all these years

[macabre-grrl.livejournal.com]

Today is my period's tenth birthday. In 1995, I was twelve years old and suffering from a devilish case of the chicken pox. I had this weird stomachache to go with it, and it kept me awake for hours. The next morning I dragged my feverish self to the bathroom and....

>:-@

I can't understand why so many people say they couldn't wait to get their periods and stuff. I dreaded it ever since my mother clarified this certain vague paragraph in my Girl Scout book. I was like, "You've got to be kidding me, right? BLOOD comes out of me every month for the rest of my life? IS THIS A NASTY JOKE??" I made a pact with myself to never become an adult, a boring, humorless grownup with an annoying leaky body.

I find it very funny and ironic that I should cross the rubicon of womanhood while suffering from a primarily childhood disease. I decided I should remember the date forever.

I'm now a Keeper queen, and more or less have a good/neutral/doesn't matter type attitude. Back then, I could not get tampons in. I wore massive pads for years. In the beginning, I had this irrational fear that the pad would dislodge itself if I walked fast or ran or sat down carelessly. I had it easy compared to my mother, who had to wear the awful belts and straps and pins, and they always leaked. Her periods were particularly horrible, so the monthlies were evil ordeals for her. I can't believe no one thought of sticky back pads until the 70's.

I remember sitting on land one hot summer day when we were visitng my aunt and uncle and cousins, and we went to this gorgeous resort swimming pool. It sucked so much, because the only explanation had to be the scarlet P, even though I tried to pretend I didn't like swimming. Fabulous for an awkward 15 year old.

I remember in seventh grade when a bunch of bullies on the bus, who tormented me daily, decided to dig through my bag and steal all my pads. I got up to get off and turned around just in time to see the smirking little bastard with a handful of pads. I jumped off the bus and ran until my chest hurt.

Later, I merely tattled on them to my gym teacher, and it eventually got to several school officials. I actually didn't care, because I figured these kids would be completely shocked to catch it from a bunch of disciplinary faculty members. To this day, I don't know what happened to them, but they bothered me a lot less. A very great piece of luck, because I would have thought the torment would be worse.

I remember when I wasn't eating, and puberty stopped dead for two years. And I was one of the only girls in my summer camp Senior Girls division who didn't have her period that week, or suffered under big boobs. NEENER NEENER!!

I remember looking in the back of a natural-health-outdoorsy magazine and seeing an ad for Gladrags and the Keeper. GROSS! I thought.

I remember finding MUM and laughing for hours.

I remember entering college and being exposed to the milieu of hippies, liberal activists, serious environmentalists, and generally cool people. I remember rediscovering and cementing my feminism. I longed for a Keeper, but no dice with the tampons.

I remember having a one night fling. And then, the tampons were possible. Which only meant one thing: a Keeper.

I remember meeting a fabulous boy who was perfectly comfortable with womanly things, and all the other progressive stuff I love. He was just as excited as I was when I finally found a Keeper. He pesters people to get them, because they are so damn great.

And I pester people to buy Diva Cups and Mooncups. Your menstruating life changes forever, for better. It certainly changed mine.

Comments

[snapdragon-666.livejournal.com]

I love my Keeper too, i would never, ever be without it.

[macabre-grrl.livejournal.com]

Come to think of it, I think it was me who pestered you to get one a few years ago. Or pestered you the most. Your LJ name is easy to recall. :-)

[snapdragon-666.livejournal.com]

I think it was, but i didn't need all that much pestering! :)

[babybloodheart.livejournal.com]

*smiles*
If it hadn't been for my Mooncup a few years ago I'd still hate the fussing with tampons, I'm so very glad I ran accross a post on homemade tampons, I jumped at the chance to get a Mooncup, it's brought about such an amazing change in my life.

[nzgoddess.livejournal.com]

awesome post - thankyou for sharing it ..

i can very easily relate to the fear of a pad dislodging etc .. no swimming (sigh) .. my 12yr old is the only one of her menstruating friends who can use tampons and the others are all very jealous of her for this reason ;-)

ive offered to by her a mooncup (like mums) .. but the size of it understandably puts her off .. btw im going to get her one anyway .. dont care if it sits in her draws for a few years before use ..

[nzgoddess.livejournal.com]

oh and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY !!

i think your really lucky to remember the exact date & have this opportunity of reflection :-)

[palegothic.livejournal.com]

I adore my DivaCup. I honestly don't know how I got along before!

[skeptictank.livejournal.com]

When I got my first period I was like 14, and I sat on the bathroom floor for about an hour and cried. I was so mad at my body. 6½ years later and I'm almost over it.

[meredith-mae.livejournal.com]

I remember not being able to go in the water park at the amusement park because I had my period when I was 13 or 14, right before I started using tampons. My brother's godmother said she didn't have to deal with it anymore because she had a hystorectomy, and she was glad she didn't have to (my mother has since had one too). I was so jealous that she didn't have to deal with bleeding every month.

In 8th grade some boys on my bus found pads i my bag and one guy stuck one to the window. I pretended I didn't care, but I was mortified. Now I realize how stupid it was. 51% of the population bleeds once a month. So? It's something to try to deal with as best you can.

[miss-meliss-a.livejournal.com]

Aww..I remember getting mine as well. I was so upset, and miserable.