So, yeah.

[yendi]

Granted, there are constant reminders, but last night was most definitely the biggest one in ages that our little girl is growing up.

Comments

[tru2myart.livejournal.com]

I think she has it friends locked hon. Is your daughter ok?

[onceupon.livejournal.com]

On one hand, yes, it's definitely a sign that she's growing up. On the other hand, I know that, when I got my period, if someone had announced it to the internet at large, I'd have had serious issues with that. Not to be all naysaying or anything, but have you guys considered HER wishes about what the internet knows about her period?

[emilytheslayer.livejournal.com]

lol, she's fine. It's not f-locked, it's a bad link. Adam, html only has one l.

[onceupon.livejournal.com]

There is one to many ells on the URL. It's a public post -- just follow the link and then delete the last ell!

[yendi]

Actually, yeah, we did. Not so much in the "hey, can I post this in my LJ?" sense, but we've long made it clear that the fact that women menstruate is not something for her to be ashamed of, and that her first time is a milestone of her road to maturity. We've got no intention of discussing details, nor is it something that's likely to come up again, but this is a milestone in her life, not something to be embarrassed by.

And the comments people have posted have already provided a huge amount of positive feedback for her, and helped ease some of her anxiety.

[yendi]

Fixed! Weird -- I cut and pasted it, so I didn't bother checking to see if the link worked.

[onceupon.livejournal.com]

Oh, there's nothing shameful at all about it. But it IS a rreally turbulent time and, helpful comments or not, I'd have been really, seriously mortified.

And it IS a milestone, but sometimes I wonder if all milestones need to be public.

It's good that she's feeling better.

[onceupon.livejournal.com]

Which isn't to be all, "OMGZORZ YOURZ BAD PARENTZ!" It was just my first thought on reading the entry.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

But it IS a rreally turbulent time and, helpful comments or not, I'd have been really, seriously mortified.

And it IS a milestone, but sometimes I wonder if all milestones need to be public.

*nods* We are all very different people. Elayna's actually a lot more candid than I was at her age... the way she copes with things is by turning to her community. A lot of her community and chosen family - her godmother, her "internet sister", et al - is most easily accessible online. That, and the words of her friends are now here, gathered in one place, memoried - easy to look back on.

This is the way she processes, and we always respect her wishes regarding what to share; it's her life.

[jmfunnyface.livejournal.com]

Oh wow. How old is she? One of my friends' 10 year old just got hers. Completely threw my friend for a loop because she didn't think they'd have to have a big talk about it for another few years. I swear it's happening younger and younger.

[yendi]

She's a month shy of 12.

And yeah -- she's got a friend (actually the niece of shadesong's sister's fiance) who just had hers. And she's 8.

[jmfunnyface.livejournal.com]

Yowza 8 is mind blowingly young. The same 10 year old I mentioned had a friend that got her period at 8 and was a c-cup in bras by the end of the school year.

I think what I have a hard time wrapping my mind around is the sex talk at such a young age. I know most people have some type of sex talk with their children, but to think that an 8 year old could actually get pregnant just boggles my mind.

[terracinque.livejournal.com]

Oh, I thought she was younger. Eleven is about right, isn't it? Not that that makes it any easier...

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Eleven is about right, isn't it?

Generally, yeah. My birthmother and I both got ours at fourteen, though, and that's usually a pretty accurate indicator, so we thought we had a little while yet!

[softlywhispered.livejournal.com]

Ah womanhood. Congratulations on this milestone. Celebrate it well, and let her know that while it is not always a pleasant experience, it means she is healthy and whole. Growing up is hard to do, but she is doing it well.

[meardaba.livejournal.com]

Oh, I remember my first time, it involved travelling in Vietnam and having the runs. I was TERRIFIED I was dying, even after reading all those thousands of "You're Growing Up" books my mum gave me!

Wow, that's a memory I really shouldn't share, but prehaps it'll make Elayna feel better? Oh, and you can tell her that I STILL haven't grown up, and I'm now 22. She really doesn't have to worry about that part of it.

:P

[jeff-morris.livejournal.com]

La Shelberina was 11 or 12 when hers kicked in. She was doing the whole growth-spurt and development deal in fifth grade; I felt so sorry for her, because she was wayyyyy ahead of her classmates. Fortunately they've all pretty much caught up four years later.

yendi, you do realize now that they'll BOTH be sending you out on "supply missions", correct?

Heh.

JSM

[kiwitayro.livejournal.com]

Wow. Miss-Big-Kid.