Yes, we’re going there.  Your daughter has questions, right? Here we go….how to talk to your daughter about body changes.

Thank you to Tampax and Always for sponsoring this conversation. 

She looked back and forth from my body to her body.  She stared at my chest and then hers.  Then it came.  “Mom?” “Yes?” “Why do your nipples look different than mine? Yours are bigger.” Oh man.  Here we go.

The first of many questions to come.  You have to chuckle right.  I mean, children are observant.  They notice changes.  And there are obvious differences between an adult female body and a child’s (we all know that puberty brings changes to all bodies).

Now you’d think I would have been prepared (I even used to help give THE TALK to our fifth graders when I was a teacher).  But somehow, I was still surprised when it came time to talk about body changes with my own daughter.  But, here we are.  And if you’re not here yet, I can GUARANTEE it’s coming.

Girl Talk: How to Talk to Your Daughter About Body Changes

I wanted to share a few tips and thoughts about how we can make talking about body changes a very positive experience.  Reminder: body changes aren’t a negative thing.  This is a great time to empower your daughter (and yourself) as you talk about how beautiful our bodies are ALL THE TIME.

1. Be Upfront: Surprised by a question? Taken aback? Not sure about an answer? Or what to say? Be honest and upfront.  It’s ok to say that you’d like to do a little research to support the discussion.  If some part of body changes has been harder for YOU, it’s ok to say that too.
2. Use Fact and Age Appropriate Materials: This is where I’m putting my teacher hat on.  Use facts and materials that are appropriate for the age of your child.  A quick online search will help you find books and websites or you can also always ask your pediatrician for suggestions.
3. Remove Stigmas: The most important part of talking about body changes to me? Is removing the stigma around puberty, periods and feminine health issues.  The WAY we discuss these things will go a long ways for our girls.  If we are uncomfortable or skate around the conversation, we’re implying that there is something to be ashamed of.
4. Encourage An Environment of Communication: In the end, whether we’re talking about nipples or periods……this is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to body changes.  The goal here? Is to encourage an environment of communication.  I want my daughter to know she can ask me ANYTHING.  Always.

Now, while we’re talking about periods……if you’re reading this, you most likely have them.  So I couldn’t close this out without sharing a deal.  From now until August 2nd, Dollar General has a killer deal on those staples that we all use each month.

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