I Just Taught My 8 Year Old daughter About Periods

I had one of THE coolest conversations with my daughter this week. She’s 8 years old and has been really curious about periods lately, so I felt it was time to teach her about her body. As much as I’d love to share every detail of what I shared, what questions she asked, and exactly how I answered, we’d be here all day so I’m going to do my best to give you all the highlights. 

I opened the conversation asking her what she knew about periods. With eyes wide and the corners of her mouth drooping, she answered “I know there’s a lot of blood!” And just like I’d hoped, the floodgates opened and her questions came gushing. 

How many holes do I have? 
Where does pee come from?
Why is there blood?
How does the blood come out? 
Which hole does it come out of?
Where does the baby come from? 
Do I have to have a baby?
I don’t want to have a baby. 

After answering some of her questions like some type of ping pong tournament, I asked if I could show her diagrams of the body parts to fully explain. An excited “yes!” and a google search later, we were flipping through diagrams from every angle, explaining exactly where her female parts were located and each of their functions. 

After explaining how the ovaries release an egg, I told her that if it’s not fertilized (thankfully, she didn’t ask what that meant), the blood comes from the lining inside the uterus, flows through a small opening in the cervix (I also mentioned how powerful this muscle is), and then comes out through the vagina.

Instant fear and horror on her face and I’m pretty sure a BLAAHHH. 

Which I expected, but this isn’t my first bloody rodeo.  

This is where the story took a powerful turn. I met her with an “I know it’s kind of scary right now learning about it, but really this ability to bleed, to create, to live in this cycle of change…it’s our superpower. 

I reminded her that only females have the ability to create new life, and if and when you choose to do so, your body knows exactly what to do. Then came the birth commentary…

How does the baby grow inside you?
How do you get that BIG?
How does it come out?
Does it hurt?
I definitely don’t want to have a baby. 

I brought her back to the diagrams and showed her the muscular structure of her pelvic floor and taught her that our bodies were designed to stretch and move and we might not feel it right now but inside, we are so strong. 

I then asked her if she wanted to see her birth video. My mama-doula-woman heart beamed when she said yes.

We got to the end and we were both crying happy tears. 

Why do I feel the need to share this very random, personal topic with you? For starters, I love this topic. Secondly, I used to be a doula and found so much joy teaching women about their bodies. Thirdly, these are the moments in life that really frame (or reframe) exactly what we believe about ourselves. 

As a trainer, I want everyone to know just how strong, how capable, how powerful you truly are. And let me be clear, I don’t mean physically. Our physical strength is majorly dependent on our mental strength and what we believe to be true about ourselves. 

If we believe we’re weak, we will be weak. If we think we’re unable to do something, chances are we won’t. Maybe these beliefs served us for our own protection. Maybe it served to benefit others. I’m here to offer you the chance to reflect on your belief system, question whether or not you agree with it and if not, practice rewriting your truth. 

I am strong. 
I am capable. 
I have a superpower. 

Two days after our conversation, my daughter jumped in the car after school and boldly claimed, “I think I will have a baby when I’m older. I have a superpower mom.”