Daddy's little girl grows up - Page 2

[trinity6232000]

My dd is 6 and she knows as much as a 6 year old can understand about periods. So by the time she
is 9 I would imagine she would need more information than I have given so far. I don't think it's ever
too young to talk about changing
bodies.

I always appreciated that while I was shy about such topics with my Dad (I would say things like "I have
to drive to the store for girl things") my Dad never showed shock or acted uncomfortable. My Dad was
actually (still is) just good at listening. He isn't the best at advice, or a "yeah I've been there story", we're
very different people, but just listening was the best thing he could have done. He did show some regret
about me growing up, and that's okay I think. As a Mom I'm not exactly excited about the future of letting
go either.

[laohaire]

My mom got her first period at age 8. I don't see why 8 is too young to at least start talking. I've heard of women remembering how absolutely shocked and scared they were getting their first periods when they didn't even know what it was.

[gaialice]

Originally Posted by mommy68

I think age 8 is young to start talking a whole lot about periods.

Mz dd2 is age 4 and she knows quite a bit about periods. She saw tampons and she asked questions and I was always sincere with my daughters, always, never lied to them about anything, so I just explained in very simple words. She asked more questions and I replied to those as well, till she seemed satisfied and stopped asking. I think with these things the earlier one starts talking about them, the more natural it seems to discuss them. I really think these subjects should not be taboo at all.
However, it does depend on the child. My now 6 yo showed fear and apprehension when I explained the same things to her, after she had asked questions that were similar to those dd2 asked, when she was also about 3 yo. I noticed that, and I was careful not to hurt her feelings and was vague enough. She since stopped asking. I will talk more when she is ready.

[lissabob]

When I was 8/9 I was in 4/5th grade and we had a sex ed class at school. I knew some of the basics before that- and it's a good thing I knew things early because I bloomed early (though later than some of the girls!) and quite fast. My dad was the one home when I started my period and had to get pads for me . I'm sure it was hard for him, but he didn't show it- just called my mom for me so I could talk to her and headed off to the store. Maybe it's because they're both nurses but it was very matter of fact and "now you're becoming a woman." I remember being in 5th grade and my mom brought home a fake breast thing that had a lump so I could know what a lump in the breast would feel like. I personally think 9 is way too late to start the conversation.

[kaPOW!]

If he's able to overcome his initial anxiety about this topic then he'd have the opportunity to REALLY help establish healthy feelings within his daughter regarding her body. He's laying the foundation for what she expects out of the men that she encounters. It was incredibly helpful to me, when I first started my period, to see that my dad was interested in this completely life altering change in me; it was MORE reassuring to me that my dad didn't turn away or become uncomfortable than it was that my mom was able to educate me. I had a good mom and expected her to be understanding and to teach me what I needed to know, plus she was a woman. But dad's reaction was critical in reassuring my sense of "normal" in a societal, "someone beside my mom" sort of way. Anyway, my point is that dad's play a much larger role in even This stuff than they realize. Maybe you can remind him how important he is to your daughters.

[AngieB]

These are some great point about him being able to encourage dd to respect herself and I think he will be very good at that. Dh is one of the few men I know that truely stand up for and respects women. At work he has confronted some of the other men about how they talk about and speak to the secretary and just the other night a young guy he works with was wear a sexes T-shirt, something about women showing some "skin" and he told the guy "as a father of daughters I find that shirt very offensive." I'm petty proud of him : . I think when the time comes for him to step-up, like when dd get her period, he'll be ok. It is pretty funny though how worried her growing up makes him.