How to Talk to Kids About Periods

How do you talk to kids about periods? If you’re a parent who menstruates, you’re likely to be met with questions from your kids about what it’s all about. And if you weren’t raised in a house where bodies were talked about openly (🙋🏻‍♀️) they might throw you off guard.

You only have to witness children's curiosity about periods to figure out that menstrual stigma is completely socially constructed (of course it is!). Peter has always been fascinated by my period and pads and wants to accompany me to the bathroom to see the blood. This might make you feel a bit ick but I'd argue that it's perfectly natural.

I've always tried to meet his curiosity with warmth and openness by providing accurate, age-appropriate information and being honest about my experience. I reckon he understands the mechanics of menstruation better than many adults because sadly, most of us weren't provided with this important information about our own bodies.

Here are three ideas for talking to children of different ages about periods. Ultimately, you know your child best and will be able to intuit what level of explanation will suit them. By provide honest, accurate, age-appropriate information we are taking an important stand against menstrual stigma and empowering their generation to claim their own menstruality or support their peers in theirs' when the time comes (and I think the ripple of this will be huge, for their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of the planet).

As children grow, they might naturally be ready for (and curious about) this information before the ages I’ve listed. But I hope these ideas give you starting points for beginning to answer these questions as they arise.

Ages 0-5

"Before a baby is grown, they grow inside a person's womb. For many people with wombs, for most months after they become a teenager, their body will create a little nest for a baby in case they get pregnant. When there isn't a baby, the nest comes out and that's what a period is. Do you have any questions about it?"

Ages 6-11

"For many people with wombs, from the time they're a teenager through much of adulthood, their womb lining will thicken each month in case they get pregnant. If they don't get pregnant, the lining that would have cushioned the baby comes out of their vagina and that's what a period is. Do you have any questions about periods?"

Ages 12+

"Menstruation is one of the four phases of the menstrual cycle. Our bodies have hormones that helps perform many functions in our bodies and the way certain female hormones change throughout the month can make use feel very different from day to day. A period happens if a person with a womb who is fertile and of childbearing age hasn't gotten pregnant that month. Their body sheds the uterine lining that would have cushioned the body if a pregnancy has occurred. It's also a time when many female sex hormones are low, which can cause feelings of tiredness and even grumpiness. Many people find it important to rest a bit more than normal while they have their period. Can I tell you about the other phases of the menstrual cycle?"

Don’t worry if you don’t know the answers to each of their questions. For many adults, they’re only beginning to learn this information about their bodies now. Offer to find out for them or look up the information together. Overall, the most important information we can convey is that menstruating is safe and natural and to provide accurate, age-appropriate answers to their questions.