At our house the activity rarely stops. I have sporty girls. This week my youngest will compete at a track and field meet, swim at swimming lessons, ride her horse at Sari therapy riding program, mentor little ninjas at martial arts and then she will spar, and do her own martial arts lessons. And she will run her little heart out playing with kids in our neighbourhood. And that’s just my one daughter, 11. My older daughter, 13, does most of that, with exception of the therapeutic horseback riding and she acts and sings and dances with a local theatre troupe. My girls and I have been having period conversations for a long time. I started the conversation years ago really because I believe honesty is the best policy. So both my kids have a working knowledge of biology and menstruation is not a taboo topic. Also they know I will answer their questions as they arise.
My teenager frequently comes home from school with statements like this: “So and so had her period today at school so she was sitting out from gym.” Or “Jasmine was really rude to me today and when I asked her why she told me it was because she had her period.”
Call me hard core. Call me a grump. But those are conversations that make me a bit nuts. I remind both of my girls that getting your period is completely natural. It’s great to be prepared and it’s kind of exciting in some ways. But here’s what it isn’t: a period is not an excuse to quit playing, to quit doing sports that you love, or to sit on the bench worrying about cramps and snapping angrily at friends. Your period is not an excuse for bad behaviour. Nor is your period an excuse to drop friends and sports and all the fun things you love to do. In fact, according to the Playtex Mom Survival Guide Period 101: “Your period is not a sickness and you don’t need to rest or take it easy. In fact, health care professionals recommend being active as a way to reduce those awful cramps.” So there you have it. There’s evidence that healthy activity should carry on all month long.
Luckily, there are some brands that support active girls and believe girls should be able to play on. Fitness habits don’t stop because you have your period. Healthy habits are skills kids and adults need to cultivate for life. Playtex knows that. Playtex has a great little sport combo pack of supplies that will help keep your girls keep playing on. Period or no period. There are liners and tampons in the Playtex® Sport® combo package. With two girls our bathrooms are well stocked, so that we are ready for first periods and every monthly cycle thereafter. The Playtex® Sport® combo package has a bit of everything to let your daughter find out what she prefers.
Don’t sit the game out. Get in the game. Play on.
[tweetthis]Don’t be benched because of your period. Play on with Playtex® Sport® combo #Playoncontest[/tweetthis]
If you are a Mom looking for advice on how to support your daughter and educate her about periods and physical activity don’t forget to check http://www.playtexplayon.ca for more information and resources.
[tweetthis]Tell your daughter to enter the Instagram #PlayOnContest this summer to win cash prizes.[/tweetthis]
This summer Playtex is running a fun Instagram contest. Show the world how you play on and you could win $1000. Post your instagram pictures all summer with the hashtag #playoncontest. For more information check this out: http://www.playtexplayon.ca/play-on-contest
Playtex helped me set up a great Period 101 Kit for my daughters. You can duplicate this idea and have some fun preparing your daughter for her period.
It isn’t available commercially but you can buy the individual products and share them with your daughters so they are better prepared to embrace this part of their life.
This period 101 kit contained:
a Comfy T-shirt.
Playtex Mom Survival Guide
Nail Polish
A Teen magazine
Itunes gift card
Lipstick or lip gloss
Hershey’s chocolate kisses
A Magic Bag for those aches and pains and occasional cramps
Four packages of Playtex® Sport® combo liners and tampons (these combo packs allow your daughter to figure out what works best for her.)
Visit www.playtexplayon.ca for more information and for resources to help. Playtex is social and on Twitter and Instagram. Tell your daughters to enter the Play On Contest on Instagram and share their health and fitness goals for chances to win prizes this summer.
This summer, Playtex® Sport® is celebrating young women across Canada with an Instagram contest that asks girls to show how they Play On™. For additional information, follow on Instagram at @PlayOnCanada and visit www.PlaytexPlayOn.ca.
This conversation was sponsored by Playtex. My opinion is all my own and 100 % truthful.