I speak and the universe listens....

My obsession with menstruation this past weekend all culminated last night. My dear Lauren (with whose permission I post this) looked shyly through my room door and said Mommy come I need you. I also knew instinctively, what it was. I was mortified, why, because I wanted to do right by her during this amazing transition. As I walked into her bathroom, I calmed myself and showed her the necessary ways of taking care of herself. You know, here is pad this is how you use it, etc. Oh, you have school on Monday, this is what you do between periods. I need to write the homeroom teacher at note, etc.

As I left her to take a shower. I realized how happy I was to be here with my daughter as she took this giant leap from little girl in to a young woman. I prepared in my head many times for this and now its go time. I knew some where in all my recipes I had the "Moon-Time Tea" written down. Oh man, if I could just find it. When Lauren was a little girl, I knew I wanted to have for her a Moon-time ceremony, now with her permission I have to plan it.

As a mother who's own menstruation was never explained to her other than the practical nature of things. I know that I have to help Lauren understand that her menstrual cycle is not just a messy interference in her daily life. There is joy to be had in this new phenomenon. The fear and apprehension in her eyes was telling. Could it be all the commercials we see in mass media that promotes this aspect of ignoring menstruation, stopping it completely, or the lady in the bikini at the beach who shuns mother nature when she appears, that has made so many of our young women view our periods as an inconvenience and dirty. I understand her fears and share them, overnight Lauren begins the metamorphosis from a girl to a woman. Overnight she enters the realm of fertility and can become pregnant.

When I look around I see that there are many book and much written to support women in their phases of life, pregnancy, menopause, etc. But there is a need to have material that supports our young women in this most important stage of their life. A young woman now needs to know how to handle added stress, and dramatic hormonal changes. These changes have to be recognized by her "community". As such, with her permission. You know, not to be the embarrassing mom. I will be planning her moon time ceremony.....