Straight Talk for Moms and Daughters – Tampon Time

Your daughter got her period and now she wants to talk about using a tampon.

In a previous post I broached the subject of adolescence and coming of age; a period of my life that I can’t help but look back on with complete awkwardness. There were so many good points that I can recall from my teenage years but as I mentioned in my last post about the subject, there are also some moments that I wish had passed more gently. One of these moments was getting my first period. As with all young girls, my first period took me completely off guard, but thankfully it wasn’t a traumatic experience for me. In fact, compared to some of the stories I’d heard from friends, my first period was pretty bearable! No period is pleasant per say but my first one went as well as can be expected. What do you do next then when it’s time to talk about her using a tampon, when she’s ready.

My daughter and I enjoying some time together and taking a quick picture 🙂

After the initial shock wore off, I sought out my Mother and explained to her that I had gotten my period. Up until that moment my Mother hadn’t broached the subject of my period with me, but to my great relief she handled the situation gently and sat me down to explain my period and the inner working of my body. I’ll admit that it was awkward at first but the more she explained to me, the more comfortable we both got and I feel that our conversation was the stepping stone of my success with handling my period in the years to come. Not only did that conversation with my Mother help me become more comfortable with my period in the months that followed, but it also made it easier to go to her with any other questions I had about my period when they came up. This was especially helpful when it came to choosing the pads and later, the tampons, that were right for me when the time came to make the switch.

If I had to hazard a guess I would say that most young girls start out using pads during the first few years of their periods. This was certainly the case with me. No matter if I was at the end of my cycle or the beginning I always made sure that I had a handful of pads tucked away in my backpack or purse, just in case I got my period while at school or even just in case my friends received theirs unexpectedly and needed a pad to tide them over until they could get to their own stash. Finding the right pad for my cycle was a challenge at first but once my cycle stabilized and I knew what to expect from month to month it got easier to decide which pads were right for me during my period.

Tampax Pocket Pearls are perfect for teens, more info below 🙂

Of course, as with all young girls, there came a time when I felt I was ready to take the next step in period care. Although I was most comfortable with using pads during my period I’d often found myself curious about making the switch to tampons. Lots of my friends had already made the switch and were happy with the results. I knew that tampons took more getting used to than pads and that at first using them would be about trial and error but in my mind the pros far outweighed the cons. One of the biggest draws for me was the fact that tampons were more compact and more easily concealed than pads. There was nothing more embarrassing than having a pad fall out of my backpack accidentally or the awful crinkling sound they made when trying to open them, so, I plucked up my courage and bought my first box of tampons.

Now that my 14 year old daughter is of the age to be getting her own period and we’ve had that first straight talk about her period, I knew I would soon have to start teaching her more about the different products that are available to her besides pads. One thing that I wanted to stress the most about tampons is finding a tampon that would work best for her.

When I first started using tampons all those years ago there weren’t as many kinds to choose from as there are today but now there are rows upon rows of different tampons to choose from. There are tampons that are designed for a light flow or a heavy flow and then there are tampons that are for an average period and even those specifically engineered for girls/women who are physically active. Figuring out what type of tampon is right for you can be a little tricky and like pads can involve a lot of trial and error.

Tampax Pocket Pearl is the latest tampon from a brand that I’ve used for years because of their comfort. This innovative tampon is perfectly sized to fit right in your pocket so you can take it with you virtually anywhere you need to go. One of my favourite features about this new tampon, aside from it being so cleverly designed and compact, is that it comes in 4 different packaging designs that were co-designed by leading fashion trend experts and teen girls with a passion for fashion. I think this makes it all the more appealing to young girls who are interested in trying tampons for the first time.

Here’s a great video to show the advantages of the Tampax Pocket Pearl

Key features of the Tampax Pocket Pearl include:

• New, softer wrapper with a perforated edge to allow for a quieter and more discreet removal
• Fits in the palm of your hand
• is the only tampon that features the built-in backup braid that helps stop leaks
• FormFit technology better eliminates the gaps that cause leaks
• Available in Regular, Super and Super Plus Absorbency

One of the most ingenious features about the Tampax Pocket Pearl is its unique applicator. Unlike other applicators that have come before, the Tampax Pocket Pearl is adorably compact and features the ready-set-click mechanism. Once you take the tampon out of the packaging, you extend the applicator until you hear the click*. When you hear the click, you know the applicator is ready to use to insert the tampon.

I also very much appreciate the videos from Tampax where it’s teen girls talking to well teen girls. Here’s a handy one to share with your teen. You can also send them right to the link if they’d like to go and watch it by themselves HERE.

Getting your period for the first time doesn’t have to be difficult. This coming-of-age experience can be a positive milestone if you young girls have the information they need and are not afraid to test out new products. As a parent, I feel it’s our job to make this experience a positive one and to have those open talks with our young girls so that they are prepared and aren’t afraid to come to us with questions. Knowledge is power and knowing what’s available to them and that they can come to us to talk about anything can make this stage of life so much easier for them. Especially when they have trusted brands like Tampax and their ever evolving technology on our side!