Do you remember the first time you experienced a health scare with your vagina? You didn’t exactly handle it with grace and poise, did you? You might even think about it and remember that you were totally and completely freaked out! By this time, you’ve experienced yeast infections, UTIs, random discharge, as a woman and a mom you’ve had your fair share of undercarriage issues. You know that this isn’t something to be embarrassed about and if need be you know when you should be going to your doctor to clear those things up.
Remembering those first-time discomforts are easy to laugh at now and you have likely become very in tune with what the signs are; but, what if your daughter is around that age where certain fluids are going to start making infrequent surprises? Have you thought about the type of conversations you should be having with her? Are you totally avoiding it in hopes that her health class will cover all that? Are you just unsure of how to start the conversation? Whatever it is, try to remember that you’re her mom, you are basically her real-life Wonder Woman and she looks to you for many of her below the belt answers.
We know that puberty for girls generally happens between the ages of 10 and 14, and things like yeast infections and UTIs aren’t always the easiest topics to talk to your 10-year-old about, however, you can start talking to her about puberty, how things in the body will change, those things are normal. You can talk to her about proper ways to clean herself and make sure that if she has any questions or concerns that you can be trusted with her every thought. Parents are often worried that their children won’t be open and honest with them, but, starting the conversation with real-life personal topics that both you are experiencing. If you’re hoping to be a cool mom and not a regular mom jump on the internet with your daughter and search questions she may have together. Use your parental discretion and only open sites that are safe but show your daughter that this topic isn’t something to be afraid or ashamed of, this is her body and it belongs to her, shouldn’t she know what is going on with it?
Lastly, don’t be afraid to throw in a real-life experience, children feel less embarrassed about something when they know someone else close to them has experienced the same thing!
