As a mother to a young daughter, I am fully aware that one day, I will have to explain how her body works. I’m going to have to explain to her about periods, her changing body and how these things will affect her future. Next weekend, I celebrate my 39th birthday, so it’s a VERY long time since I started my periods, and whilst I do remember vaguely what my Mum said to me at the time, I don’t remember it that well.
I was recently contacted by the Always Press Office, which had surveyed UK women conducted to coincide with the launch of the Tampax Compak Pearl. They wanted to know how much young women knew about the shape of their inner curves. A woman’s vagina is actually flat, but this is something I didn’t know, even after having three children. I was more in the camp of the 75% who believe that it differs but more from person to person, than in relation to their body shape. These are just some of the interesting facts they discovered;
– Only 8% of girls know the true shape of their inner curves
– 75% believe the inside shape of a vagina differs depending on a woman’s body shape
– Over 60% of girls don’t talk to other women about tampons
As a teenager, I was probably much more shy about discussing ‘women’s issues’ with friends, but once I began work and certainly since I have given birth, it doesn’t embarrass me anymore. It’s just a fact of life. But given the confusion around their anatomy, it’s no surprise that girls are looking for information and advice about their bodies, particularly during puberty when girls become more aware of the changes to both their inner and outer curves. The survey also found that Mum is still the “go-to” person when young girls have period concerns, but really interestingly, it also found that bloggers and vloggers beat the school nurse as a source of advice.
I have to admit, I don’t think I was even aware of a school nurse during my school days?!?!? I think it might have been the receptionist, but I certainly wouldn’t have gone to her for advice. Such is the way of the world these days I would probably turn to the internet for help and advice if I were a teenager now and I’ve no doubt that when the time comes for me to have ‘the talk’ with Little Bean, I will turn to the internet once more. Tampax teamed up with Dr Radha Modgil to create some really fun and informative guides for both parents and teens to help them navigate the important ‘growing up’ conversation.
I quite like the idea of creating a little ‘care package’ for Little Bean as her periods begin, a little like the #perfectfit goodies that were sent to me for the purpose of this post. A hot water bottle to ease the discomfort of period pains, hair bands to tie unruly hair out of the way (my hair is always so much greasy during my period), nail varnish so that I can give myself a little pamper and course Tampax Compact Pearl so that her life doesn’t have to go on hold just because it’s ‘that time of the month’. What else would you add to your care package?
When Curly was approaching puberty, we bought him a book by Usborne, which helped to explain the changes in his body, which we all found to be really useful, and it also helped that we had something to focus on. We could look at different pages together, and then he could take it away and read it to himself. I will definitely be looking to get a girl’s book for Little Bean when the time comes, as I think it’s important to help them understand what changes are happening in their body. It can be a scary time, and as a parent, I want to make sure that I am there to support each of my children to feel confident about themselves, just like Tampax Compact Pearl helps me to feel confident about myself during my period.