Fifteen-and-a-half weeks.  Just fifteen-and-a-half weeks and my baby girl will reach a milestone birthday that starts her in the double-digits.  Which means she’ll become a Tween.  I’m not sure I’m ready for that phase.

How could time have passed by so quickly?  It seems like yesterday she was like this:

And now? This is a regular occurrence (when I’m annoying her – which is also a regular occurrence because it’s fun to annoy her):

July is my second month as a Kotex Mom Ambassador. Remember I mentioned that when I lamented about not being able to find the “pause” button?  We’re in what’s considered “Phase 2” of the #Kotexmom topic, Beginning The (Period) Talk with your Daughter.

Which of course has resulted in this type of a reaction:

I mentioned before that my mom didn’t talk to me about my period. At all. Everything I learned was pretty much by trial and error on my part – like when Aunt Flow decided to show up in the middle of the school day.  I was in seventh grade, and Murphy’s Law dictated that I was wearing light colored pants that day.  You see where this is going, don’t you?

Lucky for me, my older sister’s eccentric fashion tastes were that she was wearing a shirt dress – as a jacket.  It reached to her mid-thighs, so she could pull it off as a jacket.  Since I was too shy to go seek out the school nurse and get something to block Aunt Flow, I sought my sister out in between classes and borrowed her ‘jacket’ from her to hide any potential leakage.  I know, TMI. 

Of course since I’m shorter than her, the shirt dress just looked dorky on me, reaching almost to my knees.  But I was determined not to have people figure out what was going on with me, because I was too embarrassed by the whole prospect.

I remember it was really hot that day, too – so of course I was the dork wearing extra layers and refusing to take the ‘jacket’ off the rest of the day.  I was worried since the jacket was an ivory color that if I sat on it, my secret would be broadcast to the rest of the school should I happen to stain it – not to mention my sister would kill me.  So every time I took my seat I channeled my best concert pianist impression and flipped the ‘jacket’ behind me before I sat down, so as not to sit on it ‘just in case’.

Yeah, like that didn’t draw attention to me.  That was probably the longest day of my life.

The thing I’m hoping Princess Nagger doesn’t inherit from me is the excruciating cramps that come along with Aunt Flow’s visit.  She’s not very nice showing up and punching me in my gut.  Just sayin’.  And don’t get me started on the PMS mode – I’ve already had heated discussions with my brother about the fact that PMS is real, not just an excuse.  Yeah, you can throw him a dirty look for me, I’ll wait.

When I’ve mentioned all the ‘fun’ that accompanies Aunt Flow’s visit to Princess Nagger – the cramps, bloating, headaches, moodiness – her response has been “I don’t want to become a woman!”  I don’t blame her.  I personally dislike being a woman once a month, too.

I’m glad I’ve been chosen as a U by Kotex Tween Ambassador, because it’s something that’s helped me approach the subject with Princess Nagger – eye rolling or not.  The information I’ve found on their site gave me ideas on how to have The Talk has been invaluable – I bet my mom wishes they had something like that when us three girls were progressing at the speed of light towards womanhood.

What’s scary is that some girls start their period as early as 8 years old.  Personally I’m glad that wasn’t Princess Nagger’s case, but I know it’s right around the corner as we speed forward to her tenth birthday.  It’s not too early to have that talk with your daughter – whether she’s an early bloomer or not.  It’s always good to be prepared, and just take it one step at a time.

I’m pretty sure having gotten these in the mail has helped encourage Princess Nagger that when her time comes, it won’t be like a horror film:

If they had these products when I was a tween, I wouldn’t have hesitated seeking out the school nurse on that worst day of my life.  Actually, that was only one of two worst days of my life associated with Aunt Flow.  I’ll fill you in on the other next month, you’ll have to wait.

If you have a daughter and want to prepare yourself, visit the Kotex/Tween website for information on how to get prepared for the talk.  And if you happen to be a tween or a teen that is too embarrassed to ask someone a question, you can head over to U by Kotex’s Hello Period page to find out you’re not alone – and have your questions answered.

Aren’t you glad we’ve had this talk?

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I wrote this review while participating in a Brand Ambassador Campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of U by Kotex Tween and received products to facilitate my post and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate. All opinions are mine and not influenced by outside sources. See my Disclosure Policy here.

6 Comments

  1. I read a scientific medical article a year or so ago that stated that the chemicals in processed foods were the result of menstruation and/or pubic hair in girls as young as 7. Strange!

    Your kid is a sassy looking one with that first pic and much more normal appearing in the 2nd.

    I am sure you’re proud, Stacy. Congrats!

  2. I bet there is some great audio to go with those looks…here we have moved to much silence with the look. Aside from the huffiness if I even begin a sentence that she thinks might relate to periods!
    andrea would like you to read ..Stepping OutMy Profile

  3. I LOVE that photo of her giving you “the look” – it just cracked me up.

    Good for you for having the talk with her now; I was 10 when I started and kind of gobsmacked by it.
    Jan’s Sushi Bar would like you to read ..Spicy Crab SaladMy Profile

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