Last week a few of us here at EmpowHer were exploring www.mypetiteamie.com, an innovative woman-owned business that provides personal hygiene products for girls entering puberty. Seeing the great Petite Amie products and educational resources for girls who are starting their periods made us reminisce about what it was like when we were entering that realm. For me, it was not fun at all. When my best friends were all starting their periods, I felt so different, and well, basically like a total freak because I hadn't started mine yet. By the time I was in high school, I started carrying pads in my bag once a month and would pretend that I was suffering from cramps, like my friends were, because I wanted to fit in so badly. I even popped Motrin when they did. It turned out that I didn't start my period until I was 21 and well into college. Now of course I know it was because of all of my long distance running, which I started at the age of 12. (When you're competing in marathons and running 10-15 miles a day, and have hardly any body fat, you're most likely not going to have a period...) As a teen girl without her period, I felt humiliated. Looking back, I wish I'd appreciated all those period-free months and not worried so much about fitting in.
How about you? Were you prepared when you had your first period? Were you excited, scared, or not at all bothered?