Single Parent’s Guide to Raising a Daughter – Part One – The Body from Childhood to Menstruation

First of all, don’t worry! You are not going to break it, and unless you are totally devoid of sensitivity, you are not likely to mark it emotionally. The fact that you take the time and effort to search for information on the subject is proof in itself that you are a good parent, willing to go through some of the awkward situations that can arise when dealing with the female psyche, or worse. still some. from the disgusting aspects of dealing with the female body. I promise I’ll try to be as nice as possible, but some topics just can’t be helped. The best thing you can do for your daughter is to have confidence in yourself. Don’t think that being a man you have to give in to a woman when it comes to issues like this. With a little information, you can be the parent she is comfortable trusting with.

ANATOMY OF THE 0-9 YEAR

When going to the bathroom, anything coming from behind can wreak havoc on anything in front. This means that you need to be careful when cleaning yourself to avoid interaction, and as he grows older you should teach him to do the same. Tell him why it is important to clean the back from behind and the front from the front and he will be much more likely to understand. You don’t have to use the words “urinary tract infection,” but you get the point …

Usually from the age of four, your daughter can approach you, open her vagina (as large as possible) and inform you that she is itchy or has some other condition. Chances are, you have learned to go to the bathroom for quite some time and you are not as comfortable with close-up vision as you used to be. Try not to do anything to discourage her from being comfortable approaching you with this type of information. You want to be able to keep an eye on things and you want her to be able to talk to you about anything. I can’t give you any advice on how to handle it in front of a crowded room, but if it’s appropriate for her to broach the subject, you should allow her to do so. Take a look, and unless things are totally out of place, tell him it’s probably because all the soap wasn’t rinsed off. You’re probably just looking for the assurance that nothing is really wrong, but if it seems to bother you, a clean washcloth with cold water and maybe some petroleum jelly, if it’s really red, it should work. She will suddenly become modest around the age of nine or ten, but the groundwork will have been laid and you can rest assured that your daughter will let you know if there are areas of concern.

HER PERIOD

There is no exact science to determine when you will have your first period, but it is likely that you will have it around the same age as your mother was when she had her first period. Most girls start menstruating when they are twelve or thirteen years old, but some girls menstruate after the age of ten. The best idea is to buy a box of sanitary pads (tampons come into play about a year later, and there’s no advice you can give him about tampons better than the instructions that come in each box) and let him know they’re there. if you need them, and then just leave it at that. In the best of circumstances, the two of you will never have to talk about your period again after giving you these details:

1. The first months of menstruation are unpredictable. She may bleed something a month for a few days, and then who knows when it will show up again. If you are a girl, it can be very scary to think about this, because in every school there is an unfortunate girl who had her period in the middle of a crowd for all to see. Let your daughter know that if she pays attention, she will surely know that something is happening long before it gets to the point of breaking through her clothes. I am a grown woman who has run into situations, and believe me; A pair of underwear and jeans can cost a good deal before anyone else knows. Due to the logistics, you will likely go to the bathroom when your period starts, and even if you find yourself without a pad, handy toilet paper can work wonders. Just be sure to tell her to wrap the toilet paper around the crotch of her panties, because without any adhesive it tends to fall down her pant leg.

2. There can be some pretty scary stuff mixed in there. Blood clots are common and can be alarmingly large up to the size of a quarter. They can also be extremely dark and solid. I really didn’t want to give you the image, but I didn’t want you to take your son to the hospital unnecessarily.

3. To dispose of the pads, roll them glue-side out, then wrap them in toilet paper. Demonstrate with an unused one. This technique benefits everyone, including the septic system. Some girls don’t want anyone to see the ugliness and will do their best to avoid embarrassment, even hiding them in a drawer etc.

4. An unsuspecting parent who has a sunny view of his daughter’s dirty underwear might have reason to wonder about her hygiene. Teenage girls typically have a heavy discharge, which will decrease as they age. Most girls spend their teens thinking they are abnormal, only to have an argument with their best friend one day and realize that she is just like everyone else. The discharge should not have a strong odor or greenish tinge, anything else is normal.

5. You don’t need to go into the full discussion, “You’re a woman now,” but she may ask why she’s having her period, so I’m going to explain it to you in adult terms and you can translate it. If you were to become pregnant, the embryo would embed itself within your uterus, comfortably within this blood. Every month, in the absence of an embedded embryo, the uterus sheds this blood to cleanse itself and replenish its supply. Your period is the last douche, and it is unnecessary and even unhealthy for a woman to douche after she has had her period. It might feel dirty, but it really couldn’t be cleaner!

There you have it: everything you need to know (and maybe something you don’t) about dealing with your daughter’s period.