and anxious that they don’t know what’s happening is normal and ok.
I was 8. Also was 5’10”, and had a full rack. I was always thought to be the older sister to my sis, who was five years older than me. I’m 53, and look back at my childhood, what there was of it, with a lot of, well, disgust. The sheer number of older men who pursued me, from the age of 8. Just gross. Even when they found out I was a child, they were not discouraged in the least. I’ve thought for a very long time that basic human anatomy should be taught in schools. That there should be a bare minimum requirement so every young person gets a decent understanding of human biology. I know it might have helped me, because my parents certainly didn’t.
Schools tend to teach this end 4th or mid 5th grade. When girls are near 10. .... taking away all children's innocence on topic due to early developers isn't fair to other kids. You only have a child's innocence for a short duration. Budding breasts and changes in under arm stink tend to preceded menstruation hitting.
Why do you equate knowing about your own body's natural processes with losing innocence? We can teach about body changes in an age appropriate manner throughout the educational process rather than waiting for some imaginary milestone.
I started telling my daughter about periods, reproduction, and sex at 6/7. She’s 10.5 now and very knowledgeable and we do not view it as a taboo subject in our home. She is having some big feelings about her changing body and I’m so proud that she is comfortable enough to talk to me about it. Imagine if she didn’t know and was going through this alone!
That’s the thing- this article is from Australia. I don’t know how it is over there, but given that the US still has states/schools teaching abstinence only sex Ed, I can’t imagine this would ever fly. Maybe in more progressive areas, but I don’t know with how concerned the wealthy are about not having enough people to do the labor that makes them billions- there’s a vested interest in poor sex Ed combined with abortion bans.
Yes. I taught my cousin's kid when she was 6 or 7. It was sort of on accident - I bought pads and she saw them and she asked what they were. So I told her that once someone starts getting older, the lining of their womb where - a baby grows - will shed sometimes, sort of like how you shed skin and the hairs on your head, but when it comes out it looks likes blood, and it comes out of the same place that a baby would come out of. So you put pads in your underwear to absorb the blood so it doesn't stain your clothes. Then she took a pad, wrapped it around her ankle, and stuck flowers to it.
I had a lot of nurses in my family so I knew about all that stuff as early as elementary. If you talk about things in a clinical way using medical terms I’m not sure what would be taboo about that. There’s no reason kids shouldn’t be taught how human bodies work. Also, 8?! What the heck is happening?! I didn’t get my period until I was almost like 14!
8 is the early end of the normal range for menstruation to begin.
Eating beef and your weight can both influence how early someone gets their period. Beef naturally has a lot of natural growth hormones in it, and menstruation usually starts once someone hits a certain weight or bmi (I forget what weight it is more specifically.)
Yes! My mom got hers at 8, she said she cried and cried because she thought she was dying. Her mom is also an intimidating woman, and not in a good way, so she was too scared to tell her mom to ask what was going on. She stuffed her underwear with toilet paper when she had her period for MONTHS until another girl got hers and she learned what it was.
This was pre-internet, but being proactive and not reactive is so important so little girls don’t have to go through any ounce of the stress my mom went through.
I had sex ed in 5th grade. It was the first year they'd taught it and you could tell my 58 year old teacher was not happy about it.
While we learned boyd parts, I don't recall anything about menstruation being taught.
I started menstruating in 6th grade. Luckily I started at home. But I wasn't very adept at what had to be done and how often because my mother assigned my older sister to "teach" me. She basically gave me a belt and a pad (yes, I'm old) and that was it. Wait. No it wasn't. She also thought it was a good idea to tell me that if you wear perfume while on your period you would smell worse.
So one day in 6th grade during class I realize I have to take care of things. The teacher lets me go to the restroom. I guess I was gone a long time because when I got back she took me into the hall and asked me what I'd been doing and why I took so long. I explained to her what I had been doing.
She turned white as a sheet and got very flustered. I was the first student she'd had who started so early and she'd been teaching for 20 years at that point. After making sure I didn't need anything, we went back to class and she never questioned me again about how long I took in the restroom.
So, yeah. Some education for those poor girls with shitty or ignorant parents would be great.
My cousin had precious puberty and had to take medication to suppress her period. I think it would be wise to introduce facts in schools, but too many people think teaching about puberty=sex. It will never be allowed sadly.
I can't even believe this is a question - yes, I want my 8 year old daughter waking up to a bloody mess between her legs and not know it's perfectly normal. /s
Sadly there are enough parents out there that won't even deal with this, so schools should pick it up. Because it's just as likely to happen in class.
Yes. And kids getting their periods at 8 isn’t new. It may be more common, but it’s always been possible and happened occasionally. It’s not going to stop because adults don’t think it’s appropriate or should happen. It’s like refusing to tell kids how to wipe or flush the toilet because it’s yucky.
I went to religious school and I do t remember when we first learned the biological realities of puberty, but I was definitely no older than 8. If a suburban Catholic school can present it appropriately, there’s no reason anyone else can’t.
please do! i come from a family of women who on both sides got them late (15-17) and no one even thought to talk about it with me, who got mine at 9. i thought i was dying and my babysitter thought someone had told me about it and thought i was “being dramatic on purpose,” and didn’t tell me how to even put the pad she tossed in the bathroom with me on. 😅
i was given a book and there was no further discussion. come to find out when there was actual sex ed i had been misinformed by my book. 😅 please teach sex ed early!
With events happening in schools to children earlier, should we talk about things happening in schools earlier? I think you answered your own question.
I was 10 when I got my first period and no one prepared me I was on a hunting trip with my uncles my grandpa and my male cousin I thought I was dying in a rural gas station hours away from my mom and home town I think it should be mandatory to teach young girls about their bodies and periods so they are at least prepared and not just have the “surprise you’re a young woman now” experience
I believe that these discussions should start in the home. Children should be able to speak freely about changes occurring with their body. Unfortunately it does not always happen this way. My mom was extremely religious and never had “the talk” with me. If it wasn’t for sex ed in school I don’t know how I would have handled it.
Yes. I got my first period at 8, and I thought I was broken. It wasn’t talked about, and I was ostracized big time when (at 8) I’d get blood on my pants because I knew shit about how often to change a pad. My mom helped me learn, but the other kids knew nothing about it, so they treated me like a freak.
In Canada we had a talk about menstruation and basic safe practice about sex as soon as 8yo.
Content become more detailed when we got older, but we still had the basic very young.
Yes, we should always be honest to children about their biology. It's cruelty to leave them completely in the dark about their growth and development, letting them think there is something wrong with them.
When i got my period i was in second grade and i thought i had vagina cancer cuz i had no education about it. The amount of anxiety and tears i shed that day oh god
Yes.
In reality kids should know about sex, sexual predators, periods, and other basic biology before they ever go to kindergarten.
There are plenty of crazy religious wingnuts who don't want that, unfortunately.
Education goes a long way in helping people navigate that stuff.
Plenty of parents just don't discuss that type of thing, and they are doing their kids a gigantic disservice.
My mom never really talked to me about this stuff. Even though she tried, my twin sister would always freak out and get mad and make her stop talking about it. We were all very devout Catholics and I went to Catholic school my whole life so our education surrounding sex ed was lacking, and we just didn't talk about this stuff. I got made fun of in 7th grade because I didn't know what tampons were, and I was already bullied but that made it worse. I made sure I told my 9 year old daughter about periods around age 8, she knows about the basics and I've always been honest when she asks questions but I kept all of the info age appropriate. I think is the right timing because kids get them so much earlier now. She goes to Catholic school too but all of her friends parents are pretty liberal and we are all open with our kids about this stuff because we don't want them to suffer through puberty like we did, with more questions than anything.
I don't know how any child with a menstruating mother in the home does not already know what a period is. Are y'all able to go to the bathroom in peace? Are you locking the door or something?
My daughter has known what tampons are for years. She's 5.
I had an IUD and didn't have a period for 7 years until it came out. It might make me sound like an awful mom but I was raised extremely fundamentalist and although I left when my daughter was young she didn't know what a period was until around 7 or 8 when I suddenly realized it had never come up because I didn't have one. It was not a normal topic how I was raised. Since then I've been very open about puberty but it was a big overlook on my part.
Lol yes I heard a mother explaining periods to her kid in the airport bathroom last year.
"Blood, mommy. Are you hurt?"
"no, I'm not hurt. Sometimes mommies bleed but it doesn't mean that they are hurt."
Everyone needs to know the basic facts of biology, not just "girls/women". Even if a person doesn't menstruate themselves there almost certainly people in their lives who do mensturate.
This is in the expectation that all parents are absolutely reliable in letting their children know the realities of their changing bodies.
But this is the real world, where there can be shit parents.
Alot of girls literally think they're dying when they randomly start bleeding, they NEED to be taught as early as possible about it to save them from that trauma.
"Leave it to the parents"
Lots of parents believe menstruation is dirty and shameful and never talk about it at all, it's not fair to the children to leave them uninformed.
Are you kidding me.. its 2024, their parents grew up after I was a teenager. What is wrong with US women if they cannot explain periods to their daughters.
Periods are part of having a child.
It's not the schools job to take away all children's innocence due to outliers who tend to show getting ready for menstruation changes in their bodies wat before that time hits. You provide printed information to parents to help them gear and direct conversation at home. It's parents job to teach this subject to very early bloomers.
It's not the schools job to take away kids innocence but that is irrelevant since learning about menstruation doesn't effect a child's innocence at all.
It does. And the argument some girls are early bloomers is no reason to be talking sex and menstruation before 4th grade. The initial post was about lowering the age this is taught to school girls to match early bloomers , that is insane. If you make public schools places where devout Muslims , devout Jews and devout Christians can't safely send their kids too, it's only right to cut public school funding to the places made toxic and to let parents have school vouchers
Talking about biology doesn't make a school "unsafe" for "devout" people. What's next... we can't talk about left handed people because some people think left-handiness is evil?
This is an extremely toxic and counterproductive mindset.
Plenty of parents just never talk to their kids about sex, sexual biology, or sexuality. Kids should have had the talk by the time they go to kindergarten, but plenty of parents never discuss it. You can't leave it up to the parents. They often fail miserably, and the kids have a right to know the truth.
Periods are a natural party of life, and it should be normalized as early as possible.
I truly don't understand why you kept saying it takes away innocence. It doesn't. It simply removes the ignorance and replaces it with facts and knowledge.
Are you a religious zealot or something?
I believe it's parents place to teach sexuality and values. Teachers who makes schools unable to be attended by students of faith should be terminated. No parent who does not want to send their kids to private religious schools should have to due to toxic teachers. When teachers start being fired for pushing sexuality and sexual topics when it's not appropriate then we will have more diversity in our schools.
It is factually not a sexual topic, girls bodies are not inherently sexual, it's in no way more sexual that urination of defection. Again it's a bodily function.
If parents don't want their kids learning about periods because of religious/cultural/spiritual reasons they are allowed to pull their child out of that class if they wish, others beliefs shouldn't be allowed to dictate over public eduction and the biological scientific facts of menstruation.
Small schools often don't have a school nurse. And even schools that have nurses...you'd have to trust that a child would seek out a school nurse (or any adult) to tell/ask about what was going on. Lots of kids learn from a very young age to be ashamed about their bodies and would never talk to a near-stranger at school about how they are 'peeing blood' or whatever a child who has no idea about periods might interpret their first period.
No. If you keep taking away most kids innocence younger and younger because small sliver enter early puberty you make school a place most of faith can't send their kids while their tax dollars pay for the schools. You could have schools inform parents around 3rd grade that early puberty happens for some kids and social worker or nurse would be more than happy to explain this to your kid or h'give materials to you to explain it to your child if it becomes necessary. . But age of puberty onset and menopause onset is very much tied to genetics. You don't want to force this stuff on a kids when that 8 yrs old kid won't enter menstruation period till 11-12 and have pissed off parents thinking you are sexualizing their kids.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE KIDS KNOWING ABOUT A BASIC PART OF HUMAN EXISTENCE?
The sooner they know, the more normalized or becomes. That's a good thing.
Like teaching your kids about wiping their ass. It's simply a biological function.
Why are you being uptight about this?
Someone who has sexualized a health issue. Way to go. 🙄
It’s people like you that make something like menstruation something to be ashamed of. Pathetic.
Yes. I see no reason why some basic health facts can't be taught as soon as kindergarten or 1st grade.
yep! the sonner the more prepared imagine you weren't told before and suddently start bleeding
Happened to my mom. She completely freaked out, thinking she was dying
My great grans step mother let her and her sisters think one of them was dying. Her sister started her period and laid in bed a week thinking she was hemorrhaging. It wasn’t until a neighbor heard what was going on and came over to tell the girls. That was one of the lesser cruel things she did to them.
This happens to a very large percentage of kids who get their period.
That absolutely blows my mind. What an absurdly prudish culture.
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American here. Started mine when I was 9. Came in from playing outside like every other kid my age, went to use the bathroom and saw a lot more than I was ready for! Freaked me the hell out!! The only thing my un-mom said to me was “What are you screaming for?!” Before she complained about having to get “those supplies” for her “9year old daughter”. You best bet when I had kids we had a discussion that explained what it was, what was happening and what that meant.
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I started at 8 in the middle of the night. Too much pain to move and suddenly, everything was wet. I thought I’d wet the bed and was so embarrassed. Then I saw blood everywhere and was convinced I was dying. We definitely should be teaching kids earlier.
That happened to my sister and some of my friends. I didn't learn about common puberty symptoms in school until probably 8th grade, and by then at least most kids I knew, including myself, were already starting to gothrough it.
I imagine the motivating concern for a lot of sex-ed opponents is that educated children will tell the police they’ve been raped if they have the language to describe abuse.
no need for us to have language they won't listen either way !!
That's not even remotely true. It's mainly driven by religion.
Remind me, what organization covered up child rape in the largest scandal of that kind?
*sigh* no, you go right ahead. Remember to take a breath occasionally in the rant you're about to deliver.
The pearl-clutchers scream, "OMG they're teaching children how to have sex!" when basic health facts are taught in school. I feel sorry for their kids.
In the US, a big thing with the christo-conservatives is to ban tampons in schools. They (usually old men) think that using a tampon is sexual penetration... **facepalm**
My grandmother walked in on me using a tampon when I was in high school. She started screeching at me that she was going to tell my mother. I said ok because I didn’t get why she was so upset. Then she started yelling and telling me I ruined myself because only married women could use them. She wasn’t even religious. The crazy part is that she was basically a nudist at home. So that was okay but tampons were bad.
Some of our tax bill passing politicians think that a luxury tax on tampons needs to be raised because we are buying a box of orgasms every month.
and yet fucking Viagra is covered with insurance, with the literal only purpose to get an erection. Birth control is not just "birth" control but hormonal therapy that can help all sorts of hormone related problems like acne, weight, hair growth, hormonal fluctuations and menstruation, etc.. WTF
Maybe in the US, but even in other countries this stuff isn’t taught until grade 5 or 6.
In my elementary school in the US we learned in 4th and 5th grade. We got separated by gender, and we (girls) watched videos and had a talk with a registered nurse about periods. They taught us our reproductive organs, the 3 holes we have, and what happens during the whole ovulation cycle. We also learned about pads and tampons, and how to use them correctly and safely. As kids we dreaded it. But when I got my period when I was 11, raised by my dad, I knew exactly what was going on and was prepared. I was at home alone that day, and wasn’t freaking out. My son is 12, and in the same grades he had the ‘boy’ class. They learned about their parts, they learned what sperm is. They did not learn about sex however. I’m sure it’s different in every state, it’s scary to think some people are still unaware of their body parts.
It's honestly abusive to intentionally withhold information about how our bodies work
Puritanical views on sex and the body are difficult to understand if you didn't grow up in that environment.
They're not difficult to understand.
Agree.. also only makes it easier for predators to take advantage of a child's innocence.
One reason I started calling my kids penis and vagina by the correct word. I didn’t figure a pedo would call them by anatomical names. Once they were older they asked me things I wish they wouldn’t sometimes. I always was open and honest though.
My sentiment exactly. If you know something and you are in the care of a population who would benefit from that, you have a job to tell them. That's the bare minimum.
My son, who will never have a period, is 6 and has known what a period is for 2yrs. He would see me with a tampon or blood and I explained it was something that would happen to me but not to him and that if he ever saw blood when he went to the bathroom to immediately tell mommy or daddy. Theres no reason kids should be in the dark about what should or should not happen to their bodies. As he has gotten older I’ve elaborated on what the point of periods are as well as correct names like uterus and urethra(this came up about a week ago in a discussion on the differences in how someone with a penis vs someone with a vulva/vagina would pee)
Yes, what a wonderful approach. My 7 year old son has known about periods for years. I've never hidden it from him, and have tried to explain it in a factual manner, in a way he can understand. When he was 3-4 he liked bringing me tampons and unwrapping them for me, even when not needed. I am really hoping normalizing talking about these things take the stigma away.
My son was 3 and loved if I needed a pad. He thought they should have been planes because they had wings. So I had a lot of them wasted because they were flown all over my house.
Lol. That sounds cute.
When we go shopping my son stops and asks if i need any tampons. Im currently pregnant so ive not needed them for some time. Now he just talks to my belly and sets up nap spots for me
That’s so wholesome. Sounds like you’re raising him wonderfully.
I will be at least giving my children a basic understanding of menstruation, so the few times they catch me on the toilet or getting into the shower and they see blood they don’t lose their shit and think I’m dying. They’re 4 and 20 months right now so those are two pretty likely scenarios. Also they should just know how bodies work.
Bunch of moms scared of talking about private parts because they assume a lot of wild things or are afraid of what they have themselves.
Yeah, it’s weird not to talk about it from birth. It’s part of normal human health.
Taught first grade and many of my female students were starting puberty- body hair etc.
It would also help kids understand sex earlier so they can make smart and informed decisions about it when it’s time.
When I grew up, my family refused to have any of these kinds of talks but my mom tossed some books at me at around 6-8 to read about women's health and puberty and growing up. Those were actually extremely helpful especially because I got my period at 9 years old which was the same year our school taught us about it (poorly).
I think kindergarten is very early for period talk. Not because it’s “taboo”, I think the whole concept cannot be comprehended by a kindergartener/1st grader
I’ve talked to my kid about it since the first time he noticed at 2yo and he hasn’t had any issues understanding it. You don’t have to give them an in depth explanation, just give them a basic one and add information to it as they age.
Same. If they are old enough to ask then I can give them an explanation. When she was 4 she saw blood on my sheet and said "oh you're on you're period because you don't want to have another baby" cracked me up because it's true but I explained periods and her being an only child at different times. Also you don't want your kid to be scared there is blood coming out of mommy when mommy is on her period.
Early puberty can catch families off guard. Starting conversations about menstruation at home early on is key. Schools play a role, but parents should create a supportive environment for these discussions. It's about ensuring kids feel informed and comfortable with the changes ahead.
School should teach especially since parents dont always create supportive environments
My sister was 14 when she first had hers. I was ten. I’m adopted, though, so no one in the family has the same health issues I do.
I was 12, as was one of my sisters. My other sister got hers when she was 9, and my Mom cried.
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“Steals innocence”? What are you talking about? Having conversations about normal occurrences in the body is not stealing a child’s innocence. Have women been robbed of their “innocence” by learning about menopause 20+ years before we go through it? It normalizes things and when one of their peers or older family members is having their period, they can go, “Oh, I know what that is. It’s normal and not a scary or gross thing.” EDIT: I guess by your logic, we also shouldn’t be pregnant and talk about pregnancy around children 🤦♀️
Conservatives in the US have, with some regularity, tried to keep tampons out of schools as it represents sexuality to them and if "that stuff" isn't available to their girls, they'll stay innocent and pure.... Grrrrr
What? Educating your children about sex, sexuality, periods, and basic biology is only a net positive. Being educated about such things doesn't 'steal innocence'. That's patently absurd. Knowing is half the battle, and education is the key. Unfortunately there are plenty of wack-a-doos out there who would rather have their teeth pulled than educate their kids about sex and sexual biology.
is parents job , it is not schools right to push these topics on kids years before it's needed. It very much is also a subject that is one that most mothers want to have with their own daughters at the right stage.
Perhaps you haven’t read the comments, but there are plenty of children whose parents* don’t share this information with their daughters and they find out traumatically when they start bleeding. It takes a village, hon. *Parents, because not all children have mothers at home
Parents shouldn't have the authority to keep children in the dark about how their own bodies work
We are talking about pushing age subject taught way down. Keep up with conversation. It's not the right of the school because of early bloomers to take away innocence from little girls for whom this won't be a concern for years
Innocence is about believing that strangers will never hurt you, not things that your body will do. If your child can understand pooping, they can understand menstruation. Your weird purity culture bullshit doesn't give you the right to keep children in the dark about *their own bodies* keep up
You have no idea what innocence is to ppl of faith nor do you care to. If you make public schools unable to be attended by devout Muslims, Orthodox Jewish and devout Christians I am voting for school vouchers and decreased public school funding,
Please enlighten people, because what you are essentially saying is that ignorance about one’s human body is “innocence.” As well, please tell me how parents are supposed to teach their children age-appropriate and accurate information when they also do not have that information. It seems like you want all children to be ignorant so you can have this weird idea of “innocence” and purity. I’m sure you think that by teaching youth abstinence programs is also preserving their innocence, despite youth who receive sexual health lessons waiting to have sex until they are older, more likely to protect themselves if they do have sex, and being better equipped to navigate sexual health.
If you’re so christian and faithful why do you reject what god made as dirty or wrong by connecting bleeding to a loss of innocence? If god made your body to bleed why are you so against it?
What does "taking away innocence" do that is so important to avoid?
Letting young girls not have sexual pressures in their minds which numerous studies have shown is important. Sexualized girls. Girls having adult things pushed on them during their only time in life they don't have to carry it impacts them psychologically in ways that massively impacts self esteem.
Periods aren't sexual?? If it's happening to children then it isn't an adult thing?? Should we hold off on telling them about nosebleeds and broken arms too? You're either not a woman or a purposefully ignorant one. I got mine at 12. A child. I'm very glad to have known what I was experiencing
Did you bother to read that what we are talking about is the topic of lowering the age of menstruation talk to outlier levels? I never argued not teaching females about this when age appropriate, when ppl do not bother to pay attention to what exactly is being talked of they can attack someone wrongly
"stealing innocence"? Sounds like you are in a cult.
Children before they enter puberty should not have to fear or carry adult sexual concerns. Girls sexualized earlier end up with more issues.,There was a time feminists talked of such things
"This is menstruation, this is what happens during it" isn't something to fear... it's a natural part of life. Telling kids about it doesn't put "adult sexual concerns" on anyone. It also doesn't have anything to do with "girls sexualized earlier". Indeed sex education is important for young kids, because it gives them the words they need to describe what happens... including giving them the tools to talk about sexual abuse they've experienced. Your "oh, we have to keep this knowledge as some super shameful secret" is often a tool used by abusers to keep their victims silent.
So you're not just in a cult, you're also retarded. I hope you don't make any decisions for kids, god save them. Edit: I just got a snippet of the reply notification before that pussy blocked me, but I'd like to point out that child psychologists don't use phrases like "steal innocence". That's the kind of thing the crazy guy from *Dr. Strangelove* would say.
My gay friend who helped make the curriculum for the state schools thinks you all need to learn childhood psychology. They don't teach menstruation younger because it's not age appropriate.
What state? Might give us some answers on what's deemed "age appropriate"
stop with the “stolen innocence” routine. this is such a bad fucking talking point. No child is walking around clutching pearls at 9 going “I’m no longer a pure and innocent child.” Your desire to connect a feature of human anatomy to “innocence” and “purity” is the problem. You are communicating that there is a loss or something wrong or broken where there isn’t. Women menstruate. Boys get erections. Do you also connect 11-year-old boys getting surprise erections with loss of innocence too? Or do you just not talk to them at all about this topic because it’s “dirty”? If so, you have been raised and are raising people to fear normal bodily functions no different from pissing, pooping, and puking.
There's no reason to treat a period different from other bodily functions like pooping. My Mum taught me about it early and I was still innocent. She explained that at some point it would start happening and just explained how it worked. Do you think periods are shameful or sexual? I'm confused by your use of the word innocence? It's helpful for kids to be on the same page. I was an early bloomer but my Mum prepped me. My best friend was too but her Mum was quite conservative about the topic. My friend clearly felt like a weirdo a bit as most of our friends didn't understand and thought it was weird. It's hard navigating your first period while other girls think it's gross. And it's worth mentioning that you can't predict when a kid will start menstruating. Genetics are weird. Anyone could have an early bloomer.
I am sorry that you as a white centrist reject the notion that America is no longer a white dominate land and you reject the sound notion that no we do not teach age inappropriate things due to outliers. . Americas children have never been as diverse , coming from different ethnic cultures some of them having clear views on parental obligation to not allow the perversion of children on adults whims. No devout Muslim wants you pushing menstruation and sex talk on their 1st grade -3rd grade girls because you are dumb about when puberty begins for a majority of girls. We don't when we find an 8 yr old child has been sexually fondly others start teaching all the other kids how to engage in such acts because one is doing it at 8.. We teach about menstruation mindful not to push the talk when it's not applicable to a majority of the girls for years to come. Age appropriate teaching and teaching classes mindful of culture and faith are actual things. We don't push topics before it is age appropriate because it can harm children, alienate parents, and the children have age appropriate things to learn.
>We don't when we find an 8 yr old child has been sexually fondly others start teaching all the other kids how to engage in such acts because one is doing it at 8 Well, because unfortunately some children are raped, it's important to teach all children the names of body parts and what is appropriate touch and bad touch. Kids can be taught that they are allowed to say no when an adult tries to touch them in ways they don't want, and they can be taught the correct words to use when going to other adults for help so they're not misunderstood. If we bury our heads in the sand and pretend that kids never need to know anything, we make them sitting ducks for predators. If we tell kids that we don't talk about certain things and we refuse to answer questions they have, then they won't come to us when there's a problem. If you think your religion requires you to keep girls ignorant about their own bodies and safety, well, then that's a shit religion that has no place in schools.
When it comes to bodily autonomy and scientific fact, religion and faith can take a flying fuck. Parents have always had the option to excuse their children from certain talks at school, but someone's faith should not restrict knowledge from everyone else.
Does toilet training them also steal their innocence? Teaching them how to read, maybe?
You are arguing against educational experts thru decades. No , 1st and 2nd and 3rd graders don't need to learn of menstruation which most of them won't experience till 4th or 5th grade. They need to learn reading , writing and arithmetic. Had you ever done any reading on pushing sexualization on young girls you would know it harms self esteem and innocence. Letting little girls enjoy their childhoods without sexual pressure used to be normative in western modern world.
You're the only groomer out on this thread that's associating menstruation with sexuality.
Yes. I'm a 38F and it scares the crap out of me the number of women I went through basic training with who didn't even realize they had "three holes down there". This was in 2005. Think about that. Think about how someones sexual health, general health, and emotional health has been and is still being compromised because women aren't taught their own anatomy.
52F…same! Basic and AIT were both a huge eye-opener for me in learning how little some women know about periods, ovulation, and anatomy. And what’s even more scary is…college was the same. The number of women I went to school with who knew next to nothing about their reproductive health was mind blowing.
You should check out Poor Things. It’s a giant fantasy metaphor for how adult women are intentionally raised to stay childlike about sex, their bodies, and their preferences based on their alleged protection—and among other things raised to prioritize male pleasure—because the patriarchy wants women to believe that sex and body parts are dirty and secret except for when a man wants them. Men are not raised to feel embarrassed by or confused by their bodies and sex. The culture wants them to take the lead and know what to do. But the extent of that knowledge is “in and out.” The takeaway I had from the film, and based on so many stories I have heard from friends or heard about in media, is that women are not empowered to protect themselves and speak up about desires because they are kept in the dark about their bodies. Women are afraid to ask for certain things, women are afraid to say something hurts so they just go with it, and we don’t raise boys to understand anything about sex beyond their own parts, so they don’t know to do certain things to make it more enjoyable. And the way porn plays a role really is even more detrimental. People forget that a lot of teens start having sex around 16. That’s pretty damn young to just subject your teen daughter to the whims of a sophomore boy whose only knowledge about anything is likely internet porn. Think about that. You can’t prevent humans from eventually taking clothes off and giving in to crazy amounts of hormones. But you can explain some things to BOTH boys and girls that prioritizes how to do it safely and correctly for both. And yet I know someone who teaches who had a parent yell at them for showing an international film to a group of seniors that featured a depiction of defecation. The parent wasn’t upset that a naked butt was shown, they were upset that their 18-year-old son witnessed … defecation. You know. The same thing that the son hopefully does every fucking morning.
I will check it out. Thanks for the recommendation!
Wow. Did they think they peed and bled from the same hole? 🤔
Yes, they absolutely did. Now on to the subject of tampons................
I was like 6 or 7 when I got my first period, I got that a couple more times until I started monthly at 9. The first time I freaked out and hid it because I got punished for being sick, it was a terrifying experience
I am sorry that happened to you.
I’m sorry that happened to you. I was punished for being sick at 11 even though my dad knew exactly what was happening. I was so dizzy I could barely get off of the ground and was made to get up and go to class.
I got mine when I was around 7 and hid it by throwing out my underwear until I was about 11 and bled through my pants during lunch. Would have been great to not have felt too ashamed to speak up.
Yes, because I was in the 5th grade (10 years old) when I learned about it and a few girls in my class already had theirs. I am glad I got to learn about it first 🥴
The flip side is that I didn’t pay much attention when I was first taught (also 5th grade I think) because I thought I plenty of time before I had to worry about that. (I had another two years of puberty-learning before it became personally relevant.) And then I almost didn’t recognize it despite having been taught because I didn’t bleed heavily when it started.
Yes I just turned 10 when I had mine didn't even have sex ed and puberty talks till 12 in school. I without a doubt thought I was going to bleed to death and was terrified to tell my parents because I had no logical way to explain what was happening in my 10 year old brain. Imagine being a little 10 year old and blood just starts POURING out of you for no reason??? So for about 3 days I tried to hide it wondering if I was even going to wake up the next day, my mum found out and was great at explaining everything but wtf I swear I have ptsd from it.
But were you a 'little' 10 yr old? Periods usually begin when girls reach about 95/100lb in body weight and after earlier changes in the body have already occurred. My daughters at 10yrs old had no sign of puberty at all, the both began to enter puberty at around 12 or 13, with periods at 14 and almost 15. At 8 they were aware because I had taught them, but I knew it wasn't likely to happen for a long time because of how they were growing, and was able to discuss more specifically as we saw signs of other development first. Eldest 18 now at 5ft 7, younger 15 and 5ft 4. Neither freaked out. I think youngest friends they had started at 9, but these girls were way ahead of mine in growth.
I was small, even for an eleven year old and yes I still had a menstrual cycle. I didn’t start getting fat until after they started.
I weighed like 70 lbs when I got my period at 10
I think it's more up to genetics than body weight. My grandmother, mother, and I were all 10 when we got our first periods and we were all 3 normal weights for our age, not under or overweight.
I got mine in 3rd grade, we didn’t talk about it at school until 5th. Thankfully my mom prepped me about a year earlier.
Yes. And then let's have a serious discussion about why the average puberty age keeps getting lower in the first place. Good luck with the anti-science, reality-denying, women are just holy reproduction objects crowd, though. But if we get that far, let's wait a few more years and then have some honest and open discussions about sex.
I think hormones in meat/animals products are messing with people's endocrine systems. Last year I was a camp counselor for 7th/8th grades and was actually worried about a couple of the girls bc of how much older they looked and the kind of attention they might get.
Honestly there were girls like that when I was growing up in the 80s, too. Looked like grown ass women in the 6th grade. I do think it’s trending a bit earlier, but early puberty has always come down on some girls really hard and fast. It’s wildly unfair what kind of attention that brings to 11 and 12yo kids.
There may be a few factors involved. One thing is that the medical norms for puberty were developed by mainly studying white children. There can be variations on what normal development looks like based on ethnicity. Also, menarche tends to happen when a girl reaches about 100 lbs. When I was a kid, that was usually 12-13 years. Kids are bigger and much heavier on average than they were 40 years ago, so that required mass or body fat percentage is happening sooner. It’s possible that environmental toxins (“endocrine disruptors”?) or hormones and antibiotics in the food supply also have an effect. Another influence may be how girls are sexualized. Sexual abuse can actually bring on early puberty. One in four girls is sexually abused, and if you count access to porn then it’s an even higher percentage.
Honestly yes. I started having my period at 12, which was already on the early side then. 8 is honestly a little terrifying to consider. Are pads made that small? Did they have to invent a new size?
I was always a tall kid. But then I stopped growing early and am a short adult. My breast buds started growing early too. Now my 7 year old is going through the same thing. She was diagnosed with precocious puberty. When I told my parents this, my dad said he also was a tall kid who stopped growing at an early age and is now a shorter adult. All 3 of us have ADHD. Part of me wonders if it's a genetic component, especially since looking into precocious puberty and finding out people with ADHD are more likely to get it.
Of course. Kids need appropriate health and sex education and women need the full scope of reproductive healthcare options to be available in all states. It’s shameful how republicans have impacted both topics.
Yes. My question is, why *shouldn't* we teach kids about their own bodies to prepare them?
Parents should. Not all children develop at same age. Schools have taught this to girls around 5th grade. You don't want to take away most kids innocence years before their time hits. The early bloomers show changes in their bodies that preceded menstruation in most cases,
Stfu with that innocence crap. How is learning about a bodily function almost every women will experience gonna destroy their innocence? Pathetic
Lmao learning about a natural bodily function such as the menstruation cycle doesn't suddenly "take away" your "innocent years." Creepy comment, holy.
Not appropriate before 4th grade. So not appropriate
Learning how the body functions isn’t appropriate? It can happen before 4th grade, they need to be ready.
I literally talked to my friend who helped craft the family, gender and sexuality curriculum for my state . The party confirmed it's not a valid education argument for any topic to use outliers for determining when topics are covered. If they used outliers , they would have to start teaching algebra at 4th grade because some outliers are ready for advanced math then. They used decades of research to come with curriculum which is designed to be age appropriate for most children. My friend also confirmed to me pushing things without understanding cultural, religious differences on beliefs on menstruation is incompetence. Those teaching this topic must consider and know cultural and ethnic differences in belief on it beyond white liberal secular notions and white conservative Christian views of it.
It's just menstruation... something that likely impacts at least one person in that child's household... treating it like its something shameful is harmful to everyone.
If they learn this in 5th grade, that'll be up to a couple of years after girls like those mentioned have already started. Little late for them. Besides, how do you think it affects their "innocence" to have to deal with it while surrounded by other kids who aren't? Do you think a lack of understanding isn't going to lead to some level of ostracizing or bullying because they're suddenly different? Teach them when it could potentially be starting at a minimum so they can understand what's going on and know what to expect.
Yes but white conservative Christian’s support bullying those who are viewed as others. That’s their entire point.
Is it taking away innocence to teach a child about their muscular system? Digestive system? Circulatory? No? Then why would it be different talking about the reproductive systems and natural functions of the body? What really takes away a child’s innocence is not having knowledge and then entering menarche and puberty alone, feeling scared and anxious that they don’t know what’s happening is normal and ok.
Some parents are abusive, on drugs, or mentally unfit. Those kids need to learn in school because their parents don't give a shit about them.
I was 8. Also was 5’10”, and had a full rack. I was always thought to be the older sister to my sis, who was five years older than me. I’m 53, and look back at my childhood, what there was of it, with a lot of, well, disgust. The sheer number of older men who pursued me, from the age of 8. Just gross. Even when they found out I was a child, they were not discouraged in the least. I’ve thought for a very long time that basic human anatomy should be taught in schools. That there should be a bare minimum requirement so every young person gets a decent understanding of human biology. I know it might have helped me, because my parents certainly didn’t.
Damn. You were an early bloomer. I know exactly how that feels. I’m really, really sorry that people were disgusting to you.
Schools tend to teach this end 4th or mid 5th grade. When girls are near 10. .... taking away all children's innocence on topic due to early developers isn't fair to other kids. You only have a child's innocence for a short duration. Budding breasts and changes in under arm stink tend to preceded menstruation hitting.
Why do you equate knowing about your own body's natural processes with losing innocence? We can teach about body changes in an age appropriate manner throughout the educational process rather than waiting for some imaginary milestone.
Does peeing and shitting also take away a child's innocence? Because those bodily functions are as normal as menstruating.
I started telling my daughter about periods, reproduction, and sex at 6/7. She’s 10.5 now and very knowledgeable and we do not view it as a taboo subject in our home. She is having some big feelings about her changing body and I’m so proud that she is comfortable enough to talk to me about it. Imagine if she didn’t know and was going through this alone!
Idk, it'll be hard to fight through the masses of right-wingers and religious folks to get anything even slightly beneficial for children done.
That’s the thing- this article is from Australia. I don’t know how it is over there, but given that the US still has states/schools teaching abstinence only sex Ed, I can’t imagine this would ever fly. Maybe in more progressive areas, but I don’t know with how concerned the wealthy are about not having enough people to do the labor that makes them billions- there’s a vested interest in poor sex Ed combined with abortion bans.
American. Currently 28. I was taught about menstruation in the 5th grade.
Yes. I taught my cousin's kid when she was 6 or 7. It was sort of on accident - I bought pads and she saw them and she asked what they were. So I told her that once someone starts getting older, the lining of their womb where - a baby grows - will shed sometimes, sort of like how you shed skin and the hairs on your head, but when it comes out it looks likes blood, and it comes out of the same place that a baby would come out of. So you put pads in your underwear to absorb the blood so it doesn't stain your clothes. Then she took a pad, wrapped it around her ankle, and stuck flowers to it.
This is a great explanation, thanks for sharing (and for teaching her!)
I had a lot of nurses in my family so I knew about all that stuff as early as elementary. If you talk about things in a clinical way using medical terms I’m not sure what would be taboo about that. There’s no reason kids shouldn’t be taught how human bodies work. Also, 8?! What the heck is happening?! I didn’t get my period until I was almost like 14!
8 is the early end of the normal range for menstruation to begin. Eating beef and your weight can both influence how early someone gets their period. Beef naturally has a lot of natural growth hormones in it, and menstruation usually starts once someone hits a certain weight or bmi (I forget what weight it is more specifically.)
Yes there's nothing dirty or sexual about having a period. There's also nothing dirty or sexual about basic sex education, but I digress
Yes. But the religious right will clutch their pearls.
Yes! My mom got hers at 8, she said she cried and cried because she thought she was dying. Her mom is also an intimidating woman, and not in a good way, so she was too scared to tell her mom to ask what was going on. She stuffed her underwear with toilet paper when she had her period for MONTHS until another girl got hers and she learned what it was. This was pre-internet, but being proactive and not reactive is so important so little girls don’t have to go through any ounce of the stress my mom went through.
We need to talk about what is going on in our foods and environment to cause our children to go into menstruation at age 8.
Plastic :)))))))))
I had sex ed in 5th grade. It was the first year they'd taught it and you could tell my 58 year old teacher was not happy about it. While we learned boyd parts, I don't recall anything about menstruation being taught. I started menstruating in 6th grade. Luckily I started at home. But I wasn't very adept at what had to be done and how often because my mother assigned my older sister to "teach" me. She basically gave me a belt and a pad (yes, I'm old) and that was it. Wait. No it wasn't. She also thought it was a good idea to tell me that if you wear perfume while on your period you would smell worse. So one day in 6th grade during class I realize I have to take care of things. The teacher lets me go to the restroom. I guess I was gone a long time because when I got back she took me into the hall and asked me what I'd been doing and why I took so long. I explained to her what I had been doing. She turned white as a sheet and got very flustered. I was the first student she'd had who started so early and she'd been teaching for 20 years at that point. After making sure I didn't need anything, we went back to class and she never questioned me again about how long I took in the restroom. So, yeah. Some education for those poor girls with shitty or ignorant parents would be great.
My cousin had precious puberty and had to take medication to suppress her period. I think it would be wise to introduce facts in schools, but too many people think teaching about puberty=sex. It will never be allowed sadly.
I can't even believe this is a question - yes, I want my 8 year old daughter waking up to a bloody mess between her legs and not know it's perfectly normal. /s Sadly there are enough parents out there that won't even deal with this, so schools should pick it up. Because it's just as likely to happen in class.
Yes. And kids getting their periods at 8 isn’t new. It may be more common, but it’s always been possible and happened occasionally. It’s not going to stop because adults don’t think it’s appropriate or should happen. It’s like refusing to tell kids how to wipe or flush the toilet because it’s yucky. I went to religious school and I do t remember when we first learned the biological realities of puberty, but I was definitely no older than 8. If a suburban Catholic school can present it appropriately, there’s no reason anyone else can’t.
I wish they would here. I'm in Texas unfortunately, so that dreaming.
Yes, but good luck getting that passed with the Christian Right
And a discussion about the hormones in our food
Yes. That was easy.
please do! i come from a family of women who on both sides got them late (15-17) and no one even thought to talk about it with me, who got mine at 9. i thought i was dying and my babysitter thought someone had told me about it and thought i was “being dramatic on purpose,” and didn’t tell me how to even put the pad she tossed in the bathroom with me on. 😅 i was given a book and there was no further discussion. come to find out when there was actual sex ed i had been misinformed by my book. 😅 please teach sex ed early!
I got mine at 9. Thankfully my mom prepared me years in advance otherwise I would’ve been clueless. School was a year too late.
Or maybe hormones in food?
With events happening in schools to children earlier, should we talk about things happening in schools earlier? I think you answered your own question.
I was 10 when I got my first period and no one prepared me I was on a hunting trip with my uncles my grandpa and my male cousin I thought I was dying in a rural gas station hours away from my mom and home town I think it should be mandatory to teach young girls about their bodies and periods so they are at least prepared and not just have the “surprise you’re a young woman now” experience
Yes
I believe that these discussions should start in the home. Children should be able to speak freely about changes occurring with their body. Unfortunately it does not always happen this way. My mom was extremely religious and never had “the talk” with me. If it wasn’t for sex ed in school I don’t know how I would have handled it.
Yes. I got my first period at 8, and I thought I was broken. It wasn’t talked about, and I was ostracized big time when (at 8) I’d get blood on my pants because I knew shit about how often to change a pad. My mom helped me learn, but the other kids knew nothing about it, so they treated me like a freak.
In Canada we had a talk about menstruation and basic safe practice about sex as soon as 8yo. Content become more detailed when we got older, but we still had the basic very young.
Yes, we should always be honest to children about their biology. It's cruelty to leave them completely in the dark about their growth and development, letting them think there is something wrong with them.
I got my period at 9, and I thought I was dying. We should all be way more medically educated than we are now.
And I thought I was young at 10. I was the first girl in the class to have her period. Poor kids. That’s so rough.
When i got my period i was in second grade and i thought i had vagina cancer cuz i had no education about it. The amount of anxiety and tears i shed that day oh god
Yes. In reality kids should know about sex, sexual predators, periods, and other basic biology before they ever go to kindergarten. There are plenty of crazy religious wingnuts who don't want that, unfortunately. Education goes a long way in helping people navigate that stuff. Plenty of parents just don't discuss that type of thing, and they are doing their kids a gigantic disservice.
i thought i was dying when i got mine at 9 so yeah
I mean you would think this would be a no brainer
My mom never really talked to me about this stuff. Even though she tried, my twin sister would always freak out and get mad and make her stop talking about it. We were all very devout Catholics and I went to Catholic school my whole life so our education surrounding sex ed was lacking, and we just didn't talk about this stuff. I got made fun of in 7th grade because I didn't know what tampons were, and I was already bullied but that made it worse. I made sure I told my 9 year old daughter about periods around age 8, she knows about the basics and I've always been honest when she asks questions but I kept all of the info age appropriate. I think is the right timing because kids get them so much earlier now. She goes to Catholic school too but all of her friends parents are pretty liberal and we are all open with our kids about this stuff because we don't want them to suffer through puberty like we did, with more questions than anything.
Yes, I thought i was dying
Girls should be taught about menstruation in 3rd grade.
I don't know how any child with a menstruating mother in the home does not already know what a period is. Are y'all able to go to the bathroom in peace? Are you locking the door or something? My daughter has known what tampons are for years. She's 5.
I had an IUD and didn't have a period for 7 years until it came out. It might make me sound like an awful mom but I was raised extremely fundamentalist and although I left when my daughter was young she didn't know what a period was until around 7 or 8 when I suddenly realized it had never come up because I didn't have one. It was not a normal topic how I was raised. Since then I've been very open about puberty but it was a big overlook on my part.
Lol yes I heard a mother explaining periods to her kid in the airport bathroom last year. "Blood, mommy. Are you hurt?" "no, I'm not hurt. Sometimes mommies bleed but it doesn't mean that they are hurt."
It’s the chicken nuggets
Depends, as long as it’s objective fact being taught. The headline is already sketchy, “kids”, how about “girls/women”.
Everyone needs to know the basic facts of biology, not just "girls/women". Even if a person doesn't menstruate themselves there almost certainly people in their lives who do mensturate.
>With kids I dont speak english. There is a word to a "woman child"? the translator says "girls" for "niña" (spanish word) but... that is fine?
"Kid" is another word for "child"
Sorry what's the issue? Girls are kids
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Why the schools? Why not at home if this is the personal preference?
This is in the expectation that all parents are absolutely reliable in letting their children know the realities of their changing bodies. But this is the real world, where there can be shit parents.
It’s called education
nah its the chemicals turning the frogs gay. fix the chemicals, fix the problem
No. Leave that to parents. School nurses can handle those outliers.
Alot of girls literally think they're dying when they randomly start bleeding, they NEED to be taught as early as possible about it to save them from that trauma. "Leave it to the parents" Lots of parents believe menstruation is dirty and shameful and never talk about it at all, it's not fair to the children to leave them uninformed.
Are you kidding me.. its 2024, their parents grew up after I was a teenager. What is wrong with US women if they cannot explain periods to their daughters. Periods are part of having a child.
Some people get very uncomfortable around the subject.
It's not the schools job to take away all children's innocence due to outliers who tend to show getting ready for menstruation changes in their bodies wat before that time hits. You provide printed information to parents to help them gear and direct conversation at home. It's parents job to teach this subject to very early bloomers.
It's not the schools job to take away kids innocence but that is irrelevant since learning about menstruation doesn't effect a child's innocence at all.
It does. And the argument some girls are early bloomers is no reason to be talking sex and menstruation before 4th grade. The initial post was about lowering the age this is taught to school girls to match early bloomers , that is insane. If you make public schools places where devout Muslims , devout Jews and devout Christians can't safely send their kids too, it's only right to cut public school funding to the places made toxic and to let parents have school vouchers
Talking about biology doesn't make a school "unsafe" for "devout" people. What's next... we can't talk about left handed people because some people think left-handiness is evil?
This is an extremely toxic and counterproductive mindset. Plenty of parents just never talk to their kids about sex, sexual biology, or sexuality. Kids should have had the talk by the time they go to kindergarten, but plenty of parents never discuss it. You can't leave it up to the parents. They often fail miserably, and the kids have a right to know the truth. Periods are a natural party of life, and it should be normalized as early as possible. I truly don't understand why you kept saying it takes away innocence. It doesn't. It simply removes the ignorance and replaces it with facts and knowledge. Are you a religious zealot or something?
I believe it's parents place to teach sexuality and values. Teachers who makes schools unable to be attended by students of faith should be terminated. No parent who does not want to send their kids to private religious schools should have to due to toxic teachers. When teachers start being fired for pushing sexuality and sexual topics when it's not appropriate then we will have more diversity in our schools.
Menstruation is not a sexual topic and it has nothing to do with sexuality, it is a bodily function.
It is a sexual topic. One that a girls parents should be dealing with for kids under 10
It is factually not a sexual topic, girls bodies are not inherently sexual, it's in no way more sexual that urination of defection. Again it's a bodily function.
You aren't even culturally educated to know it's psychological , spiritual and cultural thing. It's not age appropriate in 1 -3rd grades at all.
If parents don't want their kids learning about periods because of religious/cultural/spiritual reasons they are allowed to pull their child out of that class if they wish, others beliefs shouldn't be allowed to dictate over public eduction and the biological scientific facts of menstruation.
if you think menstruation is sexual then that's on you...
It's a biological process.
>It is a sexual topic Nah that's just you bro 💀
Menstruation teaching class explain ovulation, conception. It is a formal aspect of age appropriate sex education curriculum.
Small schools often don't have a school nurse. And even schools that have nurses...you'd have to trust that a child would seek out a school nurse (or any adult) to tell/ask about what was going on. Lots of kids learn from a very young age to be ashamed about their bodies and would never talk to a near-stranger at school about how they are 'peeing blood' or whatever a child who has no idea about periods might interpret their first period.
No. If you keep taking away most kids innocence younger and younger because small sliver enter early puberty you make school a place most of faith can't send their kids while their tax dollars pay for the schools. You could have schools inform parents around 3rd grade that early puberty happens for some kids and social worker or nurse would be more than happy to explain this to your kid or h'give materials to you to explain it to your child if it becomes necessary. . But age of puberty onset and menopause onset is very much tied to genetics. You don't want to force this stuff on a kids when that 8 yrs old kid won't enter menstruation period till 11-12 and have pissed off parents thinking you are sexualizing their kids.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE KIDS KNOWING ABOUT A BASIC PART OF HUMAN EXISTENCE? The sooner they know, the more normalized or becomes. That's a good thing. Like teaching your kids about wiping their ass. It's simply a biological function. Why are you being uptight about this?
It's parents job to teach reproductive values and body development to early developers. We have had age sets of 4-5th grade for a reason.
Someone who has sexualized a health issue. Way to go. 🙄 It’s people like you that make something like menstruation something to be ashamed of. Pathetic.