“Mama I got your blood cup!!”
My six year old knows I just got my period and is holding up my yellow pouch with my trusty Lunette menstrual cup inside. She calls it a "blood cup."
I am the type of mom that is very open about all things relating to the body. I pee in front of her, and I even dump my menstrual cup blood in front of her (I don’t know do other parents get privacy in the bathroom? I don’t.) When she says “ewww” I say, yeah, but remember, it’s natural, and that’s how come I was able to have YOU – therefore, it is the best blood in the world!
Even though I am super open about bodily functions, I teach my daughter to protect her body, which I think is super important these days. I am NOT the mom that you see at the NYC playground with a topless eight-year-old girl playing in the sprinklers. And I have taught my kid that she doesn’t need to hug anybody who says, “hug me” or “give me a hug” unless she wants to, even relatives. Her body, her choice. With statistics for childhood sexual abuse as frightening as one in five girls and one in twenty boys, I am crazy careful as to who babysits her, and I teach her to be in charge of her own body.
I also monitor what my daughter watches on her Ipad- no Monster High or Nicki Minaj videos please! (I do realize how ironic this is coming from the person who has a raunchy video for “Bad Babysitter” but little did I know what I know now as a mom!) My daughter has already asked me “what is sex?” after seeing a subway ad for the Museum of Sex- a fantastic photograph of people in various states of undress and glitter at Studio 54 in the 70s- "well, it’s not THAT" I said. "It’s when two people love each other and make a baby." That seemed to work (thank God) for now, but eventually I will break it down for her when she is older. I think the most important thing is to not shame little ones for exploring the body or sexuality, and it starts with explaining bodily functions in a shame-free way. So I highly encourage all mamas to be open about their periods with their daughters.
Blood cups and tea parties anyone?
The MOM behind the article: Concetta, AKA Princess Superstar
